How many forms of public transportation can you think of? …(I’ll give you a few moments to collect)… I bet I can now surpass your suggestions having lived in Thailand now for several weeks. Different options, of course, come at different rates, but we have about eight different ways for people without their own car to get around town. For the familiar methods you have all heard of before, we can use the buses (which come in all shapes, lengths, and sizes), a taxi, the subway, and a ferry in some parts because of the winding river that runs through the middle of Bangkok.
Motorbikes are very common here, as they are easy ways to zigzag through rows of countless cars at stop lights and get to where we need to go faster. When I say faster, I mean faster. It is known to Bangkok travelers to have stopped at traffic lights for up to ten minutes at a time! SO - motorbike taxis are pretty popular and fairly inexpensive when compared to taxis. And they’re super fun. Don’t worry, they’re safe as well, but I’ll get to driving conditions in a moment.
Three more to go… how about a subway-like train that soars over traffic on a towering concrete platform? They call it the BTS, or in Thai, “rót fàI fáa,” which means “sky train.” The BTS is also fairly inexpensive, and not to mention fast since there’s no waiting behind tons of anxious vehicles all going to the same place you are. It works just like a train station, only it’s higher up - a rousing way to view the city! The only thing is that it reaches only parts of Bangkok, so some other method of taxiing is necessary to get to and from the various entrance and exit points.
Ah, the songtao. It’s a cute little mini-bus with an attitude and it waits for no one. There are no real destination points of the songtao; just wait for it somewhere on its route and it will come to you with the wave of a hand! A songtao is pretty much a pick-up truck with two benches in the back and a tin roof over the top… kind of like a covered wagon with an engine! Ha ha. These little beasts are pretty peppy, and they’re way cheap - only 10 baht, or about 30 cents to ride. It doesn’t even matter where you get off. You could ride these things around their regular routes twice and it would still be 10 baht. Pretty sweet deal, huh?
Lastly, I will mention Thailand’s favorite and most unique piece of work you’ll see going down the road: the túk túk (pronounced with a ‘oo’ sound). They were actually featured on an ancient Visa commercial that took place here in Thailand. (You can search http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GgKUkm1mK4 on YouTube to view commercial). They’re essentially oversized tricycles with an engine and a roof. They’re pretty romantic too, if that’s what you’re going for on a night out with a special someone, because there’s definitely room for only two people :) Of course, the Thai try to squeeze as many people as they can into something moving if they gotta get someplace, so technically you could put like three or four, but you know…
So! All in all, which method seems to suit your preference for travel?

Back to driving conditions. To be honest, I feel much safer driving here in the congested and over-populated city of Bangkok. It's true! Take a second look at the traffic picture I posted above: there is so much going on! I can see how you might think it looks like mass chaos and that it has 'accident-prone' all over it. However, since people here are so used to looking for motorbikes and pushing their way into traffic, and taxis are always looking for people to pick up... the list could go on... they are much more used to multi-tasking and defensive driving. They really don't know what to expect from the vehicles around them at any given moment. On top of these points, Buddhist culture chooses to be more mild-mannered = less road rage. Culturally, they're not allowed to show their anger outwardly. I'm fine with that! It's actually a relieving and pleasant change from US drivers, if you know what I mean. . .