Motorcycle Taxi can be called Motodup

[nakriian]

This is not really a question, just something interesting I wanted to share. Generally, people who live near borders of countries (that speak a different language than their own), tend to be able to speak some of that other language.

Example: Some people in Brownsville, Texas, USA can speak Spanish (it is near Mexico). Some people in Aranyaprathet (ÍÃÑ­»ÃÐà·È) can speak Khmer (it is near Poipet, Cambodia). Now not all people can speak the other language, but, in general, they seem to know each other's common words.

One of those words is âÁâµ´Øêº or motodup. This is a khmer word, which means motorcyle taxi. Directly translated, it means moto + carry, so it means motorcyle that carry things (in your case, it means a motorcycle that will carry you, the passenger).

So next time you are in Aranyaprathet and you are doing a visa run and you need a motorcycle taxi, you can just say âÁâµ´Øêº æ and they will understand. I told several (when I was walking around the market near the border) äÁèàÍÒâÁâµ´Øêº and they seem surprise I say âÁâµ´Øêº (often, they kind of laugh and repeat the word âÁâµ´Øêº like how he know that).

Special note: The cheapest way (aside from walking, which I do not recommend) from the train station to the border in Poipet is the Êͧá¶ÇãË­è (song thaeo yai). I say Ë­è because it is the big one, looks like a troop carrier. The traditional small red trucks fill up fast and leave quickly. But the big troop carrier is easier to catch and for 15 baht, not a bad price. The next best option is the âÁâµ´Øêº and the last option is a tuk-tuk (charge 80 baht +/- depending on your negotiation abilities, patience, pure luck, mood of the driver, which way the wind is blowing, etc.).

[Tod-Daniels]

Well, that's a possibly good word for people who do visas to know, but in most of the country unless you're living in a province which borders Cambodia, using that word would get you looked at pretty darned strangely.

Especially given the mindless disdain which borders on racist hatred the Thais have for Cambodians, Laotians, Burmese, or come to think of it, almost any race of people who ain't Thai (due to the superiority complex Thais have in that regard). Heck Bangkok Thais even irrationally look down on ÍÕÊÒ¹ Thais, and they’re Thai people! If I’m not mistaken the area known as ÍÕÊÒ¹ comprises 60% of the entire population of the country!!

I've found throwing in Cambodian, Lao or any other words when speaking Thai to Thais doesn't really yield all that much "bang for the baht" in terms of any real benefit. Except for the novelty factor are totally useless in every day life as a foreign speaker of Thai.

Personally, I'd stick with the "official language" Central Thai (as in the government approved version). Then again that's just me.

In perusing your posts on various forums, it seems you've made good progress in this language, good luck.

Oh FWIW: if you wanna go to Poipet (known as the armpit of Cambodia); you coulda caught one of the tour buses lined up at Lumpini Park for 200 baht round trip. They lug "herds of Thais" to the casinos to gamble and come back in the afternoon. There's no need to jump thru all the hoops you did, just to "run for the border" other than to prove you can do it solo.

[nakriian]

The 48 baht train from Bangkok to Aranyaprathet is for culturistic purposes. I gain a lot of knowledge on these trips. I usually leave the country for business (flight)enough and get my 90 day stamps that way. When I do go to the border for visa runs, it is more for the experience and knowledge (plus, believe it or not, I like the trips, they are fun, even though that hot train can give you a headache sometimes).

I have done border crossings at Pedang Besar, Aranyaprathet and Nong Khai. For Pedang Basar and Nong Khai, I just got off the train to clear customs and then got back on. Aranyaprathet train station is too far from the border to walk (so the 15 baht troop carrier is a good option for me).