Unlike a taxi, you negotiate the fare prior to leaving. This cost us 80 baht one time for four people and 70 baht for three. They go very fast and there's not much to hold on to. However, it's something you can't miss out on.
Motorcycle taxis are another option but they drive very fast and weave through Bangkok's endless traffic at rush hour. They get you where you want to go quickly but there's no defense against getting hit by a car.
Standard taxis are a good choice. The minimum fare is 35 baht for something like 1km and then 2 baht for every few fractions of a km later. Time in traffic may also add to the fare. We usually get something like an 80 baht fare, which is reasonable when split four or five ways. Be sure to make sure they use the meter or else the driver can claim a much higher fare when you get to your destination.
With any of these means of travel, you have the ask ahead of time about where you want to go because they may not be going as far as you'd like. Motorcycles and tuk-tuk seem to have home bases set up in different spots around the city to service different areas. Taxis also have their own normal routes.
In tourist spots, some tuk-tuk or taxi drivers may end up bringing you away from where you want to go in order to drop you off around stores and places they do business with. You have to go through several of these places before you can continue on. We haven't run into one of these traps yet and it doesn't seem likely out where we are. Drivers around popular spots will also try very hard to get you to use their service if you're walking around like you want to leave the area. It's okay to pass them by or simply refuse. They usually advertise prices to you in this manner; I'm not sure if these prices offered are discounted or not but you can also negotiate the cost beforehand while being sure to keep to the set price when you go to pay them.
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The first Monday was the first working day of the trip. The two of us working at Mahidol met our grad students at CRI in the morning and went through the route to get the university. It takes about one hour and involves one bus, the Sky Train, and then either another bus or walking. The buses are very crowded at rush hour and sometimes you're stuck where the doors open and close. You have to be careful about that because sometimes the doors will open while the bus is still slowing down (and moving at a considerable pace). A lot of the buses are air conditioned and cost 12 baht, but the open buses will only cost around 5 baht.
The university is a very interesting place with a lot to see. The lab I'm working in is very large and the group is both friendly and talented. I met with my professor to discuss the project and it seems very cool. I won't mention much about it on this blog. Mahidol University has several buildings/campuses around the city for things like Science, Dentistry, and so on. The Faculty of Science campus is very nice with a lot of green plants and impressive architecture. On the opposite side of the campus is the cafeteria where a lot of interesting foods and drinks are available. Apparently there is a market that opens in the center of campus on some Thursdays. (I missed the first one because I ended up being at the CRI conference later on that week.)
I don't have pictures of Mahidol yet.
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