My Thai House: We have a Hilux

Yeah, I've never heard of a Hilux before either. It's a Toyota. The inside is laid out a lot like my old Sienna van. Well, except that everything that's supposed to be on the left side is on the right side and vice versa. It seats 5 and has a cover over the bed. It has a turbo charger and will definitely get up and go; I've already had it up to 105. Hah! Got you, that's km/hr, which is only 65 mph. And it's a diesel.

That's all the good news. The bad news is that it's kinda big. Now I know what you're thinking, "It's a truck; big is good." I hear you. But this is Thailand. And there are mopeds everywhere. And the roads are often narrow. And traffic rules and road signs are more like suggestions than requirements. A smaller, more nimbler vehicle would be a bit less risky.

Still, we're extremely glad to have any sort of vehicle. Chiang Mai doesn't have any sorta mass transit system; no buses, no subways, no trains. Yes, they have tuk-tuks and song-tows, but these are more like taxis, and they pretty much hang around the downtown area. And we live out in the suburbs. So we need a vehicle to get around, and we've very grateful to have one.