Ghost Tuk-Tuk

While walking along a desolate strip of road, the lone traveler may suddenly have the overwhelming sensation of something approaching. Then a faint “honk-honk,” and a wispy “Hey you. Where you go,” eerily fills the air. And -- Yes! The ghost tuk-tuk approaches: its route set for hell, and the price – your soul! Although disputed as superstitious mumbo-jumbo by local authorities, more than one reputable wayfarer has claimed to have seen the ghost tuk-tuk in the otherwise peaceful seaside town of Songkhla, Thailand.

The legend begins over 20 years ago, when an elderly tuk-tuk driver named Somchai was brutally killed in an accident whilst aggressively pursuing a cheap hippy backpacker who refused to take public transportation in 40 degree plus heat. Shortly after this tragic event, rumors and murmurings of a ghost tuk-tuk plowing Somchai’s old route of Nang Ngam Road began to appear. Today the locals firmly believe that this is the spirit of old Somchai, eternally trying to pick up the same cheap hippy backpacker.

As one witness described his frightening encounter with ghost tuk-tuk -- whilst strolling alone on Nang Ngam Road one typical hot-season afternoon, he heard an old faint and decrepit voice behind him begin to say “tuk-tuk good, very very good. You go tuk-tuk, okay?” Thinking it was just another tuk-tuk driver soliciting a prospective custormer, he turned around to politely decline when -- Ghast! A ghoulish apparition appeared before him. The petrified traveler ran away, claiming to have been further pursued and touted for miles. After escaping and returning to his respective guesthouse, clearly in a state of intense shock, it would be days before he would be calm enough to recount his tale – even unable to smoke pot all the while.

So, will the mystery of the ghost tuk-tuk ever be solved? Could it be real? A lonely soul caught halfway between this world and the next, desperately trying to cling to its old tuk-tuk route? Who knows? But one thing’s for certain: those who have claimed to have seen this motorized phantom will think twice again before heading out alone off the beaten track, or less be taken on a discounted ride to hell.