Amazing Race 14, recap 8: Bangkok, Thailand has helpful taxi drivers

by Jamie Rhein on

With the million dollars becoming more attainable as the playing field narrows, some teams are becoming more cagey and mistake prone. One team member is tossing aside manners while another temporarily tossed aside shoes. The Amazing Race 14 continues to be a lesson in how to travel wisely and what mistakes not to make.

Thailand continued to be a lovely backdrop for this week’s episode. The teams left Phuket for Bangkok where the first stop was a boat yard where the colorful painted wooden long boats are parked. Who got there first depended upon which taxi driver knew the directions and Bangkok traffic. Bangkok traffic can be the absolute pits. Even going a mile can take more than an hour. I know because I’ve sat in traffic not knowing that I could have walked faster.

At the boat yard, one member from each team were to put together a propeller correctly so the team could then travel to the next destination, Peninsula Pier via one of the long-tail boats. This was one of the times I felt compelled to shout out at the TV, “No, no, no, don’t leave your stuff!” when sisters Kisha & Jen and brothers Mark & Michael headed off without their bags. This is not just a lesson for The Amazing Race, but for any travel experience. Leaving baggage behind in taxis or on docks is not a good idea. Not only did it give them problems later, instead of enjoying the process of traveling, they were worried and distracted wondering how to get their belongings back.

Having the teams use the canal system and rivers to get around was a wonderful way to highlight the life along the water. There were shots of houses and temples as the teams glided by. Only Jaime and Cara commented on the color of the water. Not the stuff you’d want to swim in, but people do. When I was in Bangkok on a long-tail boat ride, there were smiling kids waving and bobbing as we passed. Ferries and long-tail boats are one way people move about the city.

Once the teams arrived at Peninsula Pier there was a choice between two tasks. Margie & Luke, in the lead, chose the one where they had to become dentists at “The Street of Happy Smiles” to outfit five Thai people with dentures. This was a hoot to watch but I hoped that the participants were handsomely compensated for their efforts–not Margie & Luke, but the ones who were fitted with dentures. After watching Margie breeze through this task, I’d say she could get a job in a dentist’s office for sure. She fit dentures like a pro. The shots of this task were fast to follow, but I’m hoping that each person who needed dentures had their own sets of dentures in their own stash so that teeth sets that were put in one person’s mouth didn’t end up in another’s.

All the other teams joined up with a party taxi where they sang a Thai pop culture karaoke song with women who may or may not have been transvestites. Everyone had a blast with this task, although Jen & Kisha didn’t have their stuff, including their passports and money, and Mark & Michael who were way behind because they had their taxi take them back to the dock to retrieve their bags before they continued with the race. Still, all sang away in a manner reminiscent of William Hung. Remember him from American Idol? She Bang. She Bang!

I’ve been to Bangkok several times and have never seen one of these party taxis. I’m curious. Here is a link to one driver who does have passengers sing karaoke to pass the time.

Because of Margie’s ability to kick it through tasks, she and Luke arrived at the Pit Stop at Phya Thai Palace first. For her quick thinking ways, they won a trip to San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Jaime & Cara, who I don’t like much, at least I don’t care for Jaime because she’s so rude and catty, came in 2nd. Michael & Mark’s fondness for rule breaking got them in trouble again. Because they paid off taxi drivers with their belongings since they didn’t have any money left after their taxi ride back to the dock, gave them a four hour penalty. Thus, Kisha & Jen who had to go back from the Pit Stop to get their passports before they could check in, were able to beat them.

My respect for Thai taxi drivers went way up. The drivers were seen waiting for long periods of time, giving rides for free and bartering for fare. Bangkok is such a wonderful city and this episode highlighted some of the reasons why.

This was a non-elimination round which gives Mark & Michael a chance to catch up. Kind of. They’re going to be starting three hours behind everyone else and have their own Speed Bump to boot and Margie & Luke, as nice as they are, are devious and can’t be trusted. I’m waiting for Jaime to get hers. Seriously. She’s the type of person you don’t want to travel with if you want to treat people with kindness and patience and be a good guest.

Amazing Race 14, recap 7: Thailand is hotter than heck

by Jamie Rhein on

With all teams on the same flight from Jaipur, India to Phuket, Thailand on this episode of the Amazing Race 14, the competition didn’t heat up until teams dashed out of the airport to find a taxi. Their goal? To find the statue of a bigger than life-size gorilla without knowing its location. All they had was a photo of it as the clue to lead the way.

Showing the photo to anyone who would look at it eventually proved to be fruitful for five of the teams. Mark & Mel’s driver, unfortunately, led them on a goose chase to Patong Beach about the time the other teams found the gorilla at the Phuket Zoo for their picture taking with Esso the tiger and being part of an elephant show.

In a typical Thai elephant show, among other feats, elephants tap on people’s butts, or fake sit on them after audience members volunteer to lie face down on the ground.

The unusual aspect of this segment is that if you were at the Phuket Zoo, you could do exactly what the teams did. They’re normal zoo offerings. The tiger handler’s empty sleeve where an arm should be didn’t exactly promote confidence in the teams, particularly when the handler positioned them next to the tiger, their arms across it.

After the zoo, teams were sent to the oldest herb shop in Phuket. Nguan Choon Tong Herb Shop was an interesting destination because it captured the flavor of more traditional forms of medicine. The next clues were in the 99 drawers, one clue for each team. To find a clue, teams had to guess drawers. The shop owner kept opening the drawers until clues were found.

Cara & Jaime didn’t have much luck as other teams breezed past them. Frankly, I was happy to have them do badly with this since they spent time dissing Mark & Mike’s size. Mark & Mike, as far as I can tell, are nice, interesting men. Who cares if they don’t clear five feet? Are the two women middle schoolers in disguise?

The next task involved two choices–working like a Thai fisherman or operating a rickshaw. Jen & Kisha and Mel & Mike, once they finally found the gorilla, loaded up a fishing boat with 53 barrels and filled 47 other barrels with water while the other teams played rickshaw.

Rickshaw driving meant one team member playing driver and the other playing passenger until the driver couldn’t take the heat anymore and the pair switched rolls. Rickshaws had to be taken two miles to King Rama IX Park without a taxi leading them there.

After dropping off their rickshaws at the park, the teams headed by taxi to Wat Thep Nimit Temple the location of the Pit Stop and some of Buddha’s remains.

Mark & Mike who had blazed to first place made two mistakes. One, they piled the bike pumps back into a box so the other teams would have a harder time with the task, and two, they let a taxi driver help them. When they reached the Pit Stop first, they had to wait for one hour because of two thirty-minute penalties.

This allowed Tammy & Victor to win, yet again. This time they are going to Oahu. Jaime and Cara pulled up second which made Mark & Mike 3rd. To Mark & Mike’s credit, they didn’t get after each other for their breaking the rules missteps. Margie & Luke came in fourth.

Soon after stepping on the mat, Margie collapsed from the heat which is the best illustration of the importance of drinking plenty of water when running through the streets while pulling a rickshaw in a tropical climate. She recovered, but people looked worried for a few minutes there. It was one of the few times you could see the people who are behind the scenes since one of them also came to her rescue to help her to shade. Luke, naturally, was freaking out. Something happens to her and there goes his interpreter. He’d be able to get along, but it would have been harder.

Unfortunately Mel & Mike’s side trip to the beach cost them the race. Although disappointed, they’re so thrilled to have been in the race in the first place, winning would have just been gravy. I need to take whatever they’re taking because the two of them have the greatest attitudes.

Hopefully, they’ll liven up the Elimination Station in Koh Samui. The teams who are already there are depressing to watch.

Amazing Race 14 recap 5: Jaipur, India brings some to tears

by Jamie Rhein on

If you took two places and put them on a spectrum to show a contrast between opposites, you could do no better than Siberia, Russia and Jaipur, India. Icy, white snow switched for dry, yellowish dirt–frigid cold for scorching heat, and organized traffic patterns for chaos. This week’s Amazing Race 14 took teams from one end of this spectrum to another.

Because the teams were all on the same flight from New Delhi to Jaipur, the excitement didn’t start until it was taxi time. Ah yes. Getting from point A to point B in India is a challenge. Some taxis needed gas. Other drivers didn’t know where to go exactly; some taxi drivers walked off with bags still in the trunk; and the traffic, as typical, was horrendous.

Because I lived in India for two years, and went to Jaipur as part of a tour of Rajesthan, I was curious to see what would be highlighted. First off, it was clear once more that India is a country that would seem startling if one didn’t have much warning before ending up there. On little sleep, it can make a person weepy.

That’s sort of what happened to Luke and Cara as their taxis took them through Jaipur. Luke with his mom, and Cara with Jaime, cried buckets on their way to find Dhula Village and the sacred Peepli Ka Pedh tree, the site of the first clue.

Unfortunately, when one is only given a look outside a taxi window of what poverty in India looks like, it can be overwhelming. There’s no frame of reference. India is really a place to stay awhile, otherwise it can become a caricature in a way.

In this episode, one might think that Jaipur was merely a place of camels, men in turbans, cows that mill about garbage dumps, and women who wear clothing of the most brilliant colors. The city has a visually stunning quality and a fascinating history. It’s one of India’s cities of architectural gems that were mentioned by Phil’s narrative, but the cameras didn’t linger much.

In their disorientation of being in a new country without familiar focal points, it took the teams awhile to figure out that the red phone under the sacred tree held their next destination. An Indian voice told them to head to an Amber Fort parking lot to find the next clue. There they found a task of filling wooden trough with water and replenishing a pile of hay up to a certain height, an arduous task, mostly because of the heat. Mike felt bad that Mel, his dad was doing the task, but frankly, Mel smoked it.

One of the things I noticed while watching this section was the traditional rakes. We have one of those that we bought at the Pushkar Camel Fair. It’s one of my husband’s favorite items. Also, there was the typical camel attire of textiles embellished with intricate, colorful embroidery and mirrors. Any textiles from Rajasthan are wonderful. After two years in India, we bought our fair share.

While watching the teams swelter below the Amber Fort, I thought it was too bad that they didn’t have time to see the inside. The Amber Fort, built in 1592, is quite lovely on the inside and a testament to the opulence of the times. But no rest for the weary, not when a million dollars is at stake.

When the camels food and water stocks were sufficiently replenished, the teams were off to Johri Bazar to find a Rajasthani puppet store. These puppets make great gifts for kids. Every nephew and niece and kids of our friends have one of these as well.

At the puppet show, the teams could decide whether to dress up like a traditional Rajesthani dance troupe member to try to get 100 rupees out of passersby or to haul a cycle rickshaw loaded with barrels and hay from Sanganeri Gate to Zorawar Singh Gate, dump the load, and then search for a small silver elephant. Everyone, but brothers Mark & Mike, opted for the dance troupe task.

Before they could do the dance troupe, however, Christie and Jodi had to decorate an elephant with colored powder in a pattern typical for a festival.

The one hitch any team had with the dancing was Cara & Jaime. After they danced, they couldn’t find their taxi for 20 minutes. The driver was probably off drinking tea or something.

Taxi drivers in India are more than willing to wait since it means they can count on money, but no one likes to sit in a vehicle in the heat. They’ll go to the taxi stand where there’s shade to hang out while they wait.

Mark & Mike had a heck of a time finding the silver elephant which gave Christie & Jodi a fighting chance to not come in last after they completed their extra speed bump, a necessary task caused by their last place distinction in Siberia. Still, it wasn’t enough. Mark & Mike arrived at the Pit Stop at Jaigur Fort a couple of minutes before.

Victor & Tammy, who now are getting along swimmingly well, won this leg. For their efforts they were given two ocean kayaks. Great for them. (These are the two I like the least. They seem to really like themselves.) Of the others, I don’t really have a favorite team. They’re all likeable.

[Photos from the Amazing Race Web site]

Amazing Race 14, recap 4: Siberia continued. Wear good underwear, it helps

by Jamie Rhein on

At the start of this episode of Amazing Race 14, after an overnight rest from stacking wood, shutter building or both, teams took off from Krasnoyarsk, Siberia for Novosibirsk on a 400-mile journey via the Trans- Siberian Railway. The sleeper cars of the night train gave most a chance for some shut-eye and a lovely scene of the moon glimmering on snow as the train wound along the tracks.

Tumbling out of the mint green train station, teams made a dash to find taxis to take them to Punkt Tehnicheskogo Osmotra which somehow put Mark & Michael darting across the multi-lane road in the middle of traffic. But as one of them said, “Being stunt men, we know how to get hit by cars.” The taxi ride to the first clue box was the last of other people driving which might have been welcome relief for those who have problems with taxi drivers smoking.

For the first task, teams drove themselves either to Stadium Spartak to drive a snow plow or to a massive apartment complex to look for a Russian bride and drive her to a specific church to find her groom. The first task was easier. Driving the manual transmission Ladas to get to the snow plows was harder than actually driving the enormous vehicles through an obstacle course. Roads in Siberia after a snow are slick and the traffic, although organized with traffic lights and roundabouts is not easy when looking for landmarks. As Victor ground gears and slid he said, “Clearly, we don’t know how to drive in Russia.”

Luckily each time teams got lost, people were more than willing to help and a couple of times led teams to their destinations by driving in front of them so they could follow.

There was only one point when Tammy gave me the impulse to smack her. While she was waiting for Victor finish driving the snow plow for her turn, she said something like, “The largest thing I’ve ever driven is a Mercedes Benz..” Yes, Tammy, you are special.

As the episode editing cut back and forth between those driving the plows and those looking for the bride, the church and the groom, it was clear that the snow plow driving was the easiest choice but not so interesting. The bride finding involved a trip up stairs to knock on doors to see if a bride would come out–sort of like a cuckoo clock striking the hour. The teams interacted with the brides commenting on how lovely they looked. Flight attendants Christie & Jodi apologized for not being dressed appropriately for such an austere occasion. “If we really came to your wedding, we’d look a lot nicer,” one said.

Only one bride became worried by the exercise of driving with Americans who didn’t know what they were doing. took their bride to the wrong church at first. That was after they had stopped to ask a gaggle of young men drunk on vodka for directions. They didn’t take these yahoos advice, through particularly after one of them pinched Christie’s butt and asked for her phone number. Another person they asked for directions led them astray, but as one of them said, the church was lovely–just not the right place. Instead of bitching at each other, they decided to just keep forging ahead which certainly makes for more enjoyable travel–and television. Once the right church was found, the bride ran to her groom in relief.

Next stop for each of the teams was the Gosudarstvennaya Publichnaya Nauchnaya Tekhnicheskaya Biblioteka and the next clue. This is where one team member stripped down to his or her underwear to run 1.4 miles to the Novosibirsk Ballet and Opera Theater in 27 degree Fahrenheit temperatures. Very funny and an indication of how people do things while traveling in another country that might horrify them at home.

If you’re ever on the Amazing Race, pay attention to the underwear you’re wearing. Christie ran in a G-string and Jen had to put on underwear before she started running. The passersby didn’t seem to mind. Christie’s dash was met with a lot of whooping and car honking. Mark reported he was given his fair share of attention also. Considering he’s shorter than five-feet tall, I can imagine.

This leg was where Margie and Luke’s decision to U-turn Amanda and Kris paid off. This mother & son duo came in first again winning a trip to St. Lucia. As each member of a team came dashing around the last corner in his or her underwear, the ones who had come in before cheered.

Christie & Jodi came up last, but happily this wasn’t an elimination round. With Jodi’s finger bandaged after slamming it in the car door and Christie wondering what her father might think of her G-string, this was a happy ending to a visually interesting episode. It was particularly beautiful at the end where there was the visual treat of a ballet being performed on stage. Each time a new team stepped on the mat, a young girl broke out from the corps and headed to center stage with a graceful sweep of her arm saying, “Welcome to Novosibirsk.”

I bet the teams had a great time rehashing this particular day. One thing that’s clear this year is that this is any team’s game.

[Photos from Amazing Race 14 Web site.]

Amazing Race Season 14: Recap 4, Siberia looks like fun

by Jamie Rhein on

During episode 4 of this season’s Amazing Race, the teams headed off in the middle of the night from Bucharest to Krasnoyarsk, Siberia via Moscow. Unlike getting to Bucharest from Salzburg, Moscow from Bucharest is a piece of cake. Flights went through Munich, Frankfurt and Sofia, Bulgaria. Half the teams were on one flight and half on another once they reached Moscow. After the teams landed in Krasnoyarsk they were in for some fun and games with wood piles and bobsleds.

Here’s one travel tip: On the way to the airport, flight attendants Christie and Jodi stopped at an Internet cafe to find the best option and book tickets. Those flight attendants sure know how to zip through airplane schedules.

This episode was the best so far for giving each team air time, and again showing off the flavor of the country. In Siberia there were traces of snow and grey skies, but the people were friendly and seemed happy to be part of the reality TV experience. Plus, taxi drivers seemed to know where they were going and the traffic was minimal. Besides that, the teams seemed to be enjoying each other each time their paths crossed. Also, when a team experienced bad luck, the others close by doled out sympathy.

First stop, the Krasnoyarsk Hydroelectric Dam–no bungee jumping this time, just the clue for the next stop and a look at Lenin’s face. This is where this episode began to get dicey.

Once teams headed to the charming, small wooden Church of Innukenty, they could either stack wood or build traditional wooden shutters for a house in need of some TLC. Each task was to give a nod to Siberian winters and had to be done exactly.

The wood pile was daunting for half of the teams who tried. One wrong move and half the enormous pile came tumbling down–and in the worst case scenario, taking the already stacked pile partially with it. While teams were busy stacking, there were some Siberians hanging out drinking, eating sausage cooked that was cooked over an open fire, and playing music to add in some cultural backdrop.

Once some of the teams gave up on wood stacking, the shutter building business proved to be a doable task, but like any task done under pressure, finding the house to put the shutters on gave a couple of the teams pause.

Because the teams were spread out time wise, this episode provided a rollicking switch back and forth between tasks as some teams moved on to the second task while others were just starting the first one. Split screen TV comes in handy.

Once teams either stacked their wood, or made their shutters and fastened them to the house, they were off to the Museum of the Novel “The Last Bow” and the next clue. Here Margie and Luke did a “Blind U-Turn” to Amanda and Kris, who, earlier in the episode, were waxing poetic on how their youth and competitiveness made them a shoo-in to win the million. Yeah, right.

Next stop, Bobrovy Amusement Park and a speedy ride down the 3 miles of a bobsled course keeping track of the 7 letters in the name of a famous Russian playwright. One thing was clear, Russian literature isn’t general knowledge information. Victor was one of the few who knew the answer straight off and seemed to think Anton Chekhov isn’t exactly obscure.

As an interesting aside, this task offered a slight glimpse into what people who are deaf have to deal with when it comes to the interplay between American Sign Language, English and another language. Luke was operating through his second language, English to figure out an answer in another language. It took him several attempts, but by trying various combinations he eventually got it right.

Like last week, this week showed that this season is any team’s game. As Mike said after he and his dad hung their shutters after the wood pile task went bust, then finished the bobsled task and found out that other teams were behind them at the bobsled course, “Just when you think you’re out of this race, you’re back in.”

Once the bobsled task was done, off the teams galloped to the Krasnoyarsk State Musical Comedy Theater.

Who won?: Christie and Jodi made it to the Pit Stop first with Kesha and Jen a close second. For their win, they each received a 650 motorcycle.

Who lost? Amanda and Kris came in last due to their U-Turn, but took it well. They have their love and maybe will pep things up in Ko Samui, Thailand where the other losers are at the Elimination Station.