February 24, 2011

T is for Tricycle

An everyday form of public transportation found throughout the Philippines is the tricycle. This is typically a small 50-125CC motorcycle with a side car that works like a taxi for short distances and in areas not covered by buses or other mass transit. 

Less common these days, it seems to me, is the pedal-powered tricycle, a vinyl-covered sidecar mounted to a regular bicycle frame. Yet a few days ago I spotted these two in Malate, a touristy area near Manila Bay...
 

Manila, 2011

... and I thought they'd be fun to share for T at Alphabe-Thursday and Signs, Signs.

29 comments:

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Those make me smile! The people inside the blue tent one look happy to be in there -- the pedaled trike looks like a lot of work! .

Andrea said...

Hi Francisca, this is very common in many places here. It is called colloquially as 'padyak' or the local term for pedicab, padyak means using the feet or pedalling. Do you know that in Indonesia unmotorized tricycles like this are called 'becak' pronounced betsak, isn't it phonetically sounding like padyak too? Of course words evolved through hearing, and i am just comparing our local transpo system evolving from just local resourcefulness. Did you see my post about Indonesia?

fredamans said...

He even took the time to blow you a kiss!

Oakland Daily Photo said...

As entrepreneurs, they are even selling advertising space. Good for them.

Photo Cache said...

Extra money for the operators of the tricycle. Ingenuity.

Carolyn Ford said...

I think they like having their pictures taken! That must have been a fun moment for them and you, too!

cieldequimper said...

What a kiss you're getting! :-)

Jeannette StG said...

Ah, this is one of the few scenes I remember from Indonesia (I was born there, and moved to Holland when I was five).
I'm now able to follow you posts more regular, because I finally took time to add you and some others to my blog roll:):)
(I know snail is my name, lol)

Andy said...

Nice photos Francisca. No matter where one goes advertising seems to be everywhere.

biebkriebels said...

Dat zie je hier nou nooit terwijl er zoveel fietsen zijn. Aardige jongen met zijn handkus, that makes your day!

Francisca said...

@Andrea... ah, didn't know the term pedyak for pedicabs... don't take them often enough, I guess, although I did climb into a motorized one just recently! And yes, I remember your fun collage of pedicabs in Indonesia. Others can also check out your vacation in Indonesia. :-D

jen said...

New follower.
If I'd had one of those tricycles a week ago, I may not have fallen off the two wheels of my bike and broken my arm!

Unknown said...

with gas prices constantly rising, pedicabs are practical.:p it makes a good ad space, too.:p

http://savorthebite.blogspot.com/2011/02/signs-take-it-slow.html

Lesley said...

It looks rather more awkward to manoeuvre than having the pedi cab in the back. I smiled at the "new deluxe rooms" - I thought at first they meant the covered cab!!

Kay L. Davies said...

We saw something similar in China, minus the advertising. Dick and the rest of our group were taken in pedicabs on a little trip in Beijing, but I stayed on the tour bus - with the whole back seat to myself, I had a nap.
The operator in your photo certainly seems happy in his work. The kiss is cute but I'm not sure about "Look, ma, no hands!" LOL
-- K

Kay, Alberta, Canada
An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel

tracy said...

Your pictures are so amazing!

jabblog said...

It seems a hard way to earn a living - those taxi-cyclists must be very fit:-)

EG CameraGirl said...

Fascinating! It's amazing how many different ways there are to make a go of it!

Dina said...

Fun photos. Hard to imagine how it would feel driving one of those.

Teuvo Vehkalahti said...

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Jo said...

what totally cool shots .... it looks like a lot of fun to ride in one of those ...

genie said...

At first I thought the room was inside....I think I might be getting a bit tired tonight! These shots are so cool, and the woman with the big grin put one on my face, too. This is definitely a happy and colorful post. I never know where you next post is going to come from. It is such fun seeing shots from all around the world. Genie

Judie said...

The guy in the second photo is really getting in to the spirit of being photographed! He's so funny. Great "T" post!

Lowell said...

That second shot is priceless. This contraption is new to me...and I think would take someone with strong legs to make it work well...That bike in the second shot looks sort of like an old Schwinn I used to have.

Unknown said...

I have never seen the driver on the side! Love all models of rickshaw.

VP said...

I am sure they will be perfectly at ease in our traffic!

Jenny said...

What a terrifically fascinating stop on our little journey through Alphabe-Thursday's letter "T".

I loved visiting you this week. I really felt like I was there...those pictures were lovely and clear.

Thanks for sharing them.

A+

Vicki/Jake said...

Ha, could be portable campers! Awesome share...

Linda Bob Grifins Korbetis Hall said...

love the word...
first time to hear about it.
:)