When travelling around Thailand you may notice small carts or stalls at the side of the road with whisky bottles. These can be seen outside some small independent shops or restaurants, but although the bottles are labelled as ‘Johnny Red‘ or ‘100 Pipers‘ the original contents have long since been consumed. Instead of whisky, these bottles now contain gasoline or petrol. Although there are plenty of ‘normal’ filling stations in urban areas in Thailand, in some rural areas or small towns these impromptu service stations provide a handy service for motorcyclists.
In the photo (taken in Cha Am) you will notice that most of the bottles on the bottom of the cart are full whilst those on the top are only half-full. This is a convenient way of measuring one litre or half a litre and provides a simple solution for Thai motorbike riders when they need to fill up their tanks. The carts are usually unattended, but when somebody stops to buy a bottle the shop-keeper will soon appear. Once the bottle has been paid for and poured into the motorbike tank, the empty bottle is placed back on the cart for the shop-owner to refill later.
