If you have stepped foot into Souhteast Asia, you would already be acquainted with the region’s old buddy the tuk tuk, which is also known as the auto rickshaw. Now say hello to its motor-less cousing the trishaw. Yes, these babies are not powered by motors of any kind. Instead, human propulsion moves these things forward. It is practically a tricycle, with a cabin at the rear for the passenger to board the transport.

There’s really nothing much to the trishaw. They operate on a for hire basis, so you must inform them where to go negotiate the price in advance before boarding the trishaw.

So, what are they called in the respective countries? In Cambodia and Vietnam, make sure you pronounce cyclo as see-clo. In Indonesia, it is called a becak. In Myanmar, it is known as saika, a Burmese interpretation of the English words of side car. Interestingly, in Laos and Thailand, the trishaw is called a samlor, just like what the tuk tuk is called. Basically anything with three wheels is a samlor in Thailand.

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