Thai Taxi Driver Adorns Car Roof With Sacred Tree Roots, Makes Cab Look Like Amazon Rainforest

Supernatural beliefs in Thailand 


Other than amazing attractions and delicious food, Thailand is also best known for many terrifying supernatural beliefs. And if you’ve gotten on a cab in Thailand, you might have noticed that different amulets and talismans of buddha hanging from the driver’s rear view mirror and on the dashboard.

However, one taxi driver went beyond just hanging the usual talismans – instead, you’ll see sacred roots on the roof of his car. He believes that this protects him from accident and misfortune. 


“It saved me from a gunshot”


On 23rd August 2020, a Facebook user named Pizchy’s Phaniwan shared pictures of a car roof full of roots, looking like a treehouse. 


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She also included a caption that said: “A little bit worried. Yes, this is the first time experiencing a mystical trip on a taxi”.  

Images adapted from: Pizchy’s Phaniwan

Aside from the tree roots, there were many other talismans and images of Buddha hanging around too. 

The owner of this sacred taxi is 70-year-old uncle Vichai Chinnawong. He revealed to Sanook that these roots are called Krue Khao Lhong, which is said to bring good luck, turn enemies into friends, and protect people from assault. 

He also added that around 5-6 years ago, he had changed directions while driving without checking, which resulted in a fight with another car on the road. The driver then tried to shoot him with a gun, but finally walked back to the car and went away. 

And the uncle believed that this was a result of the sacred roots that he worships.  


Image credit: Pizchy’s Phaniwan

The uncle said that he has been collecting the roots from different spots in Thailand for over 14 years. As his root roof continues to grow more and more, the uncle also admitted that there have been some passengers that were scared and refused to use his service. 


Some netizens said it looks like an amazon rainforest 


The post went viral with over 7.5K likes and 10K shares with tons of funny comments from Thai netizens. 


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Translation: Are there any signs to win the lottery?


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Translation: This is completely the Amazon rainforest. I want to buy a cup of coffee to chill out there.


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Translation: I thought you were in the Avatar movie. 

At the end of the day, these sacred practices are based on personal beliefs and attitudes. Despite this, we hope that uncle Vichai focuses on staying safe and drives carefully too. 

Next time you’re in Bangkok, don’t forget to look out for this forest taxi to have a cab ride like no other!

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Featured image adapted from: Pizchy’s Phaniwan

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