Introduction → Meet the Teams → Race Tracker → Leg 1 → Leg 2 → Leg 3 → Leg 4 → Leg 5 → Leg 6 → Leg 7 → Leg 8 → Leg 9 → Leg 10 → Leg 11 → Leg 12 → Leg 13 → Leg 14 → Leg 15
Leg 24.03 – “Ipag-pray kita na makabalik ka dito.”
The third Leg of the Race begins in the evening at the DBS Foundation Outdoor Theatre in Singapore. And teams will open the first clue to reveal they will be flying to Bangkok, Thailand!
Teams will once again book their own flight tickets. But will end up on one of five flights from Singapore to Bangkok departing tomorrow afternoon: Thai AirAsia arriving at 4:20pm via Don Mueang International Airport, Scoot arriving at 5:05pm, Thai Airways at 5:15pm, Singapore Airlines arriving at 5:25pm and 7pm via Suvarnabhumi Airport.
Upon arrival in Bangkok, teams must travel via train and find the Samsung Experience Store in Siam Square where they will get the next clue.
That clue directs teams to use their Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5s and search the bustling shopping district for five Amazing Race-related clues. They must take photos of them and have them checked at the store to receive the next clue.
That clue tells teams they must now book plane tickets to Chiang Mai. Teams will end up on one of six(!) flights arriving the next morning. Departing from Don Mueang International Airport: Thai AirAsia arriving at 6:20am, Thai Lion Air arriving at 7:15am, Thai AirAsia arriving at 8am and 8:40am. Departing from Suvarnabhumi: Thai VietJet Air arriving at 7:15am and Thai AirAsia arriving at 8:20am.
Upon arrival in Chiang Mai, teams must choose a waiting songthaew which they will use for the entire Leg.
Teams will direct their driver to take them to Mae Kok River where they will find a Road Block: Who can keep their clues in a row?
For this Road Block, teams will hop in a kayak and paddle themselves down the river, making sure to spot several checkpoints along the way. At each checkpoint will be a piece of their full next clue.
That clue contains a Roundabout! Teams will have two tasks they must complete in any order before continuing on.
A Dok Mai Chan is a Thai floral tribute often used in religious ceremonies and offerings at temples. For one task, teams must head to Wat Phra Kawe where they will learn how to assemble these intricate floral tributes and then properly recreate one to the satisfaction of a monk to receive the next clue.
The other task has teams heading to an Elephant Sanctuary where, if activated, they will encounter a Yield!
This elephant sanctuary prioritizes the care and well-being of these majestic animals.
Today, after checking in at the Yield board, teams will help to take care of the elephants’ daily routines including a nice bath and preparing food for them. When they can bring the elephants their meal, they will receive the next clue.
This is also the Trigger Point for this Leg. If six or more teams choose to do the elephant task first, the U-Turn or Yield will be activated on the next Leg of the Race.
That next clue points teams to a Hill Tribe Village where they will face the Detour: Fields or Feasts.
The hill tribes of Northern Thailand are indigenous ethnic groups who have lived in the mountainous regions of Thailand, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam for centuries. For this Detour, teams will immerse themselves in daily life of the village.
In Fields, teams will help to prepare an area on the terraced fields for planting. They will then prepare and then plant seedlings to the approval of a local farmer to receive the next clue.
In Feasts, teams will learn how to play a traditional bamboo flute known as a khaen and then perform a routine with the villagers to celebrate a bountiful harvest to receive the next clue.
And that clue informs teams they can head to the Pit Stop at Wat Rong Khun in Chiang Rai.
The first team to check-in here will win P200,000 courtesy of Shell V-Power Nitro+.
The last team to check-in WILL be the first team eliminated from the Race.
“Director’s” Commentary
Well this is a more manageable and normal-length Leg lolol
So Thailand is certainly not a new country. But the last TARPHDME visit was season 17! So I think it’s a good time to return now. I also had some task on reserve so it made even more sense hehe.
At the start of the Leg, we have self-booked flights once again. Thankfully for us there are plenty of flights from Singapore to Bangkok and within a good time between each other. So no big leads, hopefully.
But then again, we have an equalizer for the flight to Chiang Mai anyway hehe.
First in Bangkok, with teams arriving in the late afternoon, we want to have a task before they must find flights to Chiang Mai. Having teams navigate the train and public transportation would be great.
Meanwhile, Google Scouting basically just led me to this simple task with our wonderful friends at Samsung! Getting teams out and about in Siam Square for a scavenger hunt-type deal should keep teams busy for an hour or two.
So for this visit to Thailand, I wanted to focus on more rural and homey activities. No big urban Legs. And not tropical resort Legs. So Chiang Mai and the surrounding area provided the perfect destination for that goal.
First up, we could have teams driving around in Kias. But using a songthaew can be a great way to add some unpredictability without having self-driving, which we will have a lot of later in the Race.
The Road Block is a simple paddle down the river task. Get teams out in nature after two urban Legs so far.
But next is the New Rules Roundabout. Officially introduced last season, it’s basically a mini version of TARUS’ Scramble. And personally, I think the Roundabout is much better lolol. I think having teams choose which task to do first allows for, again, more unpredictable outcomes and results. And it allows for a potentially great dynamic when it comes to editing the episode. Keep everyone guessing. Or it could also be straightforward. There’s a lot of leeway.
The Dok Mai Chan is a good attention to detail task as well as an opportunity for teams to visit and experience a temple.
For the elephant sanctuary, we of course want to make sure this is a legit and reputable place that truly does take care of and treat our elephants friends very well. So it would be a great experience for the teams to be able to interact with them.
Both tasks are simple and straightforward. And I think having a Roundabout allows to make them more interesting and dynamic. A Roundabout can basically be a way to excuse having simple, blah tasks lolol
Since we have a Yield activated, I think having it before the elephant task is a good spot. Also a good spot for the Trigger Point.
The highlight of the Leg though will be the Detour with the Hill Tribe. I think a wonderfully immersive pair of tasks that will have teams experience and learn about a different culture from theirs. Both tasks are also pretty challenging in their own ways. So it could be a great end to the Leg.
The Wat Rong Khun is a stunning temple. So a perfect location for the Pit Stop.
Overall, I don’t know why, but I feel like it’s a short Leg. Lollll. TARPHDME has very long Legs of course. So this one feels relatively barebones. But actually, probably has two more tasks the typical TARUS Leg lolol Still, I think this would be a great Leg for a different side of Thailand.