Thailand, I'm not done with it yet!
Let me start by saying that I completely understand what René and Claudia think about Thailand. When I read what happened to them and the personal issues they have with the way Thais treat tourists, I can imagine their opinion. I have experienced similar things, but experience them differently. Because I'm not done with Thailand yet.
In 2011 I went to Singapore (2 days) and Thailand (2,5 weeks) with a friend. Where Singapore was very disappointing, Thailand was an amazing holiday. I immediately noticed the hospitality, we arrived at the hotel at night to check in while the staff was eating. Without asking, a plate was immediately put down and we could eat. When we arrived in the room there turned out to be a double bed, while the booking via Booking.com in Dutch (stupid) was requested for 2 separate beds. But 'no ploblem sir', someone was summoned (read: woken up) to arrange that for us. Compared to the Netherlands, there you can just lie down and report to the reception the next day.
It was a small family hotel with very friendly people and nothing too much to ask. Someone from the hotel also worked a bit as a Taxi driver, which we obviously paid too much for, but she showed us local things. Stopped wherever we wanted, drove nicely and even arranged a night to a Muay Thai event. She was honest about that, she could enter for free if we bought VIP (what I wanted) seats. Believe it was something like 1500 Baht pp. The taxi ride was free. Fine right? We had already asked once during the holiday if our driver knew where they had tasty croissants and the last morning before our departure there were tasty croissants (not those greasy sticky things, but really tasty ones) and fried chicken (my friend's favourite). ) ready for us. The driver also provided breakfast with her mother. Nok has been our friend ever since.
After my first holiday I went 10 more times and mainly visit the tourist areas. I have been to Chiang Mai, Pattaya, Bangkok and Rayong, but also to Koh Chang, Koh Samet, Koh Phi Phi and Phuket. I'm sure I've paid too much for services and products countless times, but I'm on vacation and I just don't care. Once I bought Muay Thai pants for friends and family on Phuket at a shop next to the hotel. A girl of about 12 years old helped me, she asked 500 Baht per pair of pants and I just paid them. Could I have paid 300 Baht? I think so. But now the whole family was called in and glad they were, because I was also the first customer of the day.
I can give countless examples of things that have happened to us and my girlfriend and I say 'this can only be done in Thailand'. We have been to Curaçao, where the people are much lazier than the Thai men. Been to Spain for over 25 years, and in being unfriendly the Catalans really surpass everything and everyone. I've been to Greece and France several times, where the French just don't seem to understand that not everyone understands French. And that it doesn't matter if they talk slow or fast. So I have enough comparison material.
Have we really not experienced anything bad in Thailand? Of course you do, because we too were robbed in Bangkok. While we were in the Tuk Tuk, a bag was ripped off from a friend of ours. We to the police station with the Tuk Tuk drivers. They told where it happened, the camera images were searched and found. We sat there all evening where they tried to follow the scooter through the camera images, but in the end they were unable to find the thieves. However, we were apologized on behalf of Thailand by almost the entire police station and the Tuk Tuk drivers were scolded for not paying close attention to us. They were still young boys who couldn't help it, but they stayed with us all night in the police station when they could have just driven away after the robbery. We had no idea where it had happened and I never recognized them again. Now those boys also had no income for an evening.
And then that time when we went to look for a very special beach on Phuket. I can't remember the name, but I do remember that there are 500 steps down. When we saw that we still had to climb over rocks, we stopped the adventure. We were in the middle of nowhere when I saw a Toyota mini van in the distance. So I waved my arms and he came riding towards us. I asked if he would take us to our hotel and he really could have charged any price he wanted because I would have paid it to get out of there anyway but from what I remember it was just the regular rate we also paid to get there.
Mr X was the taxi driver's name and he was one of those reggae Thais you see on Phuket near Nai Harn/Rawai. He immediately asked if we had anything to do that evening because he also worked in a restaurant. Got his number. That evening I said to my girlfriend 'Let's go crazy and see where Mr X takes us' and called him. He picked us up nicely and took us to Sabai Corner, a restaurant not far from where he picked us up that afternoon. Insanely beautiful restaurant on a mountain, where you have a view over several bays. Good food, good live music and very friendly people. When we are on Phuket we always go back for a night. Highly recommended! Unfortunately, Mr X was never seen again.
That same holiday there was a rainy day. We got into the first taxi we could find and told the driver 'Take us somewhere fun right now'. That day we shot with guns, went to a snake farm and to an elephant farm where he all took pictures of us with a small elephant. Finally, my girlfriend had a dress made at a tailor somewhere. We must have paid too much, and everywhere we went the taxi driver will have received a little commission, but we had a very nice day.
Then the time in Pattaya, January last year. I got out of the taxi and forgot my backpack. Some valuables were inside, so I already started squeezing it. I happened to arrive at Villa Oranje where I had to check in at that time. I left my suitcase there and just started walking back to Central Road where the taxi that had taken me had picked me up. I already started to squeeze it… But somewhere halfway a taxi came honking at me and after receiving a thousand apologies I got my backpack. The driver thought it was his fault, he should have paid more attention. He did not want a tip, but in the end only 200 Baht was pressed into his hands.
Finally, the time we arrived in Bangkok with a KLM flight. We decided to stay in Bangkok for a few days before traveling to Phuket. However, something went wrong and our suitcases were already on the plane to Phuket. Neatly reported to the desk and a few men were summoned and within half an hour we had our suitcases. Try that at Schiphol. You will simply receive a form and you can call back the next day.
Now the opinion of many will be that I have rose colored glasses or don't know the real Thailand. Of course I also see things that I don't like or that I have reservations about. But come on, I'm on vacation and I want to have a good time. I'm not going to get annoyed. The two-price system is known, but believe me, they also have that in Spain and on Curaçao. In Spain it is even worse, because there they often help the Spaniards before they help a tourist.
And of course the Thai want to earn money from you, don't blame them. For those people it is also survival every day and I don't get the impression that they lead a very luxurious life from the money extorted from us. It is a small economy, not really an economy, in which every Thai gets a share of tourism. Basically all small businesses and that is the charm of the country. Then what do we want? All luxury resorts with all-in formulas where the big boss of the resort puts everything in his pockets? Then I'd rather pay too much for my Satay Kai along the way.
And not all tourists are equally friendly. Once I was in Tiger Disco and there was a group of Amsterdammers who stood on the tables and chairs and smashed glasses. Several times he was nicely asked 'Please come down sir' and in the end he was neatly helped by 2 security guards from the stool he was standing on. In the Netherlands you had already received a few blows and they had brought you out horizontally and flung you down in front of the door.
In my opinion, the people who complain the most aren't actually tourists anymore. They come there too often, too long, to still be tourists. You will then regard it as your (2e) at home and then you can no longer appreciate many things. I notice it in Pattaya where I speak a lot of Dutch people. They really complain about anything and everything, the smallest things in my eyes. You won't appreciate or just find the little things anymore. And then I haven't even mentioned the way some people deal with Thais and especially Thai partners…
I hope to get there for many years to come and I am far from tired of it.
Submitted by Lex
Thank you for writing this.
This is the correct setting !
Can't add too much, I live permanently in Hua Hin and travel a lot in Thialand. I am not done with Thailand yet. I also see the abuses and the negative things that happen, but also in the Netherlands and other countries, not everything is “rose scent and moonshine”. Really don't look through rose colored glasses but still feel very much at home and in my place in Thailand. There are rotten apples, but also a lot of nice decent people. Have a number of Thai acquaintances and have never been treated badly by them. Thank you Lex for your honest story and YOUR vision, and thank you Inquisitor for your comment on this, totally agree with you.
If you think it is normal to be cheated and scammed because “you are on vacation” then it is better not to write anything. Of course there are good experiences as there are bad ones, but to downplay the bad ones is not only naive to me.
Call things as they are and be realistic.
Totally agree with you Dick, so I don't think it's normal to be scammed, regardless of whether you're there as a tourist or as an expat.
In fact, Thailand is very dependent on tourism. In fact, every effort should be made to prevent this.
See, I hate comments like this.
You decide to go on vacation. You choose an exotic destination, far away from what you are used to, completely different. Usually also: much cheaper.
And then you want to be treated like in Europe. Protected. Safe. Everything correct.
You refuse to understand that people think differently, act differently. You refuse to understand that those who serve you are poor, exploited.
They must cut, bend, be friendly and understand how you think and how you want, desire.
Being robbed is a nasty experience, but not specific to Thailand. On the contrary. Go to South America. Africa.
Guys how stupid can you be.
Now come with an open mind, and be aware that you are embarking on an adventure where you don't know what can happen.
Or go to Marbella or Monaco, are you safe.
And I'm disappointed that the inquisitor immediately undermines someone else's honest opinion with his opinion.
If you don't walk here with pink sunglasses, you're like a vinegar pisser.
You just have to treat someone the way you would like to be treated.
Straight is straight crooked is crooked.
If you think it's normal to be scammed, then you have too much money.
Then become a philanthropist and just give your money away.
Then you'll be everyone's hero.
Greetings Rob
I fully agree with the Inquisitor's opinion, some apparently expect a dirt cheap heaven on earth with a populace crawling on their knees to serve and please them.
If it really is better elsewhere, no one is obliged to stay here!
fully agree Inquisitor and also nice article Lex. I think some people expect heaven on earth in Thailand and everything should be dirt cheap.
I've been back from Thailand for just under 5 days now and I already miss it so much. In those few days that I'm back in Belgium I've already heard more complaining and lamentation than in a month of Thailand.
When someone comes to Thailand for the first time as a tourist, he or she is usually impressed by the generally friendly people. He/she will also often not notice that this tourist pays a little more here and there than the Thai himself/herself. Moreover, if a seller asks a price that he/she does not want to agree to, everyone is free to say NO. If I start from myself, then no one has to bend like a jackknife, let alone that I expect every Thai to think the way I want. I am also aware that many people have to work for pitiful wages. I am even aware of the fact that there are more countries in the world where crime is much higher than in Thailand. However, I don't think the tourist should have to put up with everything, because he should understand the prevailing starvation wages, or even be grateful that he has not yet become a victim of crime, because this is even worse in many other countries. If a taxi driver in Bangkok refuses to turn on his meter and instead of 350 Baths, charges 1200 Baths for the same ride, then any normal-thinking Thai will understand that I am also dissatisfied as a tourist. And when a Tuk Tuk Driver in Phuket charges 10 Bath for a short 300-minute ride, while his father in Isaan has to stand in the rice field for the same amount for 10 hours in the scorching sun, then I really feel cheated as a tourist. The fact that the father in Isaan clearly earns too little here should not be the reason that his son charges tourists with crazy prices, and this is no different with the taxi driver in Bangkok. Those farangs who are now starting to whine again, with the much higher prices in Europe, should remember that in Europe most employers are bound to much higher mandatory costs. Of course, a slightly too high price or a good tip does not hurt us, as long as it remains in a normal proportion. Many farangs who come to Thailand as tourists often throw money around, find nothing too expensive, and have no regard for what is normal or not, so it is not surprising that many Thais have increasing financial expectations.
Dear John Chiang,
The approach of my story is not to lecture the dissatisfied tourists. It's about the principle that you're on vacation, and that feeling ripped off all day can ruin your vacation, and if you even live there, be your biggest pet peeve. Of course I sometimes have the feeling that I pay too much, but in my opinion you get more in return in Thailand. More friendliness, more service. The Tuk Tuk driver on Phuket will turn up his radio with the disco lighting a bit louder for you and when he picks you up from the beach he might even bring you a bottle of water. I have that experience.
It's your own attitude and how you deal with it. To take your example of the father who stands in the burning sun for 10 hours for 300 Baht. That's not a fair comparison. You can eat a hamburger at MacDonalds, at K!itchen in Pattaya or you can get your own minced meat at the Tesco Lotus. And then it's not even about where it tastes better, but in which environment you eat it. Prices in tourist areas are simply higher. If the father in the Isaan had a car, he would probably have driven you around for 300 hours for that 10 Baht.
But like I said, I see it as a tourist. I come there 2 to 3 weeks per holiday, sometimes several times a year, and I know that sometimes I pay a little more than I would negotiate. But I consider it an extra service I get for it.
I also don't see expectations rising. Rather the tourists who just don't want to understand that prices are getting higher because our Euro is worth less compared to the Dollar. Just look at the exchange rates…
Coming there as a tourist is something completely different from arriving and staying there. That holiday feeling where anything is possible and you never think for a moment of 'what is that?' takes a few weeks at most. As an immigrant, living with a good word, married and expressing eternal loyalty to your Thai wife, you are confronted with both the good and the horribly bad things, and it is the trick to deal with them. But if you live in Isaan, Nong Han, 34 km from Udon Thani, and they are building next to your house, 5 months already for a tiny house, and also on the other side you hear drilling and sanding all day long, and there is a 'bun' in front of the temple with blaring music until midnight, so that when you are tired you just watch some TV until the mess is over, then you sometimes think: 'I want to LEAVE here! ' At least if you are an honest and realistic person who sees things as they are, often annoying and unbearable for people with an upbringing like us. The naivety that some people exhibit here, presenting the biggest nonsense as exemplary, would then be the 'correct attitude'.
Good story Lex! that's how I feel about it and that's why I like to come to Thailand. When I then read the reactions of the soured people who cannot face the fact that a large part of the world is different from what they want, I also tend to say stay away and go and sit in NL because there is it that much better? I don't understand the reactions either because Lex never talks about being Scammed.
Let's get one thing straight there is a big difference between scams and trading! so a seller may ask what he wants and if he thinks you are willing to pay a lot then he may ask this. You as a buyer are therefore free to buy this or to offer a lower amount. This is trade and not a scam, in fact WE Westerners have taught them that because we have always been doing this ourselves for hundreds of years, in fact many things that we see there have been forced upon us by our capitalist urge to expand because we (the West) then earn a lot from it by export.
The country is beautiful and most people there are very nice and hospitable, enjoy it and learn to deal with the small setbacks in your life and get over it because you can't change it anymore. And maybe it would be an idea to write a message about how the Thais think and are humiliated by tourists, maybe we will learn something from this too.
It's crazy, I've been coming here for about fifteen years and I've been wintering here for the last ten years. Not or hardly scammed yet, but you will not get to Pattaya, Phuket Patong, etc.
How beautifully described. Almost everything is recognizable to me.
Traveled a lot with my friend through the country with a backpack and now for 7 years in winter to Hua Hin for a few weeks.
Thailand remains my number 1, although I have also seen a lot of the world, this is the country where I feel a bit at home.
Hope to enjoy the warm winter for years to come.
I too am far from done with Thailand… and hope this stays for a long time.
Of course I get annoyed sometimes. I am now wary of people in uniform. My confidence in people dressed to ensure enforcement is extremely low in Thailand. About as low as the level of enforcement itself. Which of course also offers great advantages in itself. Yet if you are relatively wealthy and like "freedom", like most farrang in Thailand "the land of the free with the many poor".
Ah, all those farrang tourists who know themselves “ripped” from time to time. It seems to be part of their holiday experience. What else would they have to grumble about at home? About the too thick coconut that didn't fall on your head again this time? And they traveled especially to Samui, didn't they?
Don't let yourself be ripped off in Thailand any longer. Go to the Zeeland or Belgian coast during the holiday months. Extremely expensive rents for a small home. In the local supermarket prices are much higher than inland. Not to mention the price of an ice cream or a stand seat. But that is of course not “fraud”. No, that is commerce, the free market, the laws of supply and demand. However?
And let you rip on the slats. That's just the thing.
Weird guys that farrang 🙂 (roughly translated from Asterix and the Romans)
Hi Lex,
Very nicely told and quite correct, after all you are a tourist and you don't have to be cheated on that alone, but on all the trips I've made, I learned some nice basic things in Africa: when you're in a foreign country, then keep your eyes open and your mouth shut and also the cry: You have a watch, but we have the time.
If you keep those things in mind at the right time, you live a lot more fun, I think, I like it anyway.
Excellent story as a good counterbalance to Rene and Claudia's earlier complaining. Lex's account fully covers my experiences. I haven't been living in Thailand that long, over 1,5 years. In fact, I have yet to experience a single negative experience. This is undoubtedly also due to my Thai girlfriend, who makes sure that I don't pay too much anywhere. But apart from payments. I enjoy Thailand every day. From its natural beauty, from the mostly very friendly and lovely people, from the relaxed nightlife (whether in a modern shopping mall, on the market or at a simple Thai open-air restaurant), from the weather (of course you have need an air conditioner, but in any case no central heating), of the 24-hour economy, of the fact that you will find a 7/11 or something similar on every corner of the street.
Bought an air conditioner at doHome yesterday. About 11.00:16.00 am. At XNUMX p.m. the air conditioning was installed at my house.
My advice: enjoy Thailand and take the country as it is. Don't expect European "bureaucracy" to be implemented in Thailand anytime soon. Good thing, too. Let this country stay as it is for a very long time. And people who can't deal with that: stay in the Netherlands.
For a good understanding. I am retired and I live near Udon Thani (7 kilometers from the center of Udon), together with my Thai girlfriend and her son and daughter. All busy working, so not the calibrated image that is often given of doing nothing all day and just playing cards and drinking.
We live in a house in a muu track (resort). Works great.
If you consider my two entries as complaining, I advise you to read the stories again, or you have not understood a word….
I think writer meant the place with about 500 stairs in phuket ! if i am not mistaken the name of the place is lemsing
Hi Erwin,
It wasn't laem sing. There are also many steps there, but it is passable. The mini beach where we wanted to go was really impossible. If I remember correctly, it is near those reggae tents at kata beach and a bit further as restaurant Sabai Corner, near view point.
As a tourist, if you don't know what the price is, you pay or you have to agree on a price. And later you may pay less. Have you been scammed, No you paid too much. I have been living here since 2002 and sometimes still pay too much. A tourist goes home after a short time and has enjoyed. He sees wrong things and has no need to be annoyed by them. After all these years I also see certain things that I do not understand and that I sometimes report as a comment on this blog. Complain, why in the end nothing changes..
What I read here is the story of an average tourist. Thank you
I also say thank you for the good story. Don't listen to Dick but to The Inquisitor who is right and I should know living here in Thailand for 25 years.
Lex, I wish you many nice holidays and hope that you will continue to come to this lovely country (Thailand) with many friends.
Hello Lex, what a relief your story! Clearly and concretely described, with the pros and cons!
I have the same attitude as you: take it as it is, and don't get annoyed, but enjoy!
All those stories about “scams”… anyone who goes on holiday here knows that you have to haggle, haggle. That has nothing to do with scams but with stupid tourists!
I have been coming to Thailand since 1974, so over 40 years. And I live there permanently for 10 years and with a lot of fun and pleasure, I enjoy every day! And I really don't have rose colored glasses on!
But I do have a positive attitude and take things as they are. I am a guest in this country.!
I live just outside of Pattaya. Here I meet many of those sour Dutch people who complain and moan about anything and everything. They complain just as loudly in the Netherlands as here, because they are just the way they are!
And not only the tourists but also those who live here.
I have a Thai partner, and of course know his whole family, and I regularly visit Isaan. Always receive a very friendly welcome there and those people do everything to make me feel comfortable!
And then those sourpuss will say again: "Yes, only for your money!" Well, I know better..!
What's wrong with helping your fellow man or family a little? I have money, they don't. Only I decide for myself what I want or don't want. Simple right?
You just keep coming to Thailand. Just like for you, it's still paradise for me!
Well, I'm going "only" this year for the fifth time to Thailand for 4 weeks and make it a sport to be cheated as little as possible.
Yet there is always one who gets it done.
He or she is allowed by me because I fell for it again.
Wonderfully written Alex.
I also notice that what people in Thailand often complain about elsewhere in the world often happens at least as much or more often / worse.
Indeed, the complainants only see the negative. Unfortunately, those people no longer see the beauty of Thailand.
My advice to those people is: go on vacation somewhere else and be just as critical there.
Caribbean Islands, whichever one I would definitely recommend. Everything that those people experience as negative in Thailand can be found there in tenfold. Europe isn't much better either, and much worse is the Middle East and North Africa.
I also see quite negative things in Thailand, but the positive things still have the upper hand. I cannot say that in many other countries, including the Netherlands.
I thought this was the best sentence in your story.
And then I'm not even talking about the way some people deal with Thais and especially Thai partners.
Now that those Muay Thai pants cost something like 70 Baht.U at a Wholesale or flea market in Bangkok, you probably don't take into account that if you are willing to pay such prices as a tourist, you will spoil things for us expats. Because this is the cause of double pricing.
For the rest a wonderful article where I can fully find myself after 40 years of visiting Thailnd and after 8 years of living there.
That's right, but I buy them in Patong, you at the flea market in Bangkok. And that knowledge is your advantage of being an Expat, and perhaps my ignorance of being a tourist. But I don't enjoy it any less.
I have lived in Madrid for 30 years. I work there and have my social life. Last year I went to Thailand for the first time. Never have I met such friendly people, never have I seen so many people who actually don't care about making money as we see it, but rather live and work for yes,. . . .actually serve and live well. I fully support writing. I'm going back to Thailand this year.
Norbert
Dear Lex,
We are going to Phuket on the 16th for 5 days and would also like to go to your restaurant “Sabai Corner” but we cannot find it via Google map, only on a small island, namely Ko Yao Noi, but hopefully it will not be, because that is only accessible by boat.
Maybe you have the address available.
Greetings Nico
Close to Kata view point.
In Phuket there are a few restaurants with a beautiful view of a mountain, both during the day and at night. Rang Hill or in Thai Khao Rang. Phuket city near Rasada. Must see!.
Hi Nico,
It is best to have the taxi driver call the restaurant (+66 89 875 5525). It is near the viewpoint. And together with Khao Rang Breeze (also amazing view) the best restaurants in Phuket in my opinion.
In my opinion, you have the best view at Promthep Cape restaurant (sunset corner) Phuket.
Also delicious food and will not be inferior in that respect.
But maybe this restaurant is known to you and recommended to others.
Dear Lex, I totally agree with you.
You have people with a positive attitude and people with a negative attitude.
The second group complains about everything from the weather to the food.
People with a positive character often have more fun in life.
I wish you many happy holidays.
The main difference between René and Claudia on the one hand and Lex on the other hand is that Lex came to Thailand for the first time in 2011, while René and Claudia came there since 2006. Not to mention myself, who has been in it since 1989, at a time when a farang was still something special and was checked on the street. And in the twentieth century you could still enjoy a city full of golden temple roofs, which can no longer be seen because of the many skyscrapers. Silom Road was then a nice shopping street, and now – because of the skytrain – it is a kind of tunnel where it is always night.
positivo, I like live and let live and don't bleat right away at a small setback, good story class
Over a period of 15 years I have been to Thailand 11 times. the last times I went for 90 days.
I rent a house in a village close to a big city (Chiang Mai). Of course a lot is changing and fast, undeniably. Furthermore, in life you are sometimes lucky and sometimes unlucky. I don't think the question is whether you ever have a setback, the question is, I think, how you deal with it.
Among colleagues and acquaintances I sometimes hear reactions to my travel experiences such as; Yes, but you are always lucky too! You always meet great people everywhere. While we often have bad luck. And then all kinds of disaster stories follow. I then remember a tile in my grandfather's hallway with the spell; Those who do good, meet well! Do you travel with a lot of mistrust and a bad mood, guess what you might encounter?
Last year an acquaintance in Chiang Mai panicked. She's great! Her brother had to do it within 4 hours
TH 17.500 must be paid off, otherwise a small truck would be confiscated. That thing was already on the chain. I confidently advanced it right away. 4 days later I got TH 20.000 back. The extra 2.500 as a thank you came from the profit that this grower made on the market the next day with his little car. Naive? No, because my neighbor in my village wanted to borrow TH 450 the same week and I didn't give it to him. Didn't feel reliable.
Wonderfully written and Lex expresses your feelings.
I don't think those vinegar pissers understand your holiday feeling. They shouldn't have a drink on a terrace or bar either, but buy something cool at 7/11 and eat it while walking or in their 4×4 room.
These respondents should certainly not enter a shopping mall, because they will also have to pay something for the air conditioning, lighting, entourage and collections!! No, these people will not go into a store in the Netherlands to get advice, but will order something at home from energy-saving light bulbs via the internet and send it back, when they find approximately the same item € 0,50 cheaper the next day!
We can cope with the Burgundian life together.
Have a nice stay in Thailand
Peer
Rene I have also known Thailand since 2006. Lex is right.
If you act normally and take care, nothing will happen. We have just returned to the Netherlands a few weeks ago.
This year my wife and I went back to Thailand for the 9th time. We now have 9
and half a month that we have been in total more than 45.000 km. We have more
visited more than 500 places, think of… well… markets, temples, lakes, mountains, uhh. .geographical places.
How come we've never been robbed? That we all together only for a good 20 euros
have been scammed??? And yes what is the definition of scam anyway??? You must be a huge burden
having your neck (Having a big ego) if you think you can go anywhere and determine what there
is normal and what is not. If I know there's garbage on a garbage heap, don't complain about it
smelly. You can do 2 things… either you don't go there anymore, or you start wondering how and what the situation is.
We do the latter. That's what Lex means in his story. If something is not as you expected or
whatever that. Then at least take the time to try to understand it.
And Frank,…..Chiang Mai is totally awesome. Have been there during 3 holidays.
I recognize your story too.
Nico, I came across Sabai Corner on Tripadvisor.
Oh yes, in the end it is all relative, every holiday is usually a good one until bad things happen. But unfortunately the number of incidents that I hear at the moment have increased sharply in Thailand in recent years…
If I may say my opinion, wanted to comment earlier on Thailand has changed : yes I must admit that things have changed, or they want to put things in order, perhaps on things that have also been discussed here before and considered abnormal , things they want to change that were frequently abused, or the rules of flouting, by those supposedly perfect tourists!
That adjustment is therefore done in Thai, with the necessary comments for dissenters
There is truth in some things, a cop who stops a farang who comes and plays the man there and drives around without a helmet, and also lets a compatriot drive through at the same time, someone he knows for sure that the money he demands is for food for zen family, and not for running to the bars!
Years ago I already saw tourists, although from further other countries, but still there are a lot of rude people and drunkards from here (I am Belgian) and neighboring countries walking and driving around, who showed me a rudeness that made me sink into the ground, and this to residents of a country where they are the visitors! I saw girls worse than at a cattle market, who nevertheless wanted to keep their smile, it really doesn't surprise me that they can still do this after 10 years!
Been to Tenerife several times, and almost always been robbed! Also in other places and in our own country! On my 7 trips to Thailand I have not lost anything that I have not voluntarily invested in something or someone!
Must say that this year I felt threatened on a deserted beach road between Jomtien and Pattaya by drunken youth, but nothing happened (a jogger also happened to walk by)
To keep it short: In my opinion, the foreigner is largely the cause of the change and will therefore be less noticeable where it is less present. And that tension is also becoming palpable!
Thailand is still just as beautiful, and nothing has disappeared from what was previously described as beautiful here!
Well said and very happy to read this! In my opinion, a certain type of tourists destroy Thailand!!
Finally someone positive, we still have to go, I started to dread it a bit, but now that I've read this I'm looking forward to it again thanks
You get ripped off as a tourist actually everywhere. The Inquisitor states that in Monaco you are safe from scammers? And the casinos? Many have found their financial Waterloo there. In many African countries you can barely walk the streets at night. South Africa eg. And South America? Beware there! India? Morocco? Oh dear! Thailand is still quite relaxed when it comes to crime. New York is more dangerous than Bangkok. In Amsterdam your handbag will also be snatched. If one has always lived in Staphorst, Thailand will undoubtedly seem extremely unsafe.
The vinegar pissers, like me, have therefore not become a vinegar pisser. Rather, we are annoyed by the “in Isaan everything is shared”, to quote the Inquisitor, a principle that also seems to apply to us. The in-laws in Isaan, poor and very pathetic, turn out to be a bottomless pit of money. We always have the feeling that we have to defend our savings. So I'm just saying here what annoys me or rather discourages me. Another is ashamed of this and unjustly denounces Thailand as a criminal and unsafe country. You have to vent your frustration somewhere, right? If one belongs to the category with a rice farmer as a father-in-law, so poor, then the stay in Thailand is quickly experienced as unpleasant. If you have to go to the ATM twice a week for 10.000 baht, then you are happy when the time has come to fly back to the Netherlands.
Hallo,
A somewhat late response is due to the fact that it is Sunday, and therefore my regular day to drink a few Lao Khao's with the locals here at the vegetable stall.
I read all the reactions here with great interest, I am curious about how others experience life here, and how they deal with it.
I just want to make a distinction, there is a huge difference between the money bag of a tourist and someone who lives here, ok, discussed here often enough, but many really don't realize that! There is a big difference between someone who has a budget to have a good time for three weeks and the budget of someone who lives here all year, and then things get quite different!
In fact, I wonder how many commenters here have really tried to live like a Thai, really like a Thai life? Well, I've been doing it for over three years! Ok, I allow myself the pleasure of a beer, and a Lao Khao, and more than 1 too, but really living in 1 room, without air conditioning, without running water in the toilet, without a shower, just a plastic barrel with water as shower, no kitchen, only a gas burner, how many do that, and above all, how many keep it up and manage to be perfectly happy?
Then many comments here would already sound completely different!!! I like to read the Inquisitor's stories, they roughly reflect how I feel about Thailand, but I also understand from his stories that he cannot do without air conditioning, for example, as someone said in a message above, ordered air conditioning and three hours later he was placed! Look, I don't get that, complaining about the cold in your home country, moving to a tropical country almost on the equator, and then complaining that it's too hot there, and wanting air conditioning and sitting in the cold, well, stay at home , there the cold is free!!!
Don't get me wrong, I don't like being cheated either, on the contrary, if someone starts nibbling at my spare money unsolicited, I get angry and react! My girlfriend can't really handle that, because “losing face”, a concept that is incomprehensible to me, is really the worst thing here! And Kaew knows I'll respond! But let's be honest, sometimes I think, well, they won't catch me anymore, and then I come to the conclusion that a seller has me again for 50 bath! But then I think, keep drinking your Leo and don't worry about it, because you yourself have been a market vendor for 15 years, and you did exactly the same in Belgium! If only you hadn't been so stupid!
I always ask Kaew, whatever she buys, honey, what did you pay and for what, and then she sometimes gets petulant, she says, why, you don't trust me? Of course I trust her, but I just want to know what a Thai pays for anything, then you just give the exact amount on the market, and they immediately feel that, how much effort do they make?
And hey, I got robbed here too, and in hindsight it was often my own fault, simply because I didn't see how Thais do it to avoid it, because mind you, they get robbed too!
But that is also the case in Belgium and the Netherlands, and I hear from friends in Cambodia and Laos too!
All in all, it's not too bad here, adapt, integrate, and live, for those who can at least like a Thai, without external luxury, because they don't have that either, and you will see that many look at it from a completely different angle!
And no, I don't live in Isaan, I've been living in Pattaya for almost 4 years, and it's exactly the same here as in other parts of Thailand! And for the whiners: Pattaya is at least 50 times larger than the entertainment area, we are not bothered at all!
Have a nice Sunday.
Rudy.
Hey, there are many farang who are annoyed by the Thai, but there are many more Thai who are annoyed by the Farang! Rightly so! as a guest you come here, or even live here, but many act like a big barking dog. A farang spends more per day than the monthly wage of a Thai. And they've been taking that for years. But the Farang's behavior has deteriorated dramatically in recent years. They come from areas where the financial and economic downturn has caused a fair amount of stress for these holidaymakers. This is how the farang behaves during the holidays! To be honest, after all these years of living here I'm even starting to get annoyed with those dissolute farang who often wander the streets completely drunk and half naked. And during the walk, damage cars and other valuable property of another, just like at home! They sometimes look like football hooligans! Do you think the Thai likes that? Sometimes they provoke a fight, those drunks, but they forget that all Thai help each other and the best boxer from Farangland still loses out. If you want to have a good time here in Thailand for little money, you have to accept how they are here and sometimes take a setback. you get freedom and a smile in return!
Harry, beautifully written, yes we also live here and feel at home here. But we also sometimes get annoyed with all those "Farangs", who think that they are the boss here. But they forget one thing, they are still here as a "guest" and should behave as such.
Dear readers,
Please note the following: When you arrive in Bangkok you immediately have a choice, you can go to your hotel by taxi or with the dirt-cheap and fast Airport Link. In many countries you do not have this choice and you are already at the mercy of taxi gangs waiting for you.
You can cross the entire country in super luxury coaches for almost no money.
You can't get from Antwerp to Amsterdam for the price of a train ticket from Bangkok to Chiang Mai
And for 3 € you have a delicious meal behind the teeth.
After 10 years I also had a look at it in Thailand and I just got back from South America.
And believe me, I can't wait to return to the land of eternal smiles.
You don't miss things until they're gone.
To all those who think it's better elsewhere : try it out !
Many will change their mind after a while!
Oh god I'm looking forward to my first massage!!!
Please read the many comments. Many come as tourists, others stay permanently or for a longer period of time. Great to read everyone's thoughts and experiences. But .... everyone has a different life, experiences the experiences differently, positive or not. And people don't think and react the same. Instead of criticizing other people's comments, just read it and don't comment.
Have a nice stay in Thailand
Wonderful to read all that diversity in the opinions that have been proclaimed above. A side note life is not black and white but there are many gray variants. So a complainant who sees quite a few good sides of Thailand will only name them little. For facts or circumstances of common knowledge need no proof. So for the pink glasses group a little less fierceness and also respect a different opinion and also for the crazy complainer, as my old butcher always said, it can be an ounce less.
The truth and correctness lies somewhere in the middle and try to find that. Balance in life and that can sometimes be wrong, I know that and depends on various things that play in your own life.
Those with a lot of money will be disappointed or they will be disadvantaged and certainly for the holidaymakers who of course stay here on a temporary basis. They do make it more difficult for the long-stayers who have less money, but have a lot of worries about being able to support their family and themselves.
I always weigh up when I see something and if it seems too expensive to me then I don't buy it or don't use it. Not because of lack of money, but out of principle.
Recently I was at a local attraction and had to pay 1600 baht as an entrance fee (despite my pink Thai ID card), while the locals paid 50 baht and I walked out laughing and thanked in clear words for this attraction. Of course it's not that important. So dear people be a little more understanding of each other because we are not all the same and normally how you see the world is part education, part experience and normally the personal situation (think about finances, among other things) that makes us do the things that we do.
Nice normal positive contribution. Yes, you can't be too positive in our west, because then you are uncritical. The norm is to lift your finger and exclaim "not with me"!!!!!
I've been to many parts of the world. The only place I ever saw a gun in front of me was in Amsterdam.
But I was robbed in Thailand, cheated in Singapore and often exorbitant prices were charged in Indonesia.
Of course everyone wants to be left alone. But you are quickly recognized as a tourist and you are easier prey than a local resident.
It's not fun, but just reality and if you want to avoid all this, you stay home.
The standard behavior pattern of tourists in a foreign country is that they first visit the major, important tourist attractions (for Thailand: Grand Palace, Chao Phraya river, crocodile and elephant farms, shopping malls, the nightlife in Bangkok, Phuket and Pattaya, the islands, the temples, Khao San Road) and only visit some more unknown (and not so touristy) places the next time. Logically, these major attractions also attract business from the local population: the sale of food and drinks, souvenirs, transport, etc. This is no different in Bangkok than in Amsterdam. Among them are sincere entrepreneurs, but also less sincere ones. And the tourists are not the same either. One person pays more attention to his money (whether or not out of necessity) than another; one has a stronger sense of justice than another; one is more culturally sensitive than another; one favors the local population more than another. That is neither good nor bad; it's just different. In a few cases, bad things happen: cheating, name-calling, theft or worse. All over the world and also in Thailand.
About 40 years ago, as a student on vacation in Italy (Sicily), I was drugged through a glass of wine and then robbed in my sleep. I vowed never to set foot on Italian soil again. But I'm not complaining about Italy or Italians. I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time so I met the wrong people. After that I traveled in many countries, including less attractive countries such as Ivory Coast and Mali. There were clearly fewer tourists there and that creates different kinds of 'dangers'. You learn a lot from travelling. That's why I keep doing that but not to Italy.
Thanks for all the responses. we close the discussion.