Thailand is not Terschelling
A holiday in Thailand is not the same as a holiday on Terschelling. That sounds obvious, but how many tourists do more than pack their bags and make a list of places to visit? Unless, of course, they're on a package tour.
Ever since I started keeping track of Thai news systematically sometime in 2010 using the English-language newspaper Bangkok Post, I occasionally come across reports of incidents that make me think: with a little more preparation this wouldn't have happened. I'll give two examples, but I've come across many more over the years.
Beach walk
For example, I remember a message about a Swedish woman who took a morning walk on the beach. On that empty beach she was raped and murdered by a fisherman. He was apparently so proud of his act that he bragged about it to his colleagues and they went to the police. The man was taken into custody very quickly.
When I read this post I thought: even as a man I wouldn't dare to walk alone on a deserted beach early in the morning or at night for all I care. And Thailand will not be the only country in the world where that is not recommended.
Van on Koh Pha Ngan
I remember another tragic incident from my time as a teacher at the School of Journalism. A mother of a student called me when I was on holiday in Thailand and told me that her son had died on Koh Pha Ngan. Under suspicious circumstances, of course. From what I remember of her story, the following had happened:
He and some of the youngsters had rented a minivan to take them to the beach for the Full Moon Party, a party I know only by name. On the way, a window fell out. The driver demanded a colossal amount of money. At the beach he let some youngsters get off and then he tore away.
Panic disorder
Except for the boy, the others managed to jump out of the van during that crazy ride. The boy was later taken to hospital on the mainland with serious head injuries, where he died.
At the time I advised the mother to hire a lawyer and told her that it would all take a very long time with little chance of success because there were no witnesses to the last part of the ride, where the boy was left behind. After that I had a few more email contacts with the mother, but whether the true circumstances, a fatal accident or abuse, ever became known, I do not know.
I suspect the youths panicked, possibly making a big mouth at a driver who barely spoke English; in any case, they did not know what to do with the situation. Indeed difficult when you are in Thailand for the first time, like the victim.
Could this have been prevented?
I think: if those young people had been in the company of a Thai, this would not have happened. He would have known how to respond to such an insane proposal from the driver. Maybe he hadn't rented the van at all because he knew the driver had a bad reputation. Or he had noticed when boarding that the driver was drunk or covered in pills.
I don't know if the Lonely Planet or any other guide advises against walking on the beach or other risky places and situations. If not, a list of do's and don'ts should be made soon and who better to compile such a list than the Dutch expats who have been living in Thailand for years and who are regular visitors to the thailandblog.
Do's and don'ts in Thailand
Let me kick off. When I lived in an apartment in Rangsit on the north side of Bangkok, the night watchman forbade me to walk the streets alone after 9 pm. With a neck-slitting gesture, he pointed out the risk I was running. He said: they cannot see by your nose that you have no money with you. I wouldn't say I've always stuck to it, but I was glad I had a guardian angel of flesh and blood.
And as long as the list of do's and don'ts isn't there yet, I advise anyone coming to Thailand for the first time to not only read a travel guide, but at least also Culture Shock! Thailand. A Guide to Customs and Etiquette by Robert & Nanthapa Cooper. An enlightening book about what is and what is not common in Thailand. Includes a fun quiz. I once bought it myself at Donner in Rotterdam. An absolute must.
Dick,
My girlfriend makes it a point that I, as a farang, don't go out alone at night,
and do not drive alone on the scooter in the dark on the country roads.
Too dangerous. I thought she was exaggerating a bit, but questioning confirmed this. I live in a village, and when I'm home alone, she also wants me to close properly. And I notice that other villagers also attach importance to this, and warn us.
Although this surprised and disappointed me somewhat, I'll stick with it.
As a farang, you attract attention, and you're probably rich. Even if you're not, it's too late when they find out.
Hans
The tentative list of do's and don'ts is as follows:
1 Do not sunbathe topless.
2 Don't go out with a group of Thai men unless you're sure they're not out to get you naked.
3 Do not walk down the street alone or even in pairs at night.
4 If the driver of a taxi, minivan or tuk-tuk smells of alcohol: do not get in.
5 Do not ride the motorcycle alone on country roads at night.
6 Lock the door of your room, apartment or house (expat) when you go to sleep.
7 Don't take luggage from someone you don't know.
8 Are you a drug user: do not take drugs with you or buy drugs in Thailand. Bangkok Hilton, nicknamed the prison, is not a hotel.
9 Do not wear your bag loosely over your shoulder and certainly not on the street side, but hang it in front of your stomach. Many Thais do too. The same goes for cameras.
10 Do not go shopping dressed in a bikini or bare-chested. Wear something decent when visiting a restaurant.
11 Don't exchange money at an address that offers a better rate; there may be counterfeit bills in between.
12 Do not hang anything on the hook that is attached to the inside of the door in some restrooms (e.g. shopping malls).
13 Never, ever argue with a Thai. Always smile and be respectful if you get into an awkward situation. Don't fight, because you always lose. A Thai never fights alone and they always stand up for each other.
14 If you witness a quarrel, walk on – no matter how difficult – and certainly don't get involved. Even then it can end very badly for you.
15 Don't run from one place of interest to another. Heat can be exhausting.
16 Don't visit a temple in beachwear. Look around how a Thai is dressed and adapt.
Tips:
1 Taxi drivers sometimes want to assault a passenger (also Thai). You can avoid this by checking with your hotel for a reliable driver.
2 If you go out in the evening, make an appointment with the driver to pick you up. Write down his phone number so you can call him.
3 If you must sunbathe topless, do so at the edge of your resort's pool (if allowed) or on a beach with surveillance.
4 Only rent a motorcycle (which some consider a moped) if you have a motorcycle license. In the event of an accident, your travel insurance will pay for the medical costs and possibly repatriation. Do you have accident coverage. then a sum of money can also be paid out in the event of death or permanent disability. However, when it is clear that criminal offenses have been committed, such as no driver's license or alcohol or drug use, the insurer will try to recover those costs from you. Or simply refuse a benefit. The damage to your motorbike itself or damage to other road users is NEVER insured on a travel insurance policy.
5 Another motor tip. Lock the rented motorcycle properly at night, possibly with an extra lock, and store it in a guarded place. It has happened that a motorcycle has been stolen; the tenant suspects the landlord.
6 If you are in urgent need and you are alone in a bar, for example, drink your glass completely empty first. Sometimes pills are put in and those are not vitamin pills.
7 When you pay, do not show a thick pile of banknotes, but keep a small amount of which you pay. Keep the rest of your money out of sight or in the safe.
8 Save the telephone number of the Dutch embassy in Bangkok in the address book of your mobile phone. You never know when it might come in handy. Please note: the embassy is not an ATM or credit bank.
9 Put a ticket from the hotel in your passport if you take it with you. There are honest finders.
10 Good travel insurance has the highest priority.
11 For long distance travel use the official buses or travel by train and on arrival at Suvarnabhumi don't take a whiff, but go to the taxi stand.
12 Buy a travel guide and read the tips it contains or surf the internet for useful information. Check with the GGD whether vaccinations are recommended.
13 Be very moderate with so-called stimulants such as M-150, Lipovitan-D and Kating Daeng. People with high blood pressure can experience really nasty consequences.
14 Read Culture Shock! Thailand. A Guide to Customs and Etiquette by Robert & Nanthapa Cooper. An enlightening book about what is and what is not common in Thailand. Includes a fun quiz. An absolute must.
Even more tips:
http://thailand.nlambassade.org/landeninformatie/thailand/thailand.html
http://www.minbuza.nl/reizen-en-landen/reisadviezen/t/thailand.html
PS The list is regularly updated based on the suggestions.
In the event of a motorbike accident, your travel insurance will pay for the medical costs and possibly repatriation. If you have accident cover on your travel insurance, a sum of money can also be paid out in the event of death or permanent disability. However, when it is clear that criminal offenses have been committed, such as no driver's license or alcohol or drug use, the insurer will try to recover those costs from you. Or simply refuse a benefit.
The damage to your motorbike itself or damage to other road users is NEVER insured on a travel insurance policy.
The story of those Dutch boys is known to me, I will tell the version of the story that I know below. Whereby I want to make it clear that it is a different version, not necessarily the true one, which will not really surface.
Those guys would have broken the window, accidentally or on purpose I don't know, the driver would indeed have demanded an absurd amount that the boys did not want to pay. Here the story really deviates from the earlier version, the driver would have said then we will drive to the police station and then those boys would have jumped out of the moving van. One boy died fatally.
Why they panicked on the way to the police station, may be due to the driving style and behavior of the driver or if they had illegal items with them or used them.
On Koh Phangan many young people are experimenting with drugs because it is so easy to get. The reaction when they get caught is regular, I thought it was legal because it's so easy to get (what do you mean bad preparation).
You also see many ladies walking down the street more naked than dressed or in the 7-11 / tesco lotus my wife still doesn't understand that.
The lonely planet is not used by many as a guide, but as a bible that is correct.
Thick: What is your tip for the list of do's and don'ts?
dick my tip is that if you rent a moped, there are no mopeds but motorcycles, and you don't have a motorcycle license then there is a good chance that your travel insurance will not pay in the event of an accident.
dress normally, just because a thai says nothing doesn't mean they're okay with it.
Dick: What occasions do you need to dress appropriately? Can you say something more about that?
Moderator: Please stay on topic. You are not asked to comment on whether crime is a problem in Thailand. Tips are asked on how tourists should prepare to increase the chance of a safe stay.
You can complete the list with the well-known scams, such as not renting a jet ski, not buying gems, agreeing the price in advance with a tuk-tuk driver.
There is good information on the website of the Dutch Embassy (also once in an article on Thailandblog): http://thailand.nlambassade.org/landeninformatie/thailand/thailand.html
There you can read, among other things, the dangers of the sea. Every week foreign tourists drown in the sea.
Another useful resource is the travel advice from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs: http://www.minbuza.nl/reizen-en-landen/reisadviezen/t/thailand.html
There you can read this:
Heavy criminality
Tourists on Phuket, Pattaya and Koh Samui should beware of cheating when renting jet skis and scooters, for example. The passport or driver's license is often taken as collateral. Afterwards, the landlord claims that damage has been made, after which the documents are only returned against payment of excessively high amounts. The phenomenon of (uninsured) mopeds being rented out is on the rise, only to be stolen again the same evening by accomplices of the lessor; after which the tenant is forced to pay the new price. Unfortunately, physical intimidation is not shunned.
It also regularly happens that interplay takes place between small drug traffickers and plainclothes police officers on beaches where many young people come. Drugs are sold, followed by arrest and detention with confiscation of passport. Release only takes place after payment of extremely high bail where a 'fixer' acts as an intermediary. All are involved in the plot. If you are the victim of a crime, you can contact the tourist police on telephone number 1155.
In short, there is enough information for tourists to prepare. The problem is that most of them don't give a shit. Just as tourists still go without travel insurance because they think that the embassy will pay the (hospital) bill.
No herb can beat stupidity…
Good travel insurance has the highest priority. Earlier this year I found out how important and pleasant it is when something unpleasant happens.
Moderator: We like it when you start a sentence with a capital letter. Try again.
My previous reaction was a tip not to underestimate the risk that a holiday in Thailand entails, but also not to overestimate or to see it in perspective. Hence it was tinged with an opinion. From a more practical point of view, I would advise people to carry the telephone number of the Dutch embassy in Bangkok in their mobile at all times. Almost all crime that occurs in Thailand occurs just as well in the Netherlands (such as rape, robbery, etc.), with an important distinction, which is that in Thailand the police are not necessarily your best friend. That does not mean that it is not automatically the case; because if you have influential Thai friends, they are much more your friend than in the Netherlands. But as a tourist, you would do well to realize that and (at least in serious matters) rely more on the embassy than the local police.
Regarding rip-offs/harassment by sellers and tuk tuk taxi drivers. I always say that we are not in Thailand for the first time, just add a few words of Thai and they usually start to flow
immediately wonder if the price will go in the normal direction.
When we go out for dinner or a drink in the evening, we never take (too) much money with us, just take what you think you will spend that evening. You can't lose more than that.
Put the hotel card in your passport if you take it with you instead of a copy, I have often heard that people have their passport returned to the hotel after a theft. saves a lot of extra trouble.
Still, I would like to say that we generally feel safer on the street at night than here in the Netherlands in the big cities. But that could be false security?
Put 1155 TP in your phone and just call immediately if you think you are in trouble, and don't argue or argue, etc. Usually makes things go from bad to worse.
We will soon be visiting Thailand again for the 7th time in a row, and hope that this will go without any problems, just like the previous times.
Another absolute don't: Never, ever argue with a Thai. Always smile and be respectful if you get into an awkward situation. Don't fight, because you always lose. A Thai never fights alone and they always stand up for each other.
There are videos on YouTube of Thais hitting and kicking a foreigner with seven or eight men. If you witness an argument, walk - no matter how difficult - and do not interfere. Even then it can end very badly for you.
My tip, also call or check the website of the GGD to see if vaccinations or other prophylaxis are needed for Thailand! They are also useful for future other trips, even for Turkey vaccinations are recommended.
And don't go in beach clothes, visit a wat/temple, but look around you how a Thai is dressed and "adjust". And last but not least, buy a Thailand travel book and read, and prepare yourself what to do and what not to do!
The advice never to be transported by a bus is new to me and personally seems unjustified to me.
I have often used the air-conditioned buses and always to full satisfaction and have never had the feeling that the driver could have drunk alcohol.
By the way, it's also the first time I read such advice.
This is in contrast to tuk-tuk drivers. I myself have experienced a few times in Chiang Mai – especially in the late hours – that they clearly drank too much.
Dick: I have therefore not included the tip to never be transported by bus in the list. See tip 10. I add the tuktuk to don't number 4.
How many don'ts do we have now? About 30? That is already 20 more than the Ten Commandments from the Old Testament and they are difficult enough for me to follow. If I have to keep those 30 don'ts in mind with everything I do in Thailand, I will no longer have a life. I prefer to walk around unapologetically, with perhaps a slightly greater risk of accidents, but I am happier and feel freer and that is worth more to me. I'll take that slightly greater risk. Read a book about Thai customs and customs, behave politely and kindly and don't offend anyone, as you would do anywhere, and then go your own way. If I have to think about the dangers in everything I do and always look over my shoulder, I will lose all joy. I'm actually wondering whether it really helps to follow all those 30 don'ts. You will see that you will not be fooled at that unexpected 31st. And if there are more don'ts, you might as well stay home. Although……….
Dick: The do's and don'ts are intended for tourists who go to Thailand for the first time and believe they can afford the same as in the Netherlands. Do you have a suggestion for tip 31?
I'm sorry I didn't realize that these tips are intended for tourists visiting Thailand for the first time. They are indeed useful for that. Perhaps it also plays a role that I lived in a small village for 12 years. There, a woman, even a tourist, can walk alone on the street at night. Tourists visit the big cities and tourist centers and that is a different story. And yet something is nagging...
Any more tips? I'll have to think about that for a while.
I know that the list is mainly for tourists, but I think that people who live here also run some of the risks mentioned (but are often more familiar with them). But if you live here, it is important that you have a (Thai) circle of friends, I think. Nice anyway, because you live here, but also something that promotes your safety. If you don't do that, then the chance is considerably greater that you will fall into the eye of wrong police officers who are not afraid to extort you.
@ tjamuk
I agree with you and Dick: Thailand is certainly not Terschelling. And I also agree with you that many people come here without understanding how things work here. Which is really different, because you are much more on your own. If you have Thai family like you, or a Thai circle of friends like me (and don't do anything illegal), the risks are considerably lower. As for police extortion, it happens. There are stories of policemen holding foreigners hostage for weeks in secluded houses where they were extorted (this is done on their own by a few policemen, usually cops with gambling debts or the like). But they only pull such situations on foreigners who have no people to fall back on and/or often have something to hide (in terms of income, taxes or otherwise). It's like in the jungle, they look for the easy prey and find it out quite easily as agents (access to information and the possibility to arrest / interrogate you). And if you don't have anyone to fall back on, family or friends, there's surprisingly little you can do about it (even in hindsight).