outsider

On 2/22/2017 at 9:53 AM, Abilene said:

400 baht might be a good price if the attraction compares favourably with what tourists are used to in their home country.  It would be a good idea for an expat to visit them all and rate them.   I see the Thai rate more as a discount reflecting comparable wages.

I see your point, but there is a slight problem. By 'home country', were you subconsiously referring to any particular 'home country'. and assuming that that 'home country' should be used as the benchmark? The problem is, many tourists and foreigners come from many different 'home countries' and therefore, the benckmarks will be very different from one to another. Someone coming from, let's just say, Siberia, may find Thailand to be an eye-opener, while someone from the inner parts of China (away from the big cities of Beijing and Shanghai and where the natural sights are just plain breathtaking) may find that Thailand's attractions do not compare favourably to their 'home country'. How then, should we decide if 400b is a good price, or not?

On 2/22/2017 at 6:34 AM, AlexRich said:

Never had this issue - I simply don't go. All foreigners should do likewise if they want to see 'farang price' stopped.

Totally agree. I have stopped going to all these places. And when friends visit, I warn them in advance of the hefty scams in place - if they insist on having their Instagram moments, I'll just take them there, leave them at the entrance and tell them to look for me at the nearby cafe when they've fulfilled their daily selfie/we-fie quota.

However, just the few of us not going to these places aren't going to stop anything, Heck, the authorities, the people running the place - they won't notice our absence. Because every time one of us makes a U-turn at the ticket booth, ten will stand in-line salivating at the prospect of adding another picture on Instagram and posting another 'I was here' post on FB. We - the informed foreigners - are not the target of these scams. Our numbers are the minority. Their target is the busloads of tourists, those who are here in Thailand for the first time, where everything is new to them. The ones who 'ooh' and 'aah' at everything Thai. Granted, it seems tourist numbers have declined, but still, there is no shortage of these dinner plate-eyed tourists. For now, that is.

Also, I'm sure the entrance fees to some of these places are already factored into the price of tour packages so these 'new arrivals' will have no way of discovering how they have been fleeced. Others will say 'oh well, it's just once, we don't come here everyday, we're here on a holiday, so stop bean-counting'.

In my opinion, one way to make these idiots - the authorities and people running these places and scams - feel the pinch, is to inform foreigners, tourists and travellers at the source, when they are planning their holidays. If they know what they are paying for, they may be more inclined to look for alternative destinations in Thailand that don't fleece tourists. And if the Thais think they can get away with scamming the mainland Chinese, they better think again because they are essentially scamming the master scammers - the Chinese are better at this game than the Thais. Anyway, back to my original point - what I do is, when my friends plan to visit BKK, I will ask them what they want to do/eat/see. Based on what they want, I suggest to them places to go. If they want to visit national parks, and the likes of Wat Pho or Wat Phra Kaew, I will tell them what they need to pay. Most of the time, they will just strike these places off their list. However, I will suggest alternative places to them. Temples that don't charge entrance fees, or those that ask for donations but at amount that is 'up to you'. I happen to have a Thai friend who loves to check out temples, and she is happy to take my friends to some of the nicer ones. And you know what, most of the time, my friends are happier that they visited these really local temples, instead of visiting one in which they have to jostle with other tourists for a place just to take a decent picture. Sure, not all tourists will have the benefits of a friend on a long-stay in Thailand, but if they can be informed ahead and given a heads-up, I'm sure sooner or later these places will start feeling the pinch.

Another poster, Alan Deer wrote, and I quote, "by not visiting a national park in my opinion you are cutting off your nose to spite your face". He has a point, but sometimes, we come to a juncture where we have to ask ourselves, will my life be completely empty and wasted if I don't go into this one temple/park?' Some may say screw it, it's only THB500 for a lifetime experience, while others may say bugger it, seen one, seen all. To each his/her own, I say.

I can't believe the stupidity of it all. A trash report from a piece of fish-wrap gets these idiots' panties all tangled up. A lot of things in Thailand are also getting 'international focus' and yet nothing is being done to 'clean up the image' - things such as double-pricing, tourist scams and road fatalities. For the record, I'm all for cleaning up places like this but I doubt this trade can be stopped. Regulating it will be better. Further clamp-downs will only push it underground and that's when things get out of control. And if the brown clowns are going to clean up places like this, how about Cowboy, Nana, Ratchadaphisek and the hotel lounges along Sukhumvit road, most of which are full of freelancers late at night? And these are just the places tourists go to - there are more such places where the local boys play.

Meanwhile, murderous drivers, crooked politicians and a bascially corrupt-to-the-core circus (aka 'Police') continue to roam free...

4 hours ago, PatOngo said:

This, is a lure!

C'mon mate, be a sport, remove those barbs. Hahaha...

1 hour ago, Bangkok Barry said:

This is a result of the 'new improved' TV website, where when you quote only the latest quote is copied and not the thread. Causes a lot of confusion. If anyone knows how to quote the thread I'd love to hear about it.

As to your comment about maintenance and the condition of vehicles, that has nothing to do with poor driving. What the authorities need to do is hire responsible drivers, but it might be too much of a challenge to find good workers who want to drive in Bangkok traffic for so little pay.

And the naive comment was tongue in cheek. Sorry you were so sensitive/I misled you.

Perhaps a wee bit sensitive/read too much into it, I suppose. Cheers.

On 2/20/2017 at 0:07 PM, colinneil said:

Gun went off accidently.

What the hell was the dipstick doing with a gun at work????

Works at a busy bus station carrying a bloody gun!!!

Brain dead bloody brain dead.

I'm no gun expert/owner/enthusiast but if I remember correctly, there are some regulations about carrying guns in public, right? I.e., they have to be holstered, the gun cannot be loaded and the ammo had to be carried separately - something like that?

Anyway, what's worse than gun-totting nutters in Thailand is that these idiots carry them locked, cocked and ready-to-rock. That's the scary bit.

48 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

You are very naive. The brakes don't fail. Usually the driver is simply going too fast to stop. Try quizzing Thai drivers on what a safe braking distance is. They wouldn't even know what you are talking about. They only blame the brakes to avoid responsibility for their atrocious driving. Nothing is ever a Thai's fault. Ever. About anything. They simply deny everything, like a three year old would.

Thank you for the 'naive' comment. However, if you had read my post properly, you'd realise that I was merely quoting 'Nat Labour' (the person who posted the video on FB, for your information) who claims the brakes have failed. In short, and so you understand better, Nat Labour said the brakes have failed. Not me.

Now if you continued to read my post (properly), you'd realise that my main point was about the need for the authorities to tackle the public transportation problem - specifically conditions of vehicles, and the people who operate them. And that, I believe, covers your rant about Thai drivers.

On a separate note, and having watched the video, I do think the accident was caused, perhaps by the driver's incompetence and/or failing brakes - (not failed brakes - which explains why he couldn't stop in time - and hit the back of another bus - but was able to stop further away after it careened across the junction and, thankfully, without hitting anything/anyone else, from what I can/can't see from the video), or both. That's just what I think happened. I'm not saying it is what happened.

I hope it's clearer for you now. Next time, try reading (properly) before typing. And/or judging.

Typical. Jerking their knees to some foreign trash reports, but can't be arsed to clean up their own backyard.

5 hours ago, SpeakeasyThai said:

Why pander to these people, especially as the Thais themselves find them uncouth and rude? May i recommend TAT invests in spitoons to be placed in areas Chinese frequent in Thailand! 

It's the money. Or perception that the Chinese, being the world's nouveau rich, will bring in plane-loads of cash. Sure, the Thais don't really like the mainlanders (not many people do, not just the Thais), they really are rude and uncouth (to put it mildly), but on the same note, the Thais can't say no to money. And this is perhaps another desperate attempt to lure the Chinese, as their arrival numbers have apparently dropped due to the discovery and subsequent ban of the 'zero-dollar tour' scam. Speaking of which, the Chinese also have a very sensitive nose for scams, since they're quite accomplished masters of this art themselves, so the Thais are not doing themselves any favours what with their idiotic scams and double-pricing schemes.

9 hours ago, jerojero said:

Another retardrd idea with no basis or practicality. Sheesh!

 

Agreed. Truly stupid. I wonder what made them think, or which stupid git came up with this idea, that Chinese tourists wanted on their travel agenda a visit to see 'Thai military might'. And if they really wanted to see some military hardware, their own country has more to show than Thailand.

Som num na. Very obviously doesn't know how to handle a rear-wheel-drive car and over-corrected. Thankfully he's in a mere 1.8-liter saloon, and not some 500-hp supercar. Idiot.

" The force are often criticized by the public for the way they handle violent situations..."

The 'force' (aka known as The Circus) are often criticised by the public for more than just that.

The bus' brakes have stopped working, according to 'Nat Labour'. When, and how many more lives need to be lost, before the idiot authorities tackle the problem at the roots - proper maintenance and all public vehicles in good working condition, while weeding out the drunk/drugged/murderous 'drivers', instead of faffing about with bigger vans. A stupid report about Pattaya and the authorities have their panties in a knot trying to 'clean up the image' while scant attention is being paid to real, everyday issues such as this one.

Down for the first time after two years? Hmm, that took a while...

No news and updates on the whole saga, so Daily News decided to spin something out of it. Well, top marks for trying, really. However, I'm not sure if that is considered 'big'. I've seen much bigger ones mixing around with runners at Lumpini Park.

Ignore the Mirror's 'report'. Point your feet at it, while you're at it, if that makes you feel better. It's not even good enough to be used as fish-wrap. And, despite my usual misgivings for the brown clowns, I have to say, on this occassion, give yourselves a break. Yes, by all means, clean up the place - make sure it's drug-free, no underaged elements, no scams, keep things above-board and make sure both workers and tourists are safe. Otherwise, let grown-ups do what they want to do, within reason and law.

18 hours ago, Bluespunk said:

Not sure inviting is the word.

 

I often see people in Starbucks remove their shoes and 'air out' their feet.

 

Never seen one attacked yet.

 

And yes I am aware of the cultural issues surrounding waving feet at someone.

 

This person's feet don't appear to be aimed at anyone.

Very true. The Thais do love to remove their shoes and sandals and air their feet and this is done even in nice cafes and restaurants. Of course they don't put it up on the table or delibrately use it as a pointing device, but they do cross their feet and sometimes, in more casual (but no less nice) cafes, actually sit cross-legged on the sofas. When this is done, the soles of their feet face up and out, for everyone to see. I don't see anyone, much less a Thai, being offended by that?

My colleague in the office loves to sit on her folded legs, Japanese style, on her office chair and when she does that, the soles of her feet is like an open book to the rest of the office. I once asked her and another Thai friend, if that was considered rude if done outside, and they both asked where I heard that from! They did add that it IS rude, if you delibrately show the sole of your feet at/to someone else, or worse, use your foot to call out to other people i.e. nudge the person next to you with your foot. It's also rude to delibrately touch anything with your feet. But it's ok if you're just exposing your feet to get some air in between the toes.

Back to this offending tourist's foot. To be fair, there is a lack of courtesy on the part of the tourist if I'm honest, and it's damned unsightly, if I must, but I personally don't think it's downright disrespectful or insulting. I've seen Thais themselves do it, sticking their feet out the windows of their vans and lorries while catching a power-nap or something.

As I mentioned in my earlier post, this 'uproar' is typical herd behaviour of the internet/keyboard warriors who put on this holier-than-thou cloak and get on their high-horses whenever they're anonymous behind their laptop screens, but are otherwise just as guilty of causing, in some form or manner, minor irritations to their fellow humans when they're out and about. A herd that should be largely ignored, in my opinion.

19 hours ago, cornishcarlos said:

As long as he had his seat belt on, I don't see the problem !!!!

 

How can people get offended by a foot but be happy to gawk and take photos dead people in road crashed ????

This is typical behaviour of the herd of keyboard/cyber-warriors who get on their high-horses and act all high-and-mighty when it suits them, but otherwise are generally just as guilty of some form of misdemeanours as those they accuse.

Both have families. You had your fling and fun. Move on! Can't believe the fragile egos of Thai males. Always needing a gun to make up for other 'less-endowed areas'.

I'm very surprised that the brown clowns found absolutely no evidence of any short-time rooms or activities, and that there is nothing immoral or offensive in these areas that may tarnish the good image of Thailand in any form or manner whatsoever.

What???

Oh, they were tasked to look for drugs only. I see...

With all the public announcements of the brown clowns' plans, do they honestly expect the supermonk to sit right in the middle of everything and wait for them to arrive?

As if there is no sex trade in the UK. Typical tabloid trash. However, now that the 'discovery' of Pattaya has been made public, THIS will surely raise tourist arrivals to new records. TAT should thank this piece-of-trash tabloid for this 'news'. Onwards now TAT - prepare that release and holding statement about how tourist numbers have hit new records. Again.

Let's hope the girl (and her employer) isn't going to be charged with improper and immoral behaviour and for giving Thailand a 'bad' image.

Some C-level VIPs from some of the leading global software or content companies visiting Thailand soon?