stevenl

well, I find my driving is not so good too, WHEN I'M DRUNK !

I don't like the limo drivers, but if you're implying that they are driving drunk: that is not true. Soem of the tuktuk drivers, yes, but the limo drivers not in my experience.

EVERYONE

seems to agree that p h u k e t is certainly not the best place to spend your holidays....

That seems like a case of selective perception.

It is far better to book a limo in advance to pick you up at the airport in Phuket than to pay the extortionate rates charged by the taxi mafias in that town.

A taxi at the airport, especially the meter taxi but even the limousines, will be cheaper than a pre booked limo.

Who in their right mind would give a used bike as a gift?

I bought my son's 6 speed turbo at Big C and that bike has been to hel_l and back the way a 10 year old boy rides it and never failed.

To say ALL the bikes at Lotus are junk is an irresponsible statement unless you bought the cheapest thing you could find

I was at Tesco tonight and they had bikes for 5,000 thb that looked pretty dam_n sturdy to me

Pony up the real money and get new bikes

No child in the world wants a used bike

PS the breaks don't work and the chain falls off?

A fifth grader knows how to fix those things, it isnt exactly rocket science

It's Christmas and not time to be scrooge

Not everybody thinks the same way you do, but not agreeing with somebody does not mean you have to insult them.

Did your driver drive a car with personnel transport license plates:

For tourists transportation: green with white letters or yellow with black letters.

Why don't you inquire about getting off as the bus goes by the airport turn off road. It will be easy as many of the cabs who work out of the airport stand go back to that que empty. Don't go all the way to Phuket City and then go 2/3's the distance of the island back to HKT. Airport NW and Phuket City is mid south east of the Island!

Are you comming to HKT via "Elifhant" (very Thai nic/chick for airplane) or Bus. If bus there are blue maxi baht buses at the bus station in Phuket Town. There is a full size buss that runs but not that often and thank Buddah we don't see the new Sii Champuu models that seem to be located in the lower Big C Car Park! If via Elifant as you exit the terminal go to the far right and take a meter taxi. Will be meter plus 100 baht service fee for the stand operator.. There will be touts who say 300 Patong/Kata/Rawai etc.. However you'll be stopped at a few tourist offices on by pass road and they work heavy sales on you!

Where abouts in Rawai are you going. If you pass the Rawai Lotus car park and see a black Fortuner with the hatch open stop by and say hello! Poom Baan!

From there a taxi or tuktuk will be around 500 baht.

You're only alternative is a taxi or tuktuk to the local busstation, 100 baht, and the songtaew to rawai from there.

Plenty of tuktuks and taxis in that area. You may even find a meter taxi on the way back to the airport.

For all, you have to agree on a fare first.

This morning finally all diving boats were full or nearly full.

It is also very busy everywhere right now. But then again, the next 2 weeks are the peak, so it should be this way.

A quick search here on the forum: this thread.

A few reactions here, but nobody know what it is?

What is a cat farm? I see the sign but never knew what they are doing.

Judging from the article this one was psrked, no hand brake used, but somehow slipped out of gear.

Thank you for this info. 1. i saw and even touched by accident two of the big babies you filed at patong Beach within the last few weeks. But they did not sting. 2. i have been trying to understand what the invisible pin prick critters are for ten years. Most people aren't especially effected by them but they can bother me for 3-4 days and require a skin cream to reduce inflammation.

the invisible stingers are sealice.

Incidently 1 of the headlines on thai visa was the tat is attemting to bring more koreans into holiday in thailand was this before they bib impunded 1 of there planes and arrested the korean crew ha ha come thailand embrace's you.

I passed by yesterday, they have started cleaning the place.

Last year was not too good as well after the airport closure.

My idea: bookings were way down, so businesses that can, e.g. hotels, have lowered prices to get more package tourists. These tourist don't spend anything outside of their hotels, and even there nothing extra, so it will be a slow high season, with everybody just ticking over.

Restaurants, bars, tour agents, etc won't have a good season in my guess.

Generally we are talking about taxi/tuk tuk drivers and many other business owners in Phuket using threatening, cajoling, stand-over and abusive low-class behaviour (includes lying and cheating) to wring out as much money as they can from any foreigner particularly the obvious white westener, and at the same time provide poor unfriendly, begrudging service.

This thread is about the demand from the tuktuk drivers, I suggest we stick to that subject.

I don't doubt you, i just think he was exagerating.

Also, i suspect the expenses still have to be deducted, so the comparison made earlier with minimum wage and teacher salaries is not fair (but most of the tuktuk drivers are not fair anyway)

Yes, I know about all that, but I am also convinced there is more to this case than so far has surfaced. He is also omplaining about foreign representatives putting tourists in their own vehicles.

I don't believe those numbers BTW (50.000 high season and 20.000 low season), but that is a completely different discussion.

It's possible he was exaggerating, but that's what he said.

The issue the Kata/Karon tuk tuk mafia boss has isn't that the drivers aren't Thai, it is the money should stay "local" i.e. with his orginization. This mindset is a throwback to the days when Phuket consisted of a series of small communities.

There is a great article at an online Phuket news source which explains the evolution of the "village" system in Phuket and how it is the cause for a lot of the transportation problems here. Siam Safari is based in Chalong, not Kata/Karon. That is a different "village." For example, Patong tuk tuks are not allowed to pick up customers after dropping off customers Kata/Karon and vice verse because it's not their "turf." Much in the same way dealing drugs gangs deliniate their territory in urban centers in the US and other cities. It's really too bad because if they were all under one orginization it would reduce a lot of traffic, pollution, wasted fuel, and it should reduce fares. (Ok, being optimistic with that last one) The transportation monopoly the taxi and tuk tuks have on the island is precisely why there is no baht bus running between the beaches communities. And it's why if your in a car you can't get through the traffic in Patong in the evening and later at night because the hundreds of empty tuk tuk's sitting idle, parked illegally, sometimes 2 deep blocking the roadways. Sometimes 3 deep in front of TaiPan.

The tuk tuk driver that told me Karon/Kata tuk tuk drivers make 50,000 baht a month in the high season and over 20,000 per month in the low season also told me that if a tuk tuk driver picks up a fare outside his area and is caught by the other tuk tuk gang, he will likely be warned once, but a second offense and physical violence will be used. It's that way with a lot of things here. Ambulance operators are notorious for fighting, shooting and on occasion killing a "rival" ambulance crew if over disputed territories. In Patong, numerous times I have flagged down a motorbike taxi only to be told I needed to walk to the next block where drivers from that area were hanging out. That's why they have their location on their vests. They are only allowed to pick up from their designated location.

Yes, I know about all that, but I am also convinced there is more to this case than so far has surfaced. He is also complaining about foreign representatives putting tourists in their own vehicles.

I don't believe those numbers BTW (50.000 high season and 20.000 low season), but that is a completely different discussion.

"076 342 2769"

Looks like 1 number too many.

But why are they talking about protected profession?

Siam Safari, AFAIK, only uses Thai drivers, as do all the other tour operators in the area. So what happened here, did the Scandinavian representatives transport guests in their own vehicles? That would be illegal (just as using cars with white/black license plates as taxi's).

In defense of Koh Tao diving: I think your friend was too negative about Chumpon Pinnacle. Together with Sail Rock those 2 sites are worth diving in the area, on par with e.g. Shark Point or Racha Noi.

But also IMO those are the only 2 sites on par with some of the daytrip sites in the Phi Phi/Krabi/Phuket area, the other sites in the Koh Tao area are less, and in the Andaman area sites like Similans etc. and Hin Daeng/Muang are a class better.

Agree with you that the wording used by SB may be over the top.

But I thought we were here to give honest opinions, but apparently this site is meant to promote diving in Thailand?