Strangers talking on baht buses in these "interesting" times

[Nyezhov]

17 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

Iranians are selling fake watches?

Sorry, never seen it......

Need to spend more time in Soi Arab then ????

[bkk6060]

3 minutes ago, Nyezhov said:

Need to spend more time in Soi Arab then ????

???? No thanks.  Have not been south of 13/2 for quite awhile. 

[Nyezhov]

1 minute ago, bkk6060 said:

???? No thanks.  Have not been south of 13/2 for quite awhile. 

Some great photo ops down there ???? The dudes with the beards give ya the eye thinking you are CIA or something...

[bkk6060]

9 minutes ago, Nyezhov said:

Some great photo ops down there ???? The dudes with the beards give ya the eye thinking you are CIA or something...

OK.  We use to refer to it as "the stink eye".

Got to get out more I guess.

[Jingthing]

I did remember a young guy last year on the BB ask me where I was from.
I told him and he said: "I am from Iran do you hate me"?
I laughed and asked him why?  I explained he is just a guy here I assume to enjoy a holiday I could care less about the politics of our countries.  I told him to enjoy his time in Pattaya.
He got off and shook my hand. Seemed like a decent fellow a shame about the world of politics and propaganda.
 

That anecdote would have been even more interesting if you referred to your nationality as The Great Satan.

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[Rimmer]

A troll post has been removed

[balo]

Well , nothing happened today. I had 2-3 Russian tourists sitting next to me both ways  and as always they seem to be in their own world.   

A drunk farang, possible German with a not very pretty Thai woman entered and the Russians suddenly found something to look at like they never seen this before.   

On the way back the crazy driver was speeding and braking like there was no tomorrow and we all had had that worried look in our eyes. Another day in paradise. 

 

 

 

Edited November 15, 2018 by balo

[Jingthing]

Well , nothing happened today. I had 2-3 Russian tourists sitting next to me both ways  and as always they seem to be in their own world.   
A drunk farang, possible German with a not very pretty Thai woman entered and the Russians suddenly found something to look at like they never seen this before.   
On the way back the crazy driver was speeding and braking like there was no tomorrow and we all had had that worried look in our eyes. Another day in paradise. 
 
 
 

That's a slice of life no doubt but not interesting. You need ride volume to increase the chances of it getting interesting.

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[balo]

I have one weekly trip to Jomtien , that's all these days. Luckily I can walk and use my bicycle most of the time. 

I don't expect anything to happen .

 

 

 

[Jingthing]

I have one weekly trip to Jomtien , that's all these days. Luckily I can walk and use my bicycle most of the time.  I don't expect anything to happen .

 

 

 

 

Nighttime is more fruitful. My ride back tonight was all drunken Russkies all the time. Three of them even tried to skip the fare. I guess they understand English after all as the driver chased after them yelling 30 baht.

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[Rimmer]

Off topic politics removed. More of the same and I will close the topic as I am tired of removing these political rants.

[Jingthing]

Members -- in that spirit, please post here ONLY with actual anecdotes (stories) about actual "interesting" encounters between different nationalities (or between strangers of the same nationality) on Pattaya baht buses. If those encounters have political content, that's fine, but they don't need to have that to be potentially interesting.

 

Also we don't really need to hear about rides where nothing interesting happened. Most rides will be like that.

Edited November 16, 2018 by Jingthing

[Jingthing]

Just an update on this.

Perhaps the spike I had noticed before was directly related to international people being exposed to media coverage of the U.S. midterm elections.

Since then, it's been real real quiet on the buses in my experience as far as strangers engaging with each other in interesting ways.

 

There was an instance yesterday that really wasn't interesting, but I'm sharing it to discuss WHY it wasn't interesting.

 

So there was this Dane (predictably totally fluent in English) that started it off, very very loudly, even louder than a stereotypical American engaging two elderly English "gentlemen" that everyone on the bus could already tell were English based on their accents. 

 

It instantly got into politics. Not a mention of U.S. politics for a change. This was about BREXIT. All three parties were well informed on the issues and had almost identical views on the state of the U.K. nation, May, Corbyn, Tories vs. Labour, etc. There wasn't even a hint of repressed disagreement which you can often detect when people don't really want to get into things with strangers. 

 

SO BORING! SO LOUD! All on a Pattaya baht bus.

Why was the Dane so loud? Too much rock and roll as a kid?
 

Conflict is interesting. Tension, overt or repressed, is interesting. Total agreement is boring!

Edited December 28, 2018 by Jingthing

[Odysseus123]

4 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Just an update on this.

Perhaps the spike I had noticed before was directly related to international people being exposed to media coverage of the U.S. midterm elections.

Since then, it's been real real quiet on the buses in my experience as far as strangers engaging with each other in interesting ways.

 

There was an instance yesterday that really wasn't interesting, but I'm sharing it to discuss WHY it wasn't interesting.

 

So there was this Dane (predictably totally fluent in English) that started it off, very very loudly, even louder than a stereotypical American engaging two elderly English "gentlemen" that everyone on the bus could already tell were English based on their accents. 

 

It instantly got into politics. Not a mention of U.S. politics for a change. This was about BREXIT. All three parties were well informed on the issues and had almost identical views on the state of the U.K. nation, May, Corbyn, Tories vs. Labour, etc. There wasn't even a hint of repressed disagreement which you can often detect when people don't really want to get into things with strangers. 

 

SO BORING! SO LOUD! All on a Pattaya baht bus.

Why was the Dane so loud? Too much rock and roll as a kid?
 

Conflict is interesting. Tension, overt or repressed, is interesting. Total agreement is boring!

Hmmm...sure.

[Patriot1066]

On 11/15/2018 at 10:20 PM, Jingthing said:

That's a slice of life no doubt but not interesting. You need ride volume to increase the chances of it getting interesting.

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I used the buses most of last week only had one conversation, no Iranians most Arabs and Middle Eastern seem to avoid direct eye contact from my experience, like when there with them in the sand box, eye contact seems an issue usually.

 

But, it was an actual conversation, from an American in fact, said hello realised I am English then asked me about Brexit and was I worried, turns out he lives in South of France ex marine nice guy so wondered really about his own travel, backwards and forwards, anyway finished up having quiet a long conversation and missed my stop! Just goes to show????

 

 

[Jingthing]

It's been quiet lately on the buses but I do have a new one.

 

It stars a character from before, an older American "gentleman" who doesn't speak, he YELLS.

 

So he's there on the bus sitting next to a Thai lady that seems resigned to the scenes. The bus is full. The vibe is RUSSIAN.

 

So then he hones in on his latest victims.

 

It's an attractive young Russian couple but not so attractive as to have an attitude and be unapproachable. 

 

His spiel begins -- it's all yelling. I mean LOUD yelling. When he speaks, the bus shakes. The silently majority on the bus, the Russian vibe people and me, can't help but to hear every word. The people down the road are hearing every word. A lot of rolled eyes. The bus wheels are rolling and so are the eyes.

 

He speaks in PIDGEON English to all, regardless of how fluent his targets.

Where are you from?

Russia. 

 

You like Putin? You like "trump"?

 

No. No. 

 

(It doesn't register.)

 

Putin good! "trump" good! 

(Imagine this all being YELLED and very LOUDLY!)

 

Your life Russia good?

 

No.

 

You make good money job Russia?

 

No.

 

You travel world. Pattaya! You make good money. Family Russia. Putin good. Russia good.

 

For me America good. Family America.

 

Understand?

 

Russia is cold. We don't make much money. We want to move to America.

 

No. Russia good. Family Russia. You stay family Russia.

 

(OK, I love this Russian couple. In the face of a yelling assault of a man not hearing what they're saying at all, speaking more fluently than Pidgeon English American man, they engaged with grace and openness. Give them a visa now!)

 

---

This show probably playing nightly on the buses. It's the luck of the draw. I anticipate my next sitting. 

 

 

Edited May 10, 2019 by Jingthing

[pegman]

On November 9, 2018 at 3:32 AM, Jingthing said:

I've never seen anyone wearing one here. Have other people? On the other hand it's not unusual to see Russians wearing Putin merch.

 

Then there are is the popular American flag logo clothing. Not usually political expression per se more like fashion and mostly worn by non Americans here.

 

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True, most Americans are wearing gear with the Maple Leaf on it.

[Jingthing]

True, most Americans are wearing gear with the Maple Leaf on it.

I think not really anymore.

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[DingDongLing]

Is there ettiquite on the bus?  I talk to many people/. 

[madmen]

2 minutes ago, DingDongLing said:

Is there ettiquite on the bus?  I talk to many people/. 

If your really old and have your shorts pulled up to near your rib cage just make sure your nuts aint hangin. Thats about it really

 

Edited May 11, 2019 by madmen

[OneEyedPie]

I hate the racist comments about my socks, sandals and handkerchief. I contribute to the local economy and pay my fares. They’re all talking about me.

[tlandtday]

So many people have an inferiority complex when it comes to the usa.  Canadians and Swedes included.  Canada is a good country not a great country and the same goes for the USA.  Looks like Sweden has been going down the tubes for some time.  I worked with a guy from Sweden who said it was a ridiculous place 20 years ago imagine if he went back now lol. 

[OneEyedPie]

So many people have an inferiority complex when it comes to the usa.  Canadians and Swedes included.  Canada is a good country not a great country and the same goes for the USA.  Looks like Sweden has been going down the tubes for some time.  I worked with a guy from Sweden who said it was a ridiculous place 20 years ago imagine if he went back now lol. 

Don’t worry, Iran’s threatening to wipe most of that lot out.

[pegman]

18 minutes ago, tlandtday said:

So many people have an inferiority complex when it comes to the usa.  Canadians and Swedes included.  Canada is a good country not a great country and the same goes for the USA.  Looks like Sweden has been going down the tubes for some time.  I worked with a guy from Sweden who said it was a ridiculous place 20 years ago imagine if he went back now lol. 

OK, I'll bite, name the great countries?

[gamb00ler]

8 hours ago, pegman said:

OK, I'll bite, name the great countries?

Lower Slobovia

[Jingthing]

So..........


Any more baht bus stories that are actually on topic?

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[Jingthing]

Here's something a little different. A conflict that was leading to a fight but stopped short of it.

 

OK so the bus was somewhat crowded and a couple entered (larger white non-Anglo guy of an undetermined nationality and a Thai lady). The Thai lady sat all the way towards the front of the bus and the man stood.

 

Then some people got up freeing up about half the space on that row in the rear end of the bus.

 

In other words, figuring you can fit six people in there, there was room for three.

 

Then the white man boards and sits in the massive empty space and proceeds to do the most extreme MANSPREADING I've ever seen in my life. But given all the space he still wasn't anywhere touching the people to his left (a darker skinned non-Anglo man of undetermined nationality possibly Middle Eastern and a Thai lady).

 

The extreme MANSPREADER was closer to the other man than his lady companion. The other man was sitting normally taking a normal amount of space along with his companion.

 

Then the MANSPREADER started to confront the nearby darker skinned man sitting normally, something about that he was not giving up enough space!

That was beyond bizarre. Either the MANSPREADER was completely insane or intentionally trying to start a fight. Or was it a RACIST thing?

 

The darker skinned normal sitting man was understandably shocked by this assault. There really wasn't anywhere to move, he was already sitting normally, and the MANSPREADER as he had three spaces still wasn't really even close to touching the other man. So what was the PROBLEM exactly?

 

The MANSPREADER continued to emit angry vibes. 

 

The darker skinned normal sitting man then said, what do you want me to do, stand in the back?
 

The context was there was no way he was going to stand in the back, it was just a way of responding to the seemingly insane angry MANSPREADER.

 

For a few moments, it looked like it would come to blows but that was the end of it. The MANSPREADER continued to spread like spreading was going out of style. looking mad and angry all the way.

 

Of course who knows something could have happened after I left the bus.

 

 

Edited May 12, 2019 by Jingthing

[DrTuner]

On 5/12/2019 at 1:57 AM, tlandtday said:

So many people have an inferiority complex when it comes to the usa. 

Not surprisingly. Seeing Miami Vice as a youngster clearly showed they are the superior humans there. Only Übermensch could have an alligator named Elvis on a house boat and drive a Ferrari. A superior breed, without questions. 

[Seth1a2a]

My personal theory is that people who ride the baht buses don't necessarily represent a cross section of everyone you might meet in general.  And to add to that the ones in Pattaya are almost completly different than the riders I see in Bangkok

(On-Nut area almost zero westerners).  Point being that to even use the baht bus you think differently than the

hardcore taxi rider, bike renters , walk enthusiests or the "fishbowl tourist bus"

riders.  

I generally hear completely different subject matter discussed based on the comradery that they share

Family talk , finance , health ,

past trips, food and maybe a little political chatter.

Almost always, if someone is having a good trip the conversation is going to be more positive and upbeat.

The more I went to Pattaya the less I used the baht buses so I'm not current with what it might have changed into since then.  This is just my view of what it was to me........

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 15, 2019 by Seth1a2a

[Jingthing]

Pattaya doesn't have taxi meters.

Pattaya doesn't have regular buses.

Pattaya doesn't have a skytrain.

Pattaya doesn't have a subway. 

People in their own private vehicles don't have conversations with people in other private vehicles.

Pattaya has ripoff tourist taxis.

Pattaya does have motorcycle taxis.

And most of all, Pattaya has BAHT BUSES.

Baht buses are the core of the public transportation here, for better or worse.

To compare Pattaya to Bangkok as transport equivalents is ridiculous.