Small change Thai style -- I bent over to pick up one baht and I didn't like it

[Jingthing]

OK, last night I had ten baht worth of coins in my hand meant to pay for a Pattaya baht bus fare (one five and five ones) and clumsy me, I dropped one baht.

 

(In case you didn't know, the fare for a baht bus in Pattaya is ten baht, and we call them baht buses here, not songthaews, except for the Russians who call them Tuk Tuks when they're being used as a bus as opposed to a private charter.)

 

Without any thought at all I just bent over and picked it up. One baht. Such a pittance. Thought as in deliberating do I really want to bend over on a busy street just to pick up one baht? As I said, no deliberation. Just did it. Nike style. 

 

I was near a "legit" massage place (in Pattaya, where isn't?) and the massage workers started laughing. Not sure exactly why, did they see it was only one baht and pegged me the Cheapest of Charlies (and that would be unfair as I don't chase balloons), was it that the bending was strained as I'm no athlete, or was it the "delightful" view of my ample derriere pointing to their faces? 

 

I really didn't like being laughed at. Who does? So I smirked back. Imagine their glee if someone slipped on a banana or better yet were run over by a tour bus.

 

Anyway, I didn't think much more about it until the next day. 

 

As I don't drop one baht coins very often at all I was thinking why did I bend to pick up such a small amount and also do I have a policy on bending over to pick up one baht coins that I wasn't even aware of? What about fives and tens? Does it matter if it's coins I happen to see on the street or coins that I dropped.

 

Well, it turns out I actually DO have a policy about this but haven't really thought about it before.

 

Satangs.

I don't ever drop them because if I get them in change I just leave them on the counter or in the rare cases they go home with me they just go in black hole jar never to be looked at again. I have thought about my satang policy before and I stick to it, so that's an exception. 

 

This is similar to my U.S. penny policy back in the U.S. There I wouldn't leave them on counters but just take them home and put them into a black hole never never jar.

 

Coins noticed on the street that I didn't drop

Don't pick up ones and fives, but would for a ten (though I don't recall that ever happening)

 

Dropped coins

Would and did bend for ones, fives, and tens if in my hand to pay for a baht bus.

 

If there was some random reason that a one baht coin flew away for me and I wasn't preparing to pay for a baht bus, I would not pursue. 

 

Five and tens, case by case.

 

So yes I did bend over for a one baht coin and I didn't like it.

 

But now I know if it happened again in the same scenario, I would do it again, unfriendly natives or not!

 

What is the point of this topic? There isn't one. 

Edited January 25, 2019 by Jingthing

[kannot]

My  friend  in the Uk walks  to work daily,  3  miles and every day she picks  up any loose  change she finds on the floor, at the end of the year its  quite a bit about £35 +  the occasional  note.................at the end of the day theres  no  point in anything

[Mavideol]

11 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

Without any thought at all I just bent over and picked it up. Thought as in deliberating do I really want to bend over on a busy street just to pick up one baht? As I said, no deliberation. Just did it. Nike style. 

 

I was near a "legit" massage place (in Pattaya, where isn't?) and the massage workers started laughing. Not sure exactly why, did they see it was only one baht and pegged me the Cheapest of Charlies (and that would be unfair as I don't chase balloons), was it that the bending was strained as I'm no athlete, or was it the "delightful" view of my ample derriere pointing to their faces? 

ANY time before bending look behind you, you never know what could be rear ending you.... this is Thailand man, that's why they laughed!!!!! LOL

[Jingthing]

Just now, Mavideol said:

ANY time before bending look behind you, you never know what could be rear ending you.... this is Thailand man, that's why they laughed!!!!! LOL

I'm glad that you think you know exactly why they laughed, but I'm not and never will be. I could go back there and try to interview them. Might be a good topic for a documentary film. 

[Jingthing]

2 minutes ago, kannot said:

My  friend  in the Uk walks  to work daily,  3  miles and every day she picks  up any loose  change she finds on the floor, at the end of the year its  quite a bit about £35 +  the occasional  note.................at the end of the day theres  no  point in anything

Well, in the U.S. my policy was that I would pick up found quarters. I was with someone that actually found a 100 dollar bill in a parking lot and it was real money. So not an urban myth. I was there. 

[chickenslegs]

I am usually accompanied by my wife when out shopping, etc.

 

If I drop a coin she has it in her purse before it can hit the ground.

[VocalNeal]

Not sure I'd bother with one baht, unless I only had the correct change for the song thaew and a 1000B note.

[Jingthing]

15 minutes ago, VocalNeal said:

Not sure I'd bother with one baht, unless I only had the correct change for the song thaew and a 1000B note.

Sure. Everyone is different. But in a sense that one baht made the remaining nine baht worthless as far as paying for a baht bus. But that isn't true either as my other choice was reaching into my pocket to get a new one baht coin which I did have. It's probably related to breast feeding. 

[ivor bigun]

About 15 years ago the wife and i were in a quite street in London all of a suddem she bent down and picked up a fiver,i rushed in front of her and picked up another then another ,she picked up 2 more now that was worth bending down for,also once in Pattays i found 5k baht well worth the effort ,but i must admit i will pick up small change as well.

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[lovelomsak]

I am probably very alone on this way of looking at it but wish to say it.

  I pick up all money I see on the ground regardless of value. I feel not to pick it up shows diarespect for the money.

  People work hard for money it makes the world go around.  It should not be walked on like dirt.

  The amount is irrelevant.  

[Mavideol]

1 hour ago, VocalNeal said:

Not sure I'd bother with one baht, unless I only had the correct change for the song thaew and a 1000B note.

heard a story about a Thai country man, he was told in Bangkok there was so much money to be picked up with so little effort,  he could work 3-4 days a week and be rich. The man took the bus to the capital, arriving on a Sunday,  and while stepping down the bus he saw a 1,000 baht bill, look at it and decided not to  pick it up while saying ...."I will not start to work on a Sunday"""

[thequietman]

Possibly, it's just the bending over that you like. ????

[worgeordie]

I think they were laughing because you had a hole in the back

of your pants !, I would not be ashamed to pick 25 satang up,

it's all money.

regards worgeordie

[Jingthing]

4 hours ago, lovelomsak said:

I am probably very alone on this way of looking at it but wish to say it.

  I pick up all money I see on the ground regardless of value. I feel not to pick it up shows diarespect for the money.

  People work hard for money it makes the world go around.  It should not be walked on like dirt.

  The amount is irrelevant.  

Yes I completely respect that POV but for complex personal and life experience reasons, I have largely rejected it. 

[Jingthing]

3 hours ago, worgeordie said:

I think they were laughing because you had a hole in the back

of your pants !, I would not be ashamed to pick 25 satang up,

it's all money.

regards worgeordie

I better check that. Could be!

[Jingthing]

3 hours ago, thequietman said:

Possibly, it's just the bending over that you like. ????

Actually not but a predictable comment. 

[Maybole]

There is the legend of the Scotsman who bent down to pick up a penny he had just dropped, and it hit him on the back of his head.

[Jingthing]

19 minutes ago, Maybole said:

There is the legend of the Scotsman who bent down to pick up a penny he had just dropped, and it hit him on the back of his head.

No pic so it didn't happen. 

[kannot]

4 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Yes I completely respect that POV but for complex personal and life experience reasons, I have largely rejected it. 

would  you  pick  it  up if it had Trumps  face on it?

[katana]

5 hours ago, Maybole said:

There is the legend of the Scotsman who bent down to pick up a penny he had just dropped, and it hit him on the back of his head.

Apparently copper wire was invented by two Scotsmen fighting over a penny.

[Mike Teavee]

As a kid in the UK we used to have a rhyme that went something like "Find a penny, Pick it up & all day long you'll have good luck".

 

I do admit to crawling under a table in a coffee shop in the middle of a busy mall for a Singapore 1c coin (about the equivalent of 25 satang), in my defence it's 1 of only 2 I've seen in > 10 years of living here & it was shiney ????  Best laugh was I had it for less than 1 minute when my UK-Ex nabbed it off me (Well she was from Yorkshire).

 

Policy on Baht coins is only bend down to pick one up if you need it for change, same with 5s, 10s would need to assess the situation.

[sipi]

 

[Moonlover]

14 hours ago, ivor bigun said:

About 15 years ago the wife and i were in a quite street in London all of a suddem she bent down and picked up a fiver,

That must have been quite a street. (yes, pun intended)

[ivor bigun]

That must have been quite a street. (yes, pun intended)

It was, and it was in the city on a weekend

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[Emdog]

If I didn't have another 1 baht in pocket to make the fare, I'd pick it up. Otherwise I'd leave it for someone who probably needs it more than me.

[SheungWan]

One should leave the money for someone who needs to bend down and pick it up.

[tifino]

(polluted pavements aside)

- straighten up from the b end, and go ahead - make like and bite it to show make sure it's real?

 

grin at the girlie 

 

and keep walkin'

[dotpoom]

Jeeez....what next?

[denby45]

3 hours ago, sipi said:

 

Hahahahahaha So funny. Made my day.

 

Actually the GF told me once the baht bus drivers hate to receive the smaller denomination coins so I try to make sure at least I have 2 fives and preferably a 10. Although it's all money at the end of the day I guess I do see their point. They are always in a hurry to get people off quickly so as not to disrupt traffic too much and scratching around for those pesky little bahts does take extra time. Also I mostly give my small money to the people begging in the street or place in one of the charity boxes if I come across one so I don't usually have many anyway.

 

Den 

[NightSky]

The last time i went to immigration there was one western white guy (i think maybe american but not sure) he was wearing pale colored knee length cargo shorts. So far no problem.

 

The only problem was that this poor guy chose material that shows water marks..

 

..you know where this is going..

 

He was literally stood in front of about 100 or more people with his hands on both hips, looking around like a mere cat..

 

..with wet patches all around his arse crack. Soaked!

 

I saw more than one person gigging.

 

To the OP, are you sure you know exactly what the locals were laughing at?