Khao San Road

[bonobo]

Except you never refer to a Marine as "soldier!"

I remember being refered to as "bald-headed wambats" and 'ladies", and having to call a rifle a rifle, instead of a gun, but I don't remember the thing about not calling Marines soldiers. Well, it was a long, long time ago.

A soldier is in the Army, a Marine is in the Marines!  

Nothing ticks off a Marine more, just about, than being called a soldier.

[bonobo]

are there a lot of hot thai girls /teenagers on khao sarn road? i remember in the past thai girls asking me if i would take them there but i never bothered.

A lot? No.

It is (has become) a popular place for Thai teens to hang out, but they are usually in big groups and are more punk/alternative oriented. There is some interaction between the foreigners and locals but not much.

It can be quite a zoo at night. Don't remember if day of the week matters, but I would say Saturday nights would see more locals.

Check out the Suzie Bar for local talent. You see the odd lost backpacker there. At least that's how it was a few years ago.

Referring to the age issue, I am 36, the missus 34.

I got to Koh San for my massages, and I see quite a bit of Thai-farang interaction.  But the farangs in question usually look to be in their early 20's, not people my age.

[Ulysses G.]

Except you never refer to a Marine as "soldier!"

I remember being refered to as "bald-headed wambats" and 'ladies", and having to call a rifle a rifle, instead of a gun, but I don't remember the thing about not calling Marines soldiers. Well, it was a long, long time ago.

A soldier is in the Army, a Marine is in the Marines!

Nothing ticks off a Marine more, just about, than being called a soldier.

Like I said, we are talking 30 years ago, but I'm surprised that did not stick in my head.

I still remember: The private's senior drill instructer is Staff Sgt. Kirk, Sir! and how to aim a rifle, "Place the clear tip of the front sight appature, half way up and centered from left to right in the rear site appature, Sir!... from bootcamp.

[imaneggspurt]

Forgive them, maybe they were retards, or down syndrome,. . or more likely on something .!

[t.s]

Dude and I totally respect that, and if other people think its better and normal to all hide cowardly like behind their anonymous names that allows them to act like complete aholes and much more brave then they ever would in real life well they are completely delusional, this entire board would be a totally different universe if everyone was forced to use their real name. Of course in this country that is also very dangerous, this is not a free country.

i am guessing your name isn't sabum, nor is the op norad. My initials are ts.

as for not understanding why privacy on the internet is desirable, i hope you never actually need to know.

[Changian]

someone remind me what this thread was originally about

[bonobo]

Dude and I totally respect that, and if other people think its better and normal to all hide cowardly like behind their anonymous names that allows them to act like complete aholes and much more brave then they ever would in real life well they are completely delusional, this entire board would be a totally different universe if everyone was forced to use their real name. Of course in this country that is also very dangerous, this is not a free country.

i am guessing your name isn't sabum, nor is the op norad. My initials are ts.

as for not understanding why privacy on the internet is desirable, i hope you never actually need to know.

Privacy as far as my bank account numbers, my home addess, real facts and figures, sure.  Privacy is called for.  But how is a simple photo somehow the end all of intrusion?  I may be naive, but I just don't see the problem with a snapshot, with saying you are married, letting people know you are a Brit, letting people know your gender, etc.  All of those help people to formulate the background for the opinions you express in the forum and help put it all into context.

[t.s]

These guys who join the topic 7-8 pages in and start off giving the OP a load of grief need to start their own forum. Forum for bellends. The poor lad was clearly p!ssed off and wanted to vent his anger. There is nothing wrong with his topic. Its a topic people can relate too. I agree with Sabum 100%.The OP has backed up his story with a pic and shows clearly how strong he feels about it all.Good on ya mate.

" rremarkably insecure " I dont think so!

firstly, i tend to vent in person with friends

second, i will try to get in earlier next time. would my comment have been ok on the first page?

as an aside, does the ops wife know her pic has been put online for discussion?

how does she feel about that?

[bonobo]

Except you never refer to a Marine as "soldier!"

I remember being refered to as "bald-headed wambats" and 'ladies", and having to call a rifle a rifle, instead of a gun, but I don't remember the thing about not calling Marines soldiers. Well, it was a long, long time ago.

A soldier is in the Army, a Marine is in the Marines!

Nothing ticks off a Marine more, just about, than being called a soldier.

Like I said, we are talking 30 years ago, but I'm surprised that did not stick in my head.

I still remember: The private's senior drill instructer is Staff Sgt. Kirk, Sir! and how to aim a rifle, "Place the clear tip of the front sight appature, half way up and centered from left to right in the rear site appature, Sir!... from bootcamp.

[longstebe]

These guys who join the topic 7-8 pages in and start off giving the OP a load of grief need to start their own forum. Forum for bellends. The poor lad was clearly p!ssed off and wanted to vent his anger. There is nothing wrong with his topic. Its a topic people can relate too. I agree with Sabum 100%.The OP has backed up his story with a pic and shows clearly how strong he feels about it all.Good on ya mate.

" rremarkably insecure " I dont think so!

firstly, i tend to vent in person with friends

second, i will try to get in earlier next time. would my comment have been ok on the first page?

as an aside, does the ops wife know her pic has been put online for discussion?

how does she feel about that?

1. Maybe the guy is not as popular as you.

2.Try giving advice instead of giving him grief.

3.Its a photo thats all.Its not like she is in a bikini or something.Ask the OP how his partner feels about the pic,not me.

4. Im glad to hear you will try an get in earlier with your comments.

[Norrad]

firstly, i tend to vent in person with friends

second, i will try to get in earlier next time. would my comment have been ok on the first page?

as an aside, does the ops wife know her pic has been put online for discussion?

how does she feel about that?

My problem is that most of my friends are Thai, when I vent to them I get the standard Jai Yen Yen response.

My wife has no problem with me posting her pic. It is not a very personal/private pic and she posts pictures of us on Thai forums and sites that she frequents.

[kurnell]

Farangs that go stay in Khao San call themselves 'travellers', not tourists and believe that they are in a way doing it rough so that will give you an idea of their mindset, so it is no wonder they look down on Thai/farang relationships.

[sanook2me]

Farangs that go stay in Khao San call themselves 'travellers', not tourists and believe that they are in a way doing it rough so that will give you an idea of their mindset, so it is no wonder they look down on Thai/farang relationships.

Yeah thats so funny as alot of Thais who go to Khao Sarn road are middle/upper class and probably have more money in the bank of mommy and daddy than the "travellers" who think all Thais are poor! and are being taken advantage of by some gubby westerner.

The truth is these travellers are taking advantage of really poor Thais by haggling over the prices of everything!

Norad, you say you have mostly Thai friends and so cannot rant but when I am in the need for hearing farang speak and interaction i always go to khao sarn road.

You need to put this down to one bad experience and go back there - go to Gazebo pub(morrocan place with hubbly bubblu pipes and live band open air ontop of a building) just off khao sarn at gullivers end... this is a cool relaxing place with more Thais than farangs.

[Birdman]

Farangs that go stay in Khao San call themselves 'travellers', not tourists and believe that they are in a way doing it rough so that will give you an idea of their mindset, so it is no wonder they look down on Thai/farang relationships.

Yeah thats so funny as alot of Thais who go to Khao Sarn road are middle/upper class and probably have more money in the bank of mommy and daddy than the "travellers" who think all Thais are poor! and are being taken advantage of by some gubby westerner.

The truth is these travellers are taking advantage of really poor Thais by haggling over the prices of everything!

Norad, you say you have mostly Thai friends and so cannot rant but when I am in the need for hearing farang speak and interaction i always go to khao sarn road.

You need to put this down to one bad experience and go back there - go to Gazebo pub(morrocan place with hubbly bubblu pipes and live band open air ontop of a building) just off khao sarn at gullivers end... this is a cool relaxing place with more Thais than farangs.

Wouldn't say that. There are travellers and travellers. Many are much closer to the average and simple people of a foreign country then all the other kinds of tourist and some ex pats.

[Absingjul]

This is not isolated to KSR or idiot backpackers. I've heard similar comments from Thais when walking with GF in Paragon.

[sanook2me]

Farangs that go stay in Khao San call themselves 'travellers', not tourists and believe that they are in a way doing it rough so that will give you an idea of their mindset, so it is no wonder they look down on Thai/farang relationships.

Yeah thats so funny as alot of Thais who go to Khao Sarn road are middle/upper class and probably have more money in the bank of mommy and daddy than the "travellers" who think all Thais are poor! and are being taken advantage of by some gubby westerner.

The truth is these travellers are taking advantage of really poor Thais by haggling over the prices of everything!

Norad, you say you have mostly Thai friends and so cannot rant but when I am in the need for hearing farang speak and interaction i always go to khao sarn road.

You need to put this down to one bad experience and go back there - go to Gazebo pub(morrocan place with hubbly bubblu pipes and live band open air ontop of a building) just off khao sarn at gullivers end... this is a cool relaxing place with more Thais than farangs.

Wouldn't say that. There are travellers and travellers. Many are much closer to the average and simple people of a foreign country then all the other kinds of tourist and some ex pats.

Sorry, i have no idea what your post means....

Last time I was there a group of European men x 5 haggled with a street walker selling maps for 90 baht they haggled down to 60 baht - i have no idea if 60 baht is the average selling price but it was just sad that these europeans with their big euro were bothered by 30 baht... i felt sorry for the hawker and embarrassed by the europeans.

To the hawker 30 baht is a plate of food to the Europeans 30 baht is petty change to be thrown into a jar!

Khao sarn is great place for people watching and you will see/hear good and bad happening there...

The OP unfortunately was involved in the bad...

[Norrad]

Sorry, i have no idea what your post means....

Last time I was there a group of European men x 5 haggled with a street walker selling maps for 90 baht they haggled down to 60 baht - i have no idea if 60 baht is the average selling price but it was just sad that these europeans with their big euro were bothered by 30 baht... i felt sorry for the hawker and embarrassed by the europeans.

To the hawker 30 baht is a plate of food to the Europeans 30 baht is petty change to be thrown into a jar!

Khao sarn is great place for people watching and you will see/hear good and bad happening there...

The OP unfortunately was involved in the bad...

I've never really enjoyed Khao San and this experience will be the nail in the coffin.

As for the haggling, Thai merchants and hawkers expect it and prices in KSR are often inflated by well over 200%. Trust me, the hawker would never go below a certain point. I haggled and bought a one of those indoor RC helicopters for 1400 baht a few months ago (the price was initially 2000 Baht). Last week I found the exact same helicopter in China town for 550 Baht. I wasn't angry that I had paid so much but it made me realise how much of a haggling margin the hawkers have.

[bonobo]

Sorry, i have no idea what your post means....

Last time I was there a group of European men x 5 haggled with a street walker selling maps for 90 baht they haggled down to 60 baht - i have no idea if 60 baht is the average selling price but it was just sad that these europeans with their big euro were bothered by 30 baht... i felt sorry for the hawker and embarrassed by the europeans.

To the hawker 30 baht is a plate of food to the Europeans 30 baht is petty change to be thrown into a jar!

Khao sarn is great place for people watching and you will see/hear good and bad happening there...

The OP unfortunately was involved in the bad...

If you order bawmee giao from a street vendor, do you give the vendor 100 baht instead of 30 just because you have more money than him?

Haggling is part of the culture, and the initial prices are so inflated that the haggling can reduce the price by 100% and the vendor will still be tickled pink about it and will love being able to "get over" on the customer.

The customer is happy for getting a "deal," the vendor is happy for getting a deal, so what is wrong with it?

[goodheartman]

Farangs that go stay in Khao San call themselves 'travellers', not tourists and believe that they are in a way doing it rough so that will give you an idea of their mindset, so it is no wonder they look down on Thai/farang relationships.

Yeah thats so funny as alot of Thais who go to Khao Sarn road are middle/upper class and probably have more money in the bank of mommy and daddy than the "travellers" who think all Thais are poor! and are being taken advantage of by some gubby westerner.

The truth is these travellers are taking advantage of really poor Thais by haggling over the prices of everything!

Norad, you say you have mostly Thai friends and so cannot rant but when I am in the need for hearing farang speak and interaction i always go to khao sarn road.

You need to put this down to one bad experience and go back there - go to Gazebo pub(morrocan place with hubbly bubblu pipes and live band open air ontop of a building) just off khao sarn at gullivers end... this is a cool relaxing place with more Thais than farangs.

Wouldn't say that. There are travellers and travellers. Many are much closer to the average and simple people of a foreign country then all the other kinds of tourist and some ex pats.

Sorry, i have no idea what your post means....

Last time I was there a group of European men x 5 haggled with a street walker selling maps for 90 baht they haggled down to 60 baht - i have no idea if 60 baht is the average selling price but it was just sad that these europeans with their big euro were bothered by 30 baht... i felt sorry for the hawker and embarrassed by the europeans.

To the hawker 30 baht is a plate of food to the Europeans 30 baht is petty change to be thrown into a jar!

Khao sarn is great place for people watching and you will see/hear good and bad happening there...

The OP unfortunately was involved in the bad...

i agree w this.

thais should make a stand and stop haggling. no fun seeing rich haggling w poor. down right disgusting.

even thogh i do it too..........lol!

i see middles eastern peeps as big customers and i doubt they pay top dollar for junk.......lol.

Edited May 8, 2009 by goodheartman

[eek]

firstly, i tend to vent in person with friends

second, i will try to get in earlier next time. would my comment have been ok on the first page?

as an aside, does the ops wife know her pic has been put online for discussion?

how does she feel about that?

My problem is that most of my friends are Thai, when I vent to them I get the standard Jai Yen Yen response.

My wife has no problem with me posting her pic. It is not a very personal/private pic and she posts pictures of us on Thai forums and sites that she frequents.

On a forum like this, you can get a wider range of opinions. Hopefully honest ones. Friends can be biased. Personally I think its better in a way. Friends who rant and vent too much to their friends are often a bore, and those kinds of people are usually not looking for an honest answer anyway, they just want their ego massaging.

[JohnGotti]

This is not isolated to KSR or idiot backpackers. I've heard similar comments from Thais when walking with GF in Paragon.

its their country.

[Birdman]

Farangs that go stay in Khao San call themselves 'travellers', not tourists and believe that they are in a way doing it rough so that will give you an idea of their mindset, so it is no wonder they look down on Thai/farang relationships.

Yeah thats so funny as alot of Thais who go to Khao Sarn road are middle/upper class and probably have more money in the bank of mommy and daddy than the "travellers" who think all Thais are poor! and are being taken advantage of by some gubby westerner.

The truth is these travellers are taking advantage of really poor Thais by haggling over the prices of everything!

Norad, you say you have mostly Thai friends and so cannot rant but when I am in the need for hearing farang speak and interaction i always go to khao sarn road.

You need to put this down to one bad experience and go back there - go to Gazebo pub(morrocan place with hubbly bubblu pipes and live band open air ontop of a building) just off khao sarn at gullivers end... this is a cool relaxing place with more Thais than farangs.

Wouldn't say that. There are travellers and travellers. Many are much closer to the average and simple people of a foreign country then all the other kinds of tourist and some ex pats.

Sorry, i have no idea what your post means....

Last time I was there a group of European men x 5 haggled with a street walker selling maps for 90 baht they haggled down to 60 baht - i have no idea if 60 baht is the average selling price but it was just sad that these europeans with their big euro were bothered by 30 baht... i felt sorry for the hawker and embarrassed by the europeans.

To the hawker 30 baht is a plate of food to the Europeans 30 baht is petty change to be thrown into a jar!

Khao sarn is great place for people watching and you will see/hear good and bad happening there...

The OP unfortunately was involved in the bad...

Many travellers interact with locals more, because other tourists would never go to places, which are not on the standard tourist map, eat at places, where only locals eat, buy things at Thai mama and papa shops and sleep at places, which keep locals, who are not huge resort millionaires, in business.

[eek]

This is not isolated to KSR or idiot backpackers. I've heard similar comments from Thais when walking with GF in Paragon.

its their country.

Wow, are you serious?! Sorry, i dont mean to be disrespectful, but im so surprised by that reply. No matter what country a person goes to, people should try have respect and good manners. It is impolite and rude to make those kinds of comments, not to mention none of anyones business. If someone came to my country and they were a mixed race/culture couple, I would be appalled if my fellow countrymen made derogatory comments about them. Sadly some do, but being in their own country doesnt excuse racism, bigotry, general disrespect and bad manners.

[Jingthing]

To the hawker 30 baht is a plate of food to the Europeans 30 baht is petty change to be thrown into a jar!

Well I don't know about Europeans, but as an American living in Thailand I can say 30 baht is a plate of food for me too, except when I get overcharged for it ...

[bonobo]

i agree w this.

thais should make a stand and stop haggling. no fun seeing rich haggling w poor. down right disgusting.

even thogh i do it too..........lol!

i see middles eastern peeps as big customers and i doubt they pay top dollar for junk.......lol.

If you don't want to haggle, go to Robinsons.  Street vendors haggle with other Thais, so why should they "make a stand" against haggling with foreigners?

Haggling is what they do.  It is their business paradigm.  The vendor is trying to extract the highest amount of money possible for a given product, and generally, they do make pretty good margins, much better than is they had a small shop on the soi somewhere.  So by "making a stand," they would be lowering their income.  I really don't see how that is to their best advantage.

And if "middles eastern peeps" are not paying top dollar, are you inferring that vendors just automatically offer them lower prices than they offer to other types of foreigners?

[JohnGotti]

This is not isolated to KSR or idiot backpackers. I've heard similar comments from Thais when walking with GF in Paragon.

its their country.

Wow, are you serious?! Sorry, i dont mean to be disrespectful, but im so surprised by that reply. No matter what country a person goes to, people should try have respect and good manners. It is impolite and rude to make those kinds of comments, not to mention none of anyones business. If someone came to my country and they were a mixed race/culture couple, I would be appalled if my fellow countrymen made derogatory comments about them. Sadly some do, but being in their own country doesnt excuse racism, bigotry, general disrespect and bad manners.

its not really a racist thing or bigotry. it is rude. people should not be rude.

[goodheartman]

god bless street vendors!

if they making high margins selling whatever can be bought at another stall in same smae area , so be it. ive travelled a few feet or so to save a few baht, and i mean a few baht........lol.

thais know best!

[sanook2me]

This is not isolated to KSR or idiot backpackers. I've heard similar comments from Thais when walking with GF in Paragon.

its their country.

How about at home in your own country have you heard people say something?

I've got a good mate who knows the score with me and my mrs (not bg and together over 5 years) but he still calls her "Thai mail order bride" tongue in cheek and funny

but then i have had people say to me she must be a pro why else would you have a Thai wife... and they are serious when saying this.. i just laugh it off.....

and make a mental note never to bother with that person again.

Mixed race couples always have external pressure from other people from their race its just that its easier in Thailand as its more relaxed....

OP - you need to learn some stock answers to reply to these bigots because this is going to happen time and time again... here and at home...

Edited May 8, 2009 by sanook2me

[bonobo]

OP - you need to learn some stock answers to reply to these bigots because this is going to happen time and time again... here and at home...

That is actually one of the best pieces of advice posted here so far.

I can never seem to think of a good reply until long after the event has passed.  I imagine some other people are the same.  So "pre-thinking" a good response is pretty astute, in my opinion.

[Birdman]

OP - you need to learn some stock answers to reply to these bigots because this is going to happen time and time again... here and at home...

That is actually one of the best pieces of advice posted here so far.

I can never seem to think of a good reply until long after the event has passed.  I imagine some other people are the same.  So "pre-thinking" a good response is pretty astute, in my opinion.

examples please.