Double Pricing Sankhampeng Hotspring

[maxisrael]

Going with my (Thai) wife to The Hotspring in Sankhampeng for years to enjoy food en drinks boiling eggs and enjoying ourselfs.

Went Yesterday again to find out the White man has to pay double entrance fee.

Prices singposted as Adult (read farang) 30 Baht and children ( read Thai) 15 Baht.

So this has been the last time I go to the Hotspring as well as other places the White man get ripped off

To Bad

[Ajarn]

Going with my (Thai) wife to The Hotspring in Sankhampeng for years to enjoy food en drinks boiling eggs and enjoying ourselfs.

Went Yesterday again to find out the White man has to pay double entrance fee.

Prices singposted as Adult (read farang) 30 Baht  and children ( read Thai) 15 Baht.

So this has been the last time I go to the Hotspring as well as other places the White man get ripped off

To Bad

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I see White man very angry. Private business is free to charge however they want. Personally, 15 baht is not enough to ###### up my day if I want to enjoy the hot springs, but I understand you're looking more at the prinicipal of the thing, I suppose. Maybe if enough Angry White Men (AWM) make a stand, something will change. Or, maybe not... TiT.

Sometimes it might be best to simply not know the awful truth. Your egg then might not leave such a shitty taste in your mouth, na'?

By the way, I recently read that though the Night Safari will be charging 800 baht to all, they've said that after a year, they'll "adjust the price to more realistic levels for Thai families"...

Edited February 8, 2005 by Ajarn

[_Echinochloa_]

Now much does an African American have to pay?

[ovenman]

By the way, I recently read that though the Night Safari will be charging 800 baht to all, they've said that after a year, they'll "adjust the price to more realistic levels for Thai families"...

I'll bet you that it doesn't take a full year for that particular pricing adjustment to occur.

[Rinrada]

"The Hotspring in Sankhampeng

We drove in to have a look on last visit (blagged our way-free)and what did we find .......

A couple of pieces of big concrete sewer pipes laid "on end "full up and bubbling with hot smelly sulphurous "spring"water ...

...Is that iT?

Some how not my idea of a tourist attraction.

As for double pricing recon I would pay double....to stay away

[Ajarn]

I prefer Rong Aroon Hot Springs, located nearby. Apts and houses to rent w/piped in hot water, a place with individual bath tubs, and a communal Jacuzzi. Large grassy areas for picknicking and egg-cooking. Great place on a rainy/cold day. Never seen any crowds there...

[chanchao]

How to get to Ron Aroon... I do remember a sign pointing to some other hot spring setup, is that it?

[Ajarn]

How to get to Ron Aroon...  I do remember a sign pointing to some other hot spring setup, is that it?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Chanchao, I only can tell you that it's along the road to the other hotsprings, then a left at a point pretty close to arriving at SK Hot Springs as I remember... There are some big signs in a few spots...

This is from

http://north.infothai.com/attractions.html#lowereastern

Maybe you can call for better directions

"Close to Sankampaeng Hot Spring is Rung Arun (Roong Aroon) Resort. It has its own hot spring and geyser in beautifully landscaped surroundings, including trees, flowers and a natural stone garden. There are restaurants, an exercise area, public and private hot-spring-water baths and jaccuzi. For details and bookings contact Tel. 053-248475, 053-248491,01-8830337, or 017642350."

[maxisrael]

I see White man very angry. Private business is free to charge however they want. Personally, 15 baht is not enough to ###### up my day if I want to enjoy the hot springs, but I understand you're looking more at the prinicipal of the thing, I suppose. Maybe if enough Angry White Men (AWM) make a stand, something will change. Or, maybe not... TiT.

Sometimes it might be best to simply not know the awful truth. Your egg then might not leave such a shitty taste in your mouth, na'?

By the way, I recently read that though the Night Safari will be charging 800 baht to all, they've said that after a year, they'll "adjust the price to more realistic levels for Thai families"...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You are correct Ajarn it's not the 15 extra Baht but the priciple, if we in Europe should charge Thais double or even 10 times the fee (national parks) we will be jailed

[Harmonica]

How to get to Ron Aroon...  I do remember a sign pointing to some other hot spring setup, is that it?

Chanchao, I only can tell you that it's along the road to the other hotsprings, then a left at a point pretty close to arriving at SK Hot Springs as I remember... There are some big signs in a few spots...

This is from

http://north.infothai.com/attractions.html#lowereastern

Maybe you can call for better directions

"Close to Sankampaeng Hot Spring is Rung Arun (Roong Aroon) Resort. It has its own hot spring and geyser in beautifully landscaped surroundings, including trees, flowers and a natural stone garden. There are restaurants, an exercise area, public and private hot-spring-water baths and jaccuzi. For details and bookings contact Tel. 053-248475, 053-248491,01-8830337, or 017642350."

Concur! Very nice.

[Ajarn]

I usually associate Harmonica with Harmonious, but lately you seem a bit out of tune...

Am I mistaken?

[paulnuek]

The wife actually comes from Sahakorn which is very near the hot spring resort.

I pay 0 BAHT when I go and I am as white as a white thing!!!!!!

The wife just says she is a local and I save all that money.....

The eggs taste so much better.....

I understand what you are saying though.

But remember this the next time you complain.......

Wife living in CM and working in factory 3500 a month

With living in UK and working in factory £1000 a month

I hope this answers the question.

But I still get in for nowt....

[Sojourner]

Going with my (Thai) wife to The Hotspring in Sankhampeng for years to enjoy food en drinks boiling eggs and enjoying ourselfs.

Went Yesterday again to find out the White man has to pay double entrance fee.

Prices singposted as Adult (read farang) 30 Baht  and children ( read Thai) 15 Baht.

So this has been the last time I go to the Hotspring as well as other places the White man get ripped off

To Bad

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Don't just single out the "White Man" getting ripped off. Any Asian visitor wanting to visit hotsprings, national parks, wats and palaces will pay the foreigner rates. I know because my wife and I escorted a handful of Chinese students, studying in CM, around to these various attractions.

[nokia]

I think the rationale of charging 200baht to any non-Thai is flawed. Perhaps, they could differentiate between one time tourists and non-Thai residents who stay in thailand for a couple of months every year.

As a semi-permanent resident, i didnt feel good paying 200 baht for the entry to Doi Inthanon NP while Thai only pay 20 baht. I dont think i will be going back there for awhile.

Thailand is beautiful with its scenery, national parks and hotsprings.

What's life in thailand without?

Edited October 12, 2005 by nokia

[SiamOne]

Going with my (Thai) wife to The Hotspring in Sankhampeng for years to enjoy food en drinks boiling eggs and enjoying ourselfs.

Went Yesterday again to find out the White man has to pay double entrance fee.

Prices singposted as Adult (read farang) 30 Baht  and children ( read Thai) 15 Baht.

So this has been the last time I go to the Hotspring as well as other places the White man get ripped off

To Bad

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I think you must be a lot of fun to go out with!!

[chownah]

Oh boy!! Oh Goodie!!! Let's pay some money so we can cook an egg in some stinky water. What? It will cost me double....never mind!!!!!who cares?????I'm so enthralled and enraptured by the prospect of the joys of cooking an egg in stinky water that I'd pay triple....or even more.....

[x-pat]

Ah, the double pricing issue again.

I remember a rainy day in the Chiang Mai zoo where the two class pricing for the panda enclosure evoked sufficient frustration for me to stay outside and let my wife take a video of the playful pandas instead. I also remember that in retrospect I regretted this decision and I resolved not to let this happen again.

In short, the two class pricing system in Thailand is infelicitous, because it is insensitive towards foreign visitors. For the same reason, it is also nonsensical, because the economic gain is nullified by the uneasy feeling it leaves, which makes visitors stay away.

Then again, the annoyance is probably more than compensated by the general low level of costs in Thailand. As long as the local inadequacies amount to just a few Baht, I don't allow them to spoil my day.

Cheers, X-Pat

[cmsally]

It should of course be modified - ie. either a National Park pass you can use for an extended period or discounts for Thai residents as well as nationals, special rates for students etc etc.

But until that day it can cause great amusement - me and a group of husbands relations/ friends. This is the scenario - a couple of farangs (one speaking Thai), a couple of half Thai-half farangs, a US born Thai (can't speak good Thai) 3 US Thais fluent in Thai and American English + 4 Thais obviously Thai.

End of story, mega headache for poor guy on the checkpoint, can't even remember what we paid but think it was Thai price for everyone.

[x-pat]

One way to qualify for the Thai price is probably to sing the national anthem to the ticket guy:

Humpta, humpta, one, two, three....

"bra thet thai ruam lueard nuea chart chuea thai

ben bra cha rat pha-thai khong thai took suan..."

(http://www.learningthai.com/songs/anthem.html)

Good luck!

X-Pat

[bangkapiboy]

I did the same thing! I hate the dual pricing scheme in Thailand. I let my tilac have her time with the Panda, while I stayed outside. Everything was fine, as I've already seen Pandas in USA.

To hel_l with it.

Ah, the double pricing issue again.

I remember a rainy day in the Chiang Mai zoo where the two class pricing for the panda enclosure evoked sufficient frustration for me to stay outside and let my wife take a video of the playful pandas instead. I also remember that in retrospect I regretted this decision and I resolved not to let this happen again.

In short, the two class pricing system in Thailand is infelicitous, because it is insensitive towards foreign visitors. For the same reason, it is also nonsensical, because the economic gain is nullified by the uneasy feeling it leaves, which makes visitors stay away.

Then again, the annoyance is probably more than compensated by the general low level of costs in Thailand. As long as the local inadequacies amount to just a few Baht, I don't allow them to spoil my day.

Cheers, X-Pat

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[Rinrada]

Going with my (Thai) wife to The Hotspring in Sankhampeng for years to enjoy food en drinks boiling eggs and enjoying ourselfs.

Went Yesterday again to find out the White man has to pay double entrance fee.

Prices singposted as Adult (read farang) 30 Baht  and children ( read Thai) 15 Baht.

So this has been the last time I go to the Hotspring as well as other places the White man get ripped off

To Bad

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Just got another little bit of land near the hot springs so what I might do is get K.Wife to spud a pipe down and see if we get can tap into the hot springs.

If it works out I will stick a sign up offering free access for All tourists and even throw in half dozen eggs -chook or duck to boil up-free,plus some decent bread and butter with lashings of local Buffalo Cheese.

Only condition being that you gotta eat and enjoy the said Buffalo products...otherwise i will charge 5,000 bt for the experience.

Should seperate the men from the boys.

Sigh will be in Gaelic.

[chownah]

Going with my (Thai) wife to The Hotspring in Sankhampeng for years to enjoy food en drinks boiling eggs and enjoying ourselfs.

Went Yesterday again to find out the White man has to pay double entrance fee.

Prices singposted as Adult (read farang) 30 Baht  and children ( read Thai) 15 Baht.

So this has been the last time I go to the Hotspring as well as other places the White man get ripped off

To Bad

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Just got another little bit of land near the hot springs so what I might do is get K.Wife to spud a pipe down and see if we get can tap into the hot springs.

If it works out I will stick a sign up offering free access for All tourists and even throw in half dozen eggs -chook or duck to boil up-free,plus some decent bread and butter with lashings of local Buffalo Cheese.

Only condition being that you gotta eat and enjoy the said Buffalo products...otherwise i will charge 5,000 bt for the experience.

Should seperate the men from the boys.

Sigh will be in Gaelic.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Is that a typo? Are you going to have a sign in Gaelic to advertise the place. If so I think it is a stroke of pure brilliance. When they come to make you pay the sign tax for a sign in a foreign language you can just say that its not any language and that its just arbitrary letters and if they think differently then they must tell you what language it is...........they'll never figure it out............hahahahah....brilliant. Good luck on your project and don't forget the work permit. hahahahahhahahaha

[cm das]

OK, someone needs to play devil's advocate... so here goes. One reason many of us enjoy living here is because many things (housing, food, etc.) are so cheap compared to back home. So what's the big deal about having to pay 75cents US to get into the hot springs rather thatn 37.5 cents? Sure, we don't like the "principle" of having to pay more than Thais, but this works both ways, doesn't it? I mean, how many farang teachers complain about getting paid way more than Thai teachers for the same hours' work? The same goes for NGO staff, etc. All things considered, life is pretty good here, no? So why complain about such small beans? And by the way, if you have a work permit or a Thai driver's license (or a vocal Thai gf), you pay the local rates at national parks. I'm not trying to provoke anyone, just want to put things in perspective. Of ourse there are inconveniences to living here, but to my mind that's part of the bargain. Just my 37.5 cents.

[Jumbo chilli]

OK, someone needs to play devil's advocate... so here goes.  One reason many of us enjoy living here is because many things (housing, food, etc.) are so cheap compared to back home.  So what's the big deal about having to pay 75cents US to get into the hot springs rather thatn 37.5 cents?  Sure, we don't like the "principle" of having to pay more than Thais, but this works both ways, doesn't it?  I mean, how many farang teachers complain about getting paid way more than Thai teachers for the same hours' work?  The same goes for NGO staff, etc.  All things considered, life is pretty good here, no?  So why complain about such small beans?  And by the way, if you have a work permit or a Thai driver's license (or a vocal Thai gf), you pay the local rates at national parks. I'm not trying to provoke anyone, just want to put things in perspective.  Of ourse there are inconveniences to living here, but to my mind that's part of the bargain.  Just my 37.5 cents.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Agreed.

It is O.K being a bit over charged but it is disgusting to find farang argueing over price of drinking water, sontaew fare, or bowl of noodle soup,....etc,etc .

Relaxe! You pay that bit more than Thais but we all know for sure you not gonna go broke coz of this.

If you can change it, accept it or simply just leave it.

[chownah]

OK, someone needs to play devil's advocate... so here goes.  One reason many of us enjoy living here is because many things (housing, food, etc.) are so cheap compared to back home.  So what's the big deal about having to pay 75cents US to get into the hot springs rather thatn 37.5 cents?  Sure, we don't like the "principle" of having to pay more than Thais, but this works both ways, doesn't it?  I mean, how many farang teachers complain about getting paid way more than Thai teachers for the same hours' work?  The same goes for NGO staff, etc.  All things considered, life is pretty good here, no?  So why complain about such small beans?  And by the way, if you have a work permit or a Thai driver's license (or a vocal Thai gf), you pay the local rates at national parks. I'm not trying to provoke anyone, just want to put things in perspective.  Of ourse there are inconveniences to living here, but to my mind that's part of the bargain.  Just my 37.5 cents.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You seem to have a misconception going here. You seem to think that farang teachers get paid more because they are farang...but this is not so....they get paid more because they have a superior understanding of the English language...even native English speakers with only a dim idea of how the English language works have a superior understanding compared to most Thai teachers.

[x-pat]

Relaxe! You pay that bit more than Thais but we all know for sure you not gonna go broke coz of this. tongue.gif If you can change it, accept it or simply just leave it. laugh.gif

Of course nobody will be financially ruined by having to pay hundred Baht instead of ten Baht, but I doubt that the heart of the matter is an economic one. Charging different prices based on race or nationality sends out a signal that is offensive to the Western psyche. It's a signal of discrimination, and -mind you- it isn't the only signal of this sort being sent out by Thai society. In my view, it's partly a cultural misunderstanding, because class society, hierarchies, and economic discrimination are all part of Asian thinking, and the Thai experience in particular, while Westerners have been brought up with the value of equality. It is natural to the Thais to peg people as members of a certain class, but this thinking seems antiquated and inappropriate to Westerners.

The best thing to do next time when we see a sign that says "Thai 20 Baht - Foreigner 200 Baht" sign is probably to resist the feeling of indignation, take a deep breath, and consider it an opportunity for showing generosity.

Cheers, X-Pat

[cm das]

Sorry Chownah but I have to disagree. I've known Thai teachers with near native fluency in English who get paid less than non-native speaker farangs (Dutch, German, Spanish). Your argument makes sense & may be true in some cases but not always.

[jackr]

Relaxe! You pay that bit more than Thais but we all know for sure you not gonna go broke coz of this. tongue.gif If you can change it, accept it or simply just leave it. laugh.gif

In my view, it's partly a cultural misunderstanding, because class society, hierarchies, and economic discrimination are all part of Asian thinking, and the Thai experience in particular, while Westerners have been brought up with the value of equality. It is natural to the Thais to peg people as members of a certain class, but this thinking seems antiquated and inappropriate to Westerners.

It seems you're looking too deep; while Thai society is what you describe, the two-tier pricing is a clear opportunity to rip-off the tourist round-eye.

[Jumbo chilli]

Relaxe! You pay that bit more than Thais but we all know for sure you not gonna go broke coz of this. tongue.gif If you can change it, accept it or simply just leave it. laugh.gif

Of course nobody will be financially ruined by having to pay hundred Baht instead of ten Baht, but I doubt that the heart of the matter is an economic one. Charging different prices based on race or nationality sends out a signal that is offensive to the Western psyche. It's a signal of discrimination, and -mind you- it isn't the only signal of this sort being sent out by Thai society. In my view, it's partly a cultural misunderstanding, because class society, hierarchies, and economic discrimination are all part of Asian thinking, and the Thai experience in particular, while Westerners have been brought up with the value of equality. It is natural to the Thais to peg people as members of a certain class, but this thinking seems antiquated and inappropriate to Westerners.

The best thing to do next time when we see a sign that says "Thai 20 Baht - Foreigner 200 Baht" sign is probably to resist the feeling of indignation, take a deep breath, and consider it an opportunity for showing generosity.

Cheers, X-Pat

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I too don't see eye to eye with this stupid double pricing policy and hope it'dchange.

But as we all know there isn't much we can do about it, is there?