Honesty In Bangkok - Honest !

[Shotime]

It's always nice to see when someone has an experience that contradicts negative stereotypes! People are people no matter where you go, there will always be good and bad, and we need to hear more of the good!

All very well but I don't think I need to be forewarned so much about the good things.

Well said.

I take back what I had previously written, and will return to my normal, distrustful self. I'll feel lucky, blessed, whatever, when something good happens to me. Otherwise, ....

[sanook2me]

My newish English bought £80 trainers were returned to me yesterday when i went back to my badminton sports centre, i had forgot them 2 weeks ago when changing back into my normal clothes.

Could have easily gone to market or someone else's feet.

You're lucky! Every single time I've left something in a sports centre in Bangkok it's been taken (sweaty shorts, t-shirt, shower gel, shampoo etc.). I was so amazed that it taught me to care more about my belongings. Now nothing goes missing :-)

Some positives:

carrying very big heavy bag up the steps at JJ I feel it got lighter...on the other end was a youngish guy who picked it up to help me without even asking.

Waiting on soi 39 for a taxi or minivan once at rush hour, a guy went by on a motorbike and guessed that I have been and would be waiting a while. He came back, speaking no English, gestured for me to get on and took me to the BTS without a word.

For a capital city, these two things alone are amazing positive experiences.

Returning trainers I guess thats the pleasure of living outside of Central BKK I was the only farang (there are 2 more now) at this sports club and everybody leaves their bags unattended while showering. You have to drive to get there so I am assuming most car owners are not common theives.

I have also been offered a lift on the back of pick up while waiting for a taxi down a soi.

No stranger danger here only to happy to accept the lift

On holiday on Koh Chang, 7 of us were walking down a road and a pickup stopped and gave us a lift to the ferry

It seems pick up drivers are quite considerate unless they are farang "other thread about saying hello" then they will drive past and ignore you

[cpofc]

It's the little things that count.

The other week I slipped off down town FoodLand Ramintra to pick up another slab of their excellent (local) 280Bht per kilo 'Rib Eye Fillet Steak'. Comes up a treat on a traditional thai charcoal BBQ.

Whilst browsing the shelves I spotted some Fountain Pepper Steak Sauce, on a Promotional, 'Special'.

I had to grab a bottle of that! In the trolley it went!

Some 10 minutes or so later, now on the other side of the Supermarket, the little Thai store manager came running up to me, panting and out of breath, so relieved he had found me, holding up another bottle of Pepper Steak Sauce. He was beaming with that traditional wide thai smile, where they smile with their eyes as well as their mouths.

He explained it was the usual thai style 2 For 1 deal and here was my 2nd Free Bottle that I had overlooked. I would never have known. He was really chuffed, so of course we Waied each other profusely etc. and he went away a happy man, and so was I.

The name of the game is, Think good, do good, speak good. it is still a basic Thai trait. You wont go far wrong.

[Duciboy]

When I was leaving Bangkok I left my bag (containing 2 x digital cameras, 1 x digital video camera, 2 x ipods, 2 x mobile phones and a Toshiba notebook) on the airport trolley. My wife was furious, only because of the pictures. I went looking through the airport once I realized I stuffed up and thought the items have long gone. I heard someone yelling behind me and when I turned around this young Thai girl was running towards me with my bag. I don't know how she knew it was mine, but everything was there. I had 5,5000Bht left in my wallet - kept 500Bht for a bite to eat and gave the girl 5,000Bht. As it turned out she was the trolley collector at the airport. She started to cry when I gave her the money and had to insist she keep it, I was grateful to her.

[Shotime]

When I was leaving Bangkok I left my bag (containing 2 x digital cameras, 1 x digital video camera, 2 x ipods, 2 x mobile phones and a Toshiba notebook) on the airport trolley. My wife was furious, only because of the pictures. I went looking through the airport once I realized I stuffed up and thought the items have long gone. I heard someone yelling behind me and when I turned around this young Thai girl was running towards me with my bag. I don't know how she knew it was mine, but everything was there. I had 5,5000Bht left in my wallet - kept 500Bht for a bite to eat and gave the girl 5,000Bht. As it turned out she was the trolley collector at the airport. She started to cry when I gave her the money and had to insist she keep it, I was grateful to her.

You did a very decent thing by rewarding her for her actions, but 5K baht can sometimes give a different message than you intended. I probably would have done something similar, but not that much. In any case, I hope that comes back on you in many good ways.

Edited June 13, 2009 by Shotime

[Treborz]

My passport fell out my shorts side pocket when i was pulling my wallet out, in the departure lounge of the old bangkok airport. I wouldnt have known had a woman walking behind me not seen it and ran after me with it.

Not sure what i would have done on my return to UK when if i didnt have my passport on me!

[Jonmakmak]

Good story! Lucky you got your wallet back really.

I expect the nice Thai who found it saw the 23k baht you carried around with you and thought you were completly 'baa' so took pity on you!

One time my wife and I got the wrong bus from Krabi while we were travelling around the south so we had to get off the bus miles away from the bus station or we would of ended back in Phuket where we just come from.

We stood on the side of the road with our thumb out (not recommended thing to do really). A pick up truck came and gave us a lift and offered to take us right to the bus station even though it was out of his way. He refused any money offered but I made my wife give him something for his kindness.

Another time my wife and I were exploring Bang Saphan and ban krut on a moped and we were riding down a main road and spotted a BIG building (wooded Hut) just off the road half-full of pinapple. We went over and asked 'how much'. The Thai man and women gave us a pinapple free! I asked why they didn't want anything (unusual i thought) and they said they sold so many pinapples already today that they had enough money.

Just shows that away from the tourist areas not ALL Thai are greedy.