Ripleys

[Guest IT Manager]

<font color='#000000'>I do not want to get a reputation for posts which give an improper, some might say, overly positive view of Thailand. However, the following happened to me at 2.45 PM today.

We have just built a room for an extra bedroom/office, wioth wireless network etc. last night the door fell off. So I needed to buy longer adn stronger screws.

In Sridonchai Rd there are a number of quite good hardware shops, so I went into one and bought 24 plated steel screws. They were 1 baht each.

I gave the man 100 baht, then thought I might have the 4 baht, so I looked and found a 5 baht coin which I gave him. He gave me 80 baht in notes, then without thinking, I left.

I went out, got on the chariot of light (Honda Dream), and left. About 20 metres later I looked in my mirror, prior to changing lanes, and the shop assistant was chasing me.

I pulled over, thinking I had done something wrong.

He handed me one single baht.

I don't want any more grief about dishonesty. I will put his telephone number and address up as soon as I can get my jaw off the pavement. I know it isn't typical, but I sure do feel good about the decisions I have made not to bag the Thais any longer, and look for the good first, and ignore the shitty bits when I see them.</font>

[SeaVisionBurma]

Nice one IT,

I got to Don Muang once, running late, raced in to check in, hit the counter - and asked the girl to make sure my miles were put on my flight.  She said "give me your member card"

"Sure, here it is here in my - FARK - where is my wallet?".  Suddenly I am gripped by that nauseous hot-cold feeling of panic and despair as I realize my farking wallet is probably on the floor of the taxi.

Moments later the taxi driver who brought me (and who I had seen drive off as I was running into the terminal) bolted up looking flustered, with 2 security guards furiously chasing him.  He had left the airport, noticed the wallet on the floor, and done a U-turn and hot-footed it back to the departure terminal.

Apparently he left his car door open and his engine running, and ignored every request by the driveway security nerds to move his car.  As we had been chatting on the way in, he knew I was flying to "Yangoon, Bamar", so he checked the boards until he found my row.  Had we not talked, he might never have found me!

He would not accept a tip until the check-in chick helped me convince him to take it.

What a clever little vegemite he was.

I got well drunk on the flight in his honour.  

[Nat]

I have a thai friend who manages a bar and most nights a drunk farang will leave their wallet or bag. He has a huge collection which he's accumulated over the years and has never gone through them as he hopes one day the owners will reclaim them. One night a drunk farang female left her bag at the bar - he placed it behind the bar for safe keeping. When she realised that her bag was missing (quite some time later) she returned and started accusing him of being a thief and made quite a scene. This was really upsetting to see and was shocked at how distrusting (and ungrateful) some people can be. So IT and SVB it's nice to hear you guys appreciate it  

[stumonster]

I was getting on to the bus in saphan mai in a hurry, when the load I was carrying knocked my tobacco pouch out of my pocket, i looked out of the window and saw a thai man running after the bus waving it at me, I shouted yuut at the bus driver, but I understand because of the police there he could not stop until the next stop. At the next bus stop I got off the bus and jogged back to the last stop ( am sure many thais were thinking fareng ba, as this was 4pm in the afternoon ). when I got there a woman told me that it had been given to the traffic policeman, whom I followed around until he had moved on a fair few cars and motocyclists. I had my aust drivers licence in my pouch for identification purposes as I did not want to be carrying my passport around, so the policeman looked at the picture on it and returned it too me.. I was quite grateful to the honesty I encountered...there is no shortage of genuine people in thailand.

[Begs]

First time i ever came to Thailand i was drinking for a few days, not eating, no water e.t.c. , well, i arrived on a friday, Sunday i was in Bumrumgrad Hospital, when i arrived i was really dehydrated, i was really ill.Then they asked how was i going to pay......panic stations .i had no money on me, i was thinking i was going to die, i wanted an injection to calm me down,.........i had left my money in the room at the guest house in Soi 13....I had met a girl the day before in Soi Cowboy..she was with me at the Hospital....i was new in Thailand, so, i asked her to go back to the room and get some money.....in the room i had 1000 pounds travellers cheques, 500 pounds cash, expensive camera, credit cards,Gold ring, Gold chain, passport, atm e.t.c. .....i did not even know her name...she came back 20 minutes later, with money to pay for the hospital, she had put the rest of my valuables with the owner of the guest house who had a safe downstairs...she could have took the lot...never did one baht go missing, that was back in 1990, that was a lot of money then...As i have said on another thread, the only people to cheat me in Thailand in 13 years have been fellow Farangs.

[Guest IT Manager]

I am starting to like positive postings. A lot.

[GlenTuk]

Tok long with ######,

Here is my experience,

Caught a bus to Pak Chong with Khun Wifey and our boy, Being tired and slightly hung over i left a bag at the bus station with my forking passport some cash and a digital camera, And just like SVB when i realised i didn't have my bag i felt that instantaneous panic, the same kind of panic you get if you got your hand or head trapped in something and your were underwater with no B.A...!!! umm maybe thats to vivid err anyway i digress,Upon running down the hotel stairs to reception i almost ran into a chap from the bus station who was trying to sell us a trekking tour in the jungle "I take you to waterfor fwom da moovee da beach same same in the movie"etcetera, anyway this chap was brandishing my bag "you bag you bag" he said and proceeded to hand it over

with everything in it !!!! He'd followed us on foot from the Bus station where i had left it.

And yes of course you guessed it the very next day we were trekking in the Jungle with this chap and we paid him well as a thankyou.  

::  

[jjrbus]

Many years from now in a world far away, a man was traveling the country seeking his fortune, walking from village to village.

He came to a place in the road where a wizened mature village woman sat, He stoped and asked what the people in the next village were like? The woman looked at him and asked how he found the people in the village he came from were? He replied that they were liar's and cheats, drunkards, and just all around bad people. The woman smilled and said that was how he would find the people in this village.

Some time later another traveler came upon the woman, and asked her what the people in the village were like. She asked him what the people in his village were like. He replied they were a wonderful sort, honest and happy, friendly and helpful, like a village made up of family.

Tha mature woman smiled, and said that is how you will find the people in this village.

I love this little story, it is as you belive it is, If I remember correctly it is the Buddhists, that belive we create our own reality.

Just for the heck of it try being nice to somebody, what goes around comes around

                                  Jim

[paoa]

Last year, during Songkran, I was in Pattaya. I took the "taxi" for some distance. The fare was 10 Baht. I only had a 20 Baht bill and gave it to the driver for change. He had no change, but stated my next ride was free. Sure! I really believed him. It was not a great amount, so I chalked it up to the cost of doing business in Thailand. Anyway, 3 days later, to my surprise as I was walking along the Beach Road, this driver came up and said " where do you want to go? I owe you a ride." It blew me away. Yes, there are (many) honest Thai merchants and business people. One more reason why I keep returning to LOS!

[shemmy]

there's all kinds,,,,,,,,,,,,here's what happened to me last oct.I went to koa san rd at approx. 8 pm to cash some travelers check and see a friend for a drink about 10pm I was waiting for the bus home out side near the dem. monument.I was sitting alone on one of the benches when a nicely dressed thai man sat down beside me,there where a few people around.The man turned to me and asked the time at the same time his patner standing behind me slipped a wire garrot over my head.I must have seen it out of the corner of my eye because I was able to get part of my hand between the wire and my throat.The man sitting beside me reached over with a box cutter and cut my fanny poach and started running just as the man chocking me realeased me.I persude the man with my wallet for about 50 meters untill he jumped on the back of a motorbike guy waiting for him.Half my ear was ripped off by the wire and I was bleeding badly.I was suprised that no one had done anything but watch.I went to the police station at the end of Koa san rd. and the police took me to the hospital ,they where quite helpful and told me that I had probably been watched since I cashes the checks a the latenight place in the middle of the soi,they also told me I was lucky that I hadn't caught the theif as hewas probably the suspect who had knifed two other falangs......................ahhhh what the yaba has done

[dr_Pat_Pong]

Shemmy's experience was terrible, but the other postings were very positive indeed. A B I G thank you for sharing your experiences with us all

[chuang]

It's nice once a while we hear stories of wonderful people...

[ThaiAdventure]

the only people to cheat me in Thailand in 13 years have been fellow Farangs.

I agree entirely with that.

My story isn't quite as colourful as some of the others but I do think it is worth a mention.

I was in Pattaya last June (lovely and quite) and decided to hire a tonking great motorbike for 3 days. After uming and ahing (chopper or meaty beast) I opted for a meaty beast and went back to the hotel to shower and change. that evening I took the missus for a ride out and about and retired to bed ready for a picnic the next day.

The next morning I came out to the bike which had strangely changed colour from Yellow to purple! The key didn't work either. I phoned the people who had hired me the bike and they said they would be around in a minute and Yes it was my bike.

This poor chap (completely out of breath) came running to me and explained that he had seen the bike during the night and it had an oil leak around the head gasket (I was tanking it a bit). He asked me to check my trousers from last night and if there were any oil marks he would pay for the cleaning and sorry it's not the colour I wanted please have the last day at no no charge.

You don't get that sort of service from Hetz!

(Oh and I did pay him for the last day!)

[Begs]

Some years ago 3 of us Farangs headed off from Pattaya on 3 Honda Magna 750cc Motorcycles, we was going to end up in Nong Khai. We stopped in Pethchabun city, one guy was having problems with his bike, he had a rental. Not much we could do about it.

We was having our Bikes washed in a gas station, when i spotted 2 Honda Magna's passing by, i waved at them , these bikes came back, pulled into the gas station and the guys got off, they was Thai Guys from Petchabun, early 20's, they could talk some English, well long story short, they took the guy that was having problems to thier house, which was a Big house with 2-3 cars in the drive, done repairs on his bike, fed him, and gave him a drink. Never was money mentioned. These guys came back to where we was staying, invited us to Join them, well we went out with them , we went to some karaoke bar, where it became obvious they was from an influential family............but we had a great time with these people, we went to a disco and danced around with thier girlfriends too, all taken in good heart. These guys even paid thier share of the tables Bill at thier insistence........ they was good guys.

Never was money ever an issue, they was genuine, real ,friendly, helpful people

[stumonster]

this is my second post on this thread, and I am going to swing to the other extreme.

back in september, a petite young thai friend walked out of a bank near sukhumvit soi 93 at two oclock in the afternoon and was grabbed from behind by the arm and relieved of a thin gold necklace, thin gold bracelet and mobile phone. Nobody tried to intervene on her behalf, and when I suggested reporting it to the police i was told that it would cost 2000 baht to lodge the report and nothing would be done about it anyway.

on thurday, just gone, another thai lady, at about 1 oclock in the afternoon on the main road from saphan mai toward nakon nayok turnoff ( outside the eastern edge of the airforce base ), was leaving an atm, when she was punched in the back of the head and the money she had just withdrawn was wrestled from her. Again nobody came to her assistance.

why are these broad daylight muggings increasing?

[Begs]

Maybe they are following western trends

[stumonster]

yes begs, though western trends would suggest they target old ladies on pension day.

drugs is the issue....and amphetimines more to the point.

even policing western style does not seem to be the total solution.

dunno?

[D80]

I've got some good & bad experience as well. I'll just tell my good stories for now.

As I've said before, one thing that really annoys me is that whenever I went shopping in Thai markets with my husband, I often get 'farang price'!!

Well, I went to a market in Chiang Mai, and the guy selling Pad Thai didn't overcharged me one bit. He also gave us a bigger portion saying, 'your husband is pretty big/tall, small portion won't fill him up!'. We then tried to pay for the 'special portion' but he refused to take any extra money. He was very sweet and sat & talked to us for ages.

When I was at school in Thailand, I was walking home one day with all these musical instruments. Because of the heat, I was feeling unwell and was about to faint. An old Thai lady noticed and help me to a seat at a bus stop. Some other Thais then went over to food stalls to fectch me cold water and some give me Ya Dom (sort of like ammonia in the west). The old lady waited around until she was satisfied that I got better although the buses she was waiting for had come and gone a few times. They were really sweet.