Thailand - Land Of Smiles Or Tourist Trap?

[IAMSOBAD]

Nothing is being done about Taxi Mafia...

Baht Bus Rip offs...Drunk Bus Driver Accidents.. Rude Customer Service and Criminal Activity by JET SKI MAD MEN.

THAI CULTURE IS LOOK THE OTHER WAY...and take Your Cut!

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[Crazy chef 1]

I also spent some time in Bosnia in the 90's for work...that was Hellon Earth

back then too...snipers taking pot shots with fatal results ain't really my

idea of workplace safety....LOS of today is still much better in comparison. I has been one of the snipers there- and we just did what we had to do....not on the Serbian/Bosnian side

[Whidbeyboy]

I say that because where ever I have traveled, the places that were the worst and where I was treated the owrst is the tourist areas. Tourist can really mess up a nice place. Especially, the ugly Americans (or ugly what ever country your from), since you spend half your time trying to convince people your not a creep. Those places where tourist haven't been and acted like drunk dicks or worse, are the places I love to be and have always found the best people. I know not all tourist are dicks, but you just have to spend time seeing how people in groups act when drunk to know what I mean.

[hellodolly]

Thailand land of scams liars cheats and theives, home of poluted beaches covered in deck chairs and filth plenty of better places to go in the world

Pretty mouthy for a person who won't say where they live how old are they or what there sex is.

Have you ever been to Thailand and looked around it. If you don't like beach chairs go to another beach. If you don't like polluted waters go t the North or South Pole clean water and no beach chairs. Come to Thailand and get out of the tourist areas. They are the same the world over. None of them give you an idea of what the real country is like.

It is nice to have your feet firmly plated but try it o the ground in stead of mid air.

[Arkady]

Thailand sold its soul a long time ago, sure many people are happy to come or live here and enjoy it ...but sadly they are oblivious to the real truth of Thais....bottom line Zenophobic Corrupt Racists

I use Thailand just as they Use me, and when I no longer get what i want I will be gone with NO regrets

"Zenophobic" LOL

[Whidbeyboy]

The key to living in Thailand is to stay away from all the blatant tourist places, scams, and criminal activity. Enjoy the village life, the food, etc. I have seen a definite bit by bit deteriation since 1972 of the Thailand it used to be. The culture is also starting to decline in importance to many Thais too.

Want it rolled, stick to the tourist areas (traps). Want to enjoy Thailand stick to other areas of Thailand. There is a big difference between the slicksters of the city and the hard working farmers in the village.

And BINGO was his name. My thoughts exactly. The people in Frances countryside would take the shirt of thier back for us, but the city folk? Jerks.

[hellodolly]

"The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) think numbers are going up so people must like it here, but the problem is the quality of their visit has gone down,"

He's got it in one. They keep on coming in greater numbers. So what's the problem?

It's a top down approach of ordered chaos directed by government officials who are all on the take from the PM down to the bent bobbies on the beat. They create a wonderful edgy atmosphere that tourists love. You never know when a knife is going to explode into your guts over a dispute about 20 baht or when you will be clubbed off your motorbike by a gang of billy club wielding 14 year olds who need your wallet and your phone.

Was that last paragraph about Seattle Washington?

[sunshine51]

I also spent some time in Bosnia in the 90's for work...that was Hellon Earth

back then too...snipers taking pot shots with fatal results ain't really my

idea of workplace safety....LOS of today is still much better in comparison. I has been one of the snipers there- and we just did what we had to do....not on the Serbian/Bosnian side

I was a TV cameraman there...hey I understand...we both had jobs to do.

No hard feelings OK?

[moe666]

The post to this thread are just full of fun and up lifting words

[jingjoe8]

My friends love thailand,they stop off in phuket every year on the way back from england to oz,

stay in a fivestar hotel,sit around the pool all day,drink chang and eat pad thai goong.

Shop for fake diesel shirts and billabong shorts and rave about how they love the thai way of life and how its good for their children to experience other cultures!!!!!!

Edited July 23, 2012 by jingjoe8

[moe666]

serial sex with beautiful young Thai women;

I kinda enjoy it.

Makes my day

[Arkady]

Bit of history first...back in 1983 sitting on Patong Beach having just

drove drown from BKK I was reading vol 1 of Hitchikers Guide to the

Galaxy and laughing so hard that the BIB in their Japanese p/u truck

stopped and this one copper came up to me and asked me...in very

good Thailish...."You OK?" Laughing hysterically I replied something

like "Yeah...it's the book" He had a look...smiled...then returned to the

little Japanese p/u truck and he & his buddy drove off....laughtng about

as hard as I was. Back then the BIB's trucks were the same colour

they are today basic off white with brown on em...FYI that.

Back then there was no ATM on/in Patong...if one needed money one

hopefully brought with them enough dosh to last em through their Non

Imm "O" visa (90 days). Or you came over for a short stay, opened a

bank account, had some fun, left again and returned with the facilities

in hand to have ones bank abroad TT money to ones Thai bank on

a regular basis...say monthly...along with an "O" visa.

If one ran outta money...one ran outta money....that was that. Then one

usually left somehow...Times were tough back then. But the girls were

friendly, the food was good, the beach uncrowded etc...etc. Yes there

were scams...mainly jeep and motorbike scams in Patong and they

were usually nothing more than a nuisance. Admittedly I had one

problem so I bought the Suzuki RM400 Enduro bike, had it fixed

and continued having fun. Sold it when I left to a nice lad who liked

to do wheelies along Patong Beach Road.

As the years went by things changed and so have I. I left Phuket when

Club Med came to the island in mid 85. Returned for a while in the mid

90's and left again and returned again in the 21st century. I wasn't all

that shocked to see what a once idyllic tropical island with a nice bunch

of beaches turned into...I was expecting worse. Heck...I remember

Northern Mexico as a neat place to holiday and Baja a neat place to go surfing....look at what that place has turned into today...utter Hell on

Earth for everybody there. So to me LOS ain't that bad.

I also spent some time in Bosnia in the 90's for work...that was Hell

on Earth back then too...snipers taking pot shots with fatal results ain't

really my idea of workplace safety....LOS of today is still much better in comparison.

OK enough...been there...chewed that...threw most of it up while the remainders stayed down...learned some stuff..taught some stuff...and

realised an old military habit still stands the test of time...

Situational Awareness.

Stay aware...stay safe...the world still turns...people are born...people

die. Things will change...can't avoid that.

But Jawnie...do you burp the worm a lot?

I think the first beer bars appeared on Bangla about that time. Before that people had to bring their own girls down from Bkk or Pattaya or pick up one hat someone had got bored with and dumped. I don't think there were ATMs in Bkk then either. The first ones only operated in daylight hours because banks feared that thieves would hang around them, if they let them work after dark. Tourists used to bring all their spending money in foreign currency cash or travellers cheques and the foreign exchange booths did good business. When the last time you bought a travellers' cheque?

[rbekeno]

Thailand land of scams liars cheats and theives, home of poluted beaches covered in deck chairs and filth plenty of better places to go in the world

I have only one question...with your statement....If you're here in LOS...why are you here?

If you don't like it, airports are close with planes leaving LOS regularly...be on one.

Been living here for 7 years and just stating obvious how long have you been here

[Svengoolie]

Am I the only one who wants to shoot those 2 douchebags in the music video?

[Colabamumbai]

"the quality of their visit has gone down." As has the quality of some visitors coming to Thailand, to commit crimes and or work illegally.

Of course the Thai Government, Police, Immigration etc. should be of more help and offer protection to some degree. The knownThai scammers have to be blacklisted by both the police and the tourists. They have to lose face in their own community, by their own people.

[brianP]

"The Land of Smiles": one of the most successful marketing slogans of all time.

No, the word "Gay" transformed from happy to homo was the marketing slogan of all times.

[sunshine51]

@ Arkady...

AMEX in BKK...BKK Bank...Citibank & HSBC had CC ATM's back then. Yeah...plenty of dosh to lug around or TC's or if one opened a local

bank account a TT and the "waiting period"...hah! What did we do

back then?! Clue...Paid huge bar tabs!

Only place on Patong to use a credit card was the Amari and you

had to spend the night in a very expensive room....and that sucked.

Edited July 23, 2012 by sunshine51

[sunshine51]

"The Land of Smiles": one of the most successful marketing slogans of all time.

No, the word "Gay" transformed from happy to homo was the marketing slogan of all times.

Guess we can no longer say..."We'll have a gay old time" eh Brian!?

[Konini]

I'm in the UK at the moment, and word of all of these 'bad things' are slowly but surely seeping out, even to provisional north east England. Parents (for the first time) expressing concern because they've heard so many 'bad things' in the newspapers or on TV (most of it from a recent repeat of Big Trouble in Tourist Thailand, but not all). Easy to appease them - we live in Chiang Mai, it's not the same up there. A bit like York. I was stuck for words when my uncle said 'That's where all of those people died in the hotel of poisoning or gas or something, isn't it?'. Proved to me that word is getting out.

As for beaches, we lived in Aus for 20 years. If you want a nice beach stay in or go to Australia.

[brianP]

It is a tourist trap if you go to the tourist areas, otherwise it is the Land of Smiles. Go discover the real Thailand?

Well, the "real" Thailand does not have facilities to accomodate the tourists Thailand seeks. Most of those tourists do not want to spend any time in the "real" Thailand as that would necessitate staying in accomodations without beach access, and without the amenities of the typical hotel found in the EU/Aus/North America. Do you really think the tourists would come if they were obliged to sh*t in a hole and use a bum gun etc? The real Thailand includes alot of impoverished regions. What would you like? Bus tours to stare at the poor farmers? How about a visit to a refugee camp where the tourists can take photos with the sick? Perhaps a visit to an Aids hospice to see some of the thousands dying? How about Pattani and Yala? That's part of the "real" Thailand too.

The fact of the matter is that Thailand promotes itself as a beach vacation destination and that's what the majority of tourists want. Do really think the typical visitor in high season is leaving -30C frigid weather to go and hang out in Issan or Chiang Rai with the mosquitos etc? Please don't lose sight of what the majority of tourists want after working all year and saving up for a vacation: They want to relax and sit and get some sun. They want to play golf etc. Parents want a beach that is safe and clean for their kids.

Come to Bangkok, visit Soi Ari instead of Nana & Silom, go to Pranburi instead of Pattaya, to Ao Nang, Krabi instead of Patong, Phuket, visit the area northwest of Chiang Mai, have some amazing days in Mae Hong Son, visit agricultural projects in Pitsanulok. There are hundreds of places around where you can grasp things that are very near to the "real Thailand". Pick a major beach destination and look if you can find a smaller beach 20 Kilometers away from that place. Most of the time you will succeed and will have a relaxed small village where you can enjoy your stay. It is beyond my capacity why people stay by choice in Chaweng when they could have a place in Bo Phut but that's my personal taste where bars aren't a motivation to choose a spot. And the best... all information is available in this palce called "the internet" But that requires you to search, read and not to trust the catalog your travel agents hands to you at home.

In principle you are not prone to scams and rip offs as a tourist as long as you think and consider situations you are in. If you play dumb, then the thugs have an easy target. Be informed once you step into a new country, be aware about culture, people and risks and you will have a wonderful stay in the "land of smiles".

Reason for edit: Typos

Now that's my kind of post!!

[Reasonableman]

I'm in the UK at the moment, and word of all of these 'bad things' are slowly but surely seeping out, even to provisional north east England. Parents (for the first time) expressing concern because they've heard so many 'bad things' in the newspapers or on TV (most of it from a recent repeat of Big Trouble in Tourist Thailand, but not all). Easy to appease them - we live in Chiang Mai, it's not the same up there. A bit like York. I was stuck for words when my uncle said 'That's where all of those people died in the hotel of poisoning or gas or something, isn't it?'. Proved to me that word is getting out.

As for beaches, we lived in Aus for 20 years. If you want a nice beach stay in or go to Australia.

Don't tell everyone, FGS! They'll be all over it like ants at a picnic!

[mca]

Yeah ok cute video, but really I could give a rats behind that some spoiled affluent kids might get there dreams to come true here.....most show up having paid no dues in life to teach them anything, what little they do know is usually some regurgitation of politically correct crap about social responsibility that their lefty college prof. has pounded into their mushy little heads.....they and the world they travel to would be better off if they were home washing dishes and digging ditches to unlearn all the years of crap their schooling has mis-educated them about before they venture overseas.....but hey, thats just me....always the romantic.

You must be a right laugh over a couple of pints.

[NomadJoe]

Arrest them immediately for not having a work permit.

[thaigold]

Pattaya and Kao San Road are about as representative of Thailand as Tijuana or Juarez is to Mexico.

[brianP]

The key to living in Thailand is to stay away from all the blatant tourist places, scams, and criminal activity. Enjoy the village life, the food, etc. I have seen a definite bit by bit deteriation since 1972 of the Thailand it used to be. The culture is also starting to decline in importance to many Thais too.

Want it rolled, stick to the tourist areas (traps). Want to enjoy Thailand stick to other areas of Thailand. There is a big difference between the slicksters of the city and the hard working farmers in the village.

Are you talking about the Thai stick we all rolled in 1972?

[how241]

It is a tourist trap if you go to the tourist areas, otherwise it is the Land of Smiles. Go discover the real Thailand?

+1

[jocko]

I'm in the UK at the moment, and word of all of these 'bad things' are slowly but surely seeping out, even to provisional north east England. Parents (for the first time) expressing concern because they've heard so many 'bad things' in the newspapers or on TV (most of it from a recent repeat of Big Trouble in Tourist Thailand, but not all). Easy to appease them - we live in Chiang Mai, it's not the same up there. A bit like York. I was stuck for words when my uncle said 'That's where all of those people died in the hotel of poisoning or gas or something, isn't it?'. Proved to me that word is getting out.

As for beaches, we lived in Aus for 20 years. If you want a nice beach stay in or go to Australia.

Don't tell everyone, FGS! They'll be all over it like ants at a picnic!

On a lovely Ozzie beach if you need anything EG Deckchair, drink, food, etc take it with you and take a book as you will be bored to tears

Edited July 23, 2012 by jocko

[jocko]

Rush hour on a lovley Ozzie beach

[eek]

Yeah ok cute video, but really I could give a rats behind that some spoiled affluent kids might get there dreams to come true here.....most show up having paid no dues in life to teach them anything, what little they do know is usually some regurgitation of politically correct crap about social responsibility that their lefty college prof. has pounded into their mushy little heads.....they and the world they travel to would be better off if they were home washing dishes and digging ditches to unlearn all the years of crap their schooling has mis-educated them about before they venture overseas.....but hey, thats just me....always the romantic.

Well, chances are they will get a good life lessons from the droaning earfuls of washed-up regurgitated been-there-done-it know-it all speils from the grouches sitting on the barstools.

[jalansanitwong]

In the 13 years ive lived here it would be atleast 10 years since i stayed overnight in a tourist town ie Pattaya ,Hua hin Phuket etc.

The real Thailand has nothing to do with those places which are nothing more than glorified brothels polished up with slick marketing slogans.

Thailand has become a party and sex destination for drunks , junkies and cashed up western bogans expecially Aussies.

These tourist towns are a magnet for criminals from within Thailand and overseas.

Too late to stop it. Thailands beaches are slowly turning to crap. Anyone been to the beach in the top of the gulf lately?? Other countries looking to establish tourism industries will not use Thailand as a model.

Edited July 23, 2012 by jalansanitwong