Funny/Weird Things that have happened to you in Chiang Rai?

[pomchop]

Funny/weird things that have happened to me in Chiang Rai:

1. Having lunch in some little hole in the wall noodle shop one day with a few Thai friends. I picked up the bill for three of us which was something like 96 baht. I left the change, four one baht ,coins on the table as a tip. Get out to my car ready to drive off when the waitress comes running up to my window to give me the four baht...thai friends explained she thought i had forgot to pick up my change.. she apparently couldn't quite believe someone actually left them a tip.

2. Go to CR driver's license place to get proper Thai license. Gal behind counter wants my passport, other docs and USA drivers license. When i hand it all to her she looks at it says "moment" and disappears behind the counter . I am of course thinking some problem that i dont' have right papers or whatever. But she comes back dragging one of her co workers with her....."she like go America with you" was the introduction. I guess they had been sitting there for months/years waiting for some American guy to show up.

3. Upon return to CR one year called True Vision to come to my house to turn the TV satellite back on again. Three guys show up and start removing the satellite dish.....I am thinking ok maybe they have some new one or something...but then they go into my house and start removing the box which seemed strange to me. After a few minutes finally figured out they were there to disconnect it all....never mind that it had been disconnected six months before. In spite of my best efforts in Thai it took an hour or so of telephone calls for them to finally figure out I wanted it turned on. Might have thought that they would know it was already turned off but ....no... Eventually sorted out and on it went.

4. Several years ago was riding the long tailed boat from Tha Ton to CR. The boat was full with ten or so tourists. Within a few minutes from pulling away from the pier our driver pulls out a bottle of Thai whiskey and starts sucking it down. Less than an hour later as we shoot down the river he is drunk as a skunk and singing loudly in Thai and truly scaring the crap out of all of us as he dodged rocks and logs. Few minutes later he pulls over to a semi grassy bank, ties the boat up and proceeds to lie down on the bank and go to sleep. But fear not...in true Thai style within thirty minutes another guy comes along in an almost empty boat, sizes up the situation, loads us all into his boat and delivers us to Chiang Rai...no extra charge of course. Always wonder what the original driver thought when he came to and all his passengers were gone?

5. When i first moved into my house I used to do a daily walk down a dirt road to the river. Immediately i developed an entourage of four or five local kids 5-10 years old who would follow me at a "safe" distance as I doubt they had ever seen a farang up close. One day I stopped and called them to me, took off the earphones of my mp3 player and put one ear phone in one ear of two kids...song playing was something like "disco inferno"..the two kids immediately break into dancing and giggles. Thai kids have got to be the cutest.


6. Shopping in afternoon market one day from the aka bunch that spreads their stuff on the sidewalk. Bought some veggies from a gal who kept saying something to me that i couldn't understand.....she makes motion for me to wait and walks up the street....comes back with a gal in tow who she wants to introduce to me. "Only in Thailand" i think can i go to buy some vegetables and have some vendor try and fix me up with her sister/cousin/friend.

7. Riding the "refugee" local bus from mae sai back to Chiang Rai one day and as usual am the only farang on the bus. Sitting by the window with a hilltribe looking guy sitting beside me. At the checkpoint for some reason only one cop boarded at the front entrance to start checking papers. As he is coming down the aisle the guy beside me and his buddy jump up and run out the back exit of the bus and take off out into the jungle. Immediately several of the cops hanging around take off in wild pursuit. Meantime the bus driver just drives off like it happens everyday.

[brianmarinus]

When my friend Carsten was at the public hospital and we was there to see him 2-3 times a day-I went just outside the room-a big 30 mans room,as there was a water cooler and a fan out there.

After 2 min my wife came out to and a litle girl-guess around 9 yers old.She went down the stair and for each step she looked at me ans shout-hello and I said hello to her,almost down she came back up again and start talking...in english - I was amazed,and she told us every single word she could say in english, actually alot.

She looked at my tattoos and told my wife she would have one to,on -I love you...such a cute and funny girl...never stop talking.

She stayed around us-also when we went back to my friend,almost an hour or so.

We had to go and shop a bit and went home - talked about this cute girl and how good she was to speak english.

A couple of days later..I did not forget the litle girl-could not get her out of my mind - there was something about her.

One day sitting infront of my computer my wifes phone rang and after a while I thought-what is this...not an ordinary call...something was wrong.

It was Jeannie - the litle girl from the hospital.

She told my wife that her parents was devorced and she lived whit her father in Chiang Mai and had a bad time-her father diddent have any money to the school-yah,hardly to food every day.

She had thought about us,liked us and now figured out that she could come and live whit us....my wife tryed to explain her that it was a big thing and maby not so easy just to do.

We talke alot about it but she diddent call back - her mother did after a week or so.

We met her at the hospital that day and jeannie had told her about her call.

She wanted to do what she think would be the best for jeannie and if so it would be more then ok for her if we could help and have jeannie until she was able to take care of her.

That was a tuff one and we explained that we had to think and talk -alot about this first.

My wife and jeannie mother had several phone calls the next month or so....then it stopped and we never heard from any of them since.

Both my wife and I have since thought alot about it...what happend...where is she - and is she ok.

Moving a couple of times and lost the phone nr.so no chance to get in tuch.

Yesterday I found her nr. and my wife try to call her,but no answer - but now she have my wifes new nr.

Many would say - forget it,it is nothing or a try to scam -I dont think so and cant get it out of my system -just want to know that this litle girl,who took us by storm ,that she is ok today.

This happend 4 years ago.

[billaaa777]

Having lunch in some little hole in the wall noodle shop one day with a few Thai friends. I picked up the bill for three of us which was something like 96 baht. I left the change, four one baht ,coins on the table as a tip. Get out to my car ready to drive off when the waitress comes running up to my window to give me the four baht...thai friends explained she thought i had forgot to pick up my change.. she apparently couldn't quite believe someone actually left them a tip.

Or, she thought your tip was so insulting, that you needed the 4 Baht more than she did.

[Paul888]

Having lunch in some little hole in the wall noodle shop one day with a few Thai friends. I picked up the bill for three of us which was something like 96 baht. I left the change, four one baht ,coins on the table as a tip. Get out to my car ready to drive off when the waitress comes running up to my window to give me the four baht...thai friends explained she thought i had forgot to pick up my change.. she apparently couldn't quite believe someone actually left them a tip.

Or, she thought your tip was so insulting, that you needed the 4 Baht more than she did.

Sorry pomchop, I agree with this. Leave a decent tip or don't tip.

[onthedarkside]

Or, she thought your tip was so insulting, that you needed the 4 Baht more than she did.

Sorry pomchop, I agree with this. Leave a decent tip or don't tip.

ํำYes, I agree too. Sorry pomchop. Many years ago when I was quite new in Thailand I left the few baht change from the meal on the table. My wife (maybe g/f then) scolded me and told me to pick it up and not insult the waitress.

[pomchop]

Having lunch in some little hole in the wall noodle shop one day with a few Thai friends. I picked up the bill for three of us which was something like 96 baht. I left the change, four one baht ,coins on the table as a tip. Get out to my car ready to drive off when the waitress comes running up to my window to give me the four baht...thai friends explained she thought i had forgot to pick up my change.. she apparently couldn't quite believe someone actually left them a tip.

Or, she thought your tip was so insulting, that you needed the 4 Baht more than she did.

with respect you are wrong.....I tried to leave more and my thai friends said no that just leave the change is plenty....and somehow I suspect that they know more about it then we farangs do.....

[pomchop]

Having lunch in some little hole in the wall noodle shop one day with a few Thai friends. I picked up the bill for three of us which was something like 96 baht. I left the change, four one baht ,coins on the table as a tip. Get out to my car ready to drive off when the waitress comes running up to my window to give me the four baht...thai friends explained she thought i had forgot to pick up my change.. she apparently couldn't quite believe someone actually left them a tip.

Or, she thought your tip was so insulting, that you needed the 4 Baht more than she did.

Sorry pomchop, I agree with this. Leave a decent tip or don't tip.

So much for trying to post some funny things....and getting criticized for not tipping more......perhaps if some of you had been there you would have known that the "restaurant" was set up so you went up to the counter and ordered and picked up your own bowl of noddles and took it to a table yourself where you sat down and ate it...you paid at the counter as well.....the TIP that I left was simply for the person who had to pick up the dirty dishes after we ate....

All of you big tippers of course are welcome to leave whatever you want and I apologize if my meager little 4 baht did not meet your high standards.....

[scorpio1945]

Excellent post OP and interesting also. Sorry about the knee jerk tip comments.

Sent from my GT-P5113 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[villagefarang]

While there are times when a miserly tip may be frowned upon, equally there are occasions where any tip would be viewed as inappropriate. When it comes to tipping, in my opinion, one size does not fit all.

We weren’t there.

[villagefarang]

While out on the bike, I usually stop once or twice to refill my water bottle. I stop at some roadside shop and head for the big plastic ice chest. After filling my container with ice, I then pour a bottle of cold water over the ice and replace the top.

I finish off the water left in the bottle and hand over ten baht. I think they would be within their rights to keep the full ten baht, to cover the cost of the ice, but inevitably they take great pride in counting out three baht change.

I view this ritual as a gesture of generosity on their part, which I would not want to take away from them, by refusing the change. Lots of smiles, a little small talk about where I live and where I have been that day, perhaps a quick glance at a few images on the camera and I am rested and ready to go.

Not really weird or funny, but an observation of life here in the Rai.

[Tomtomtom69]

Come on, how many Thais haven't seen a "farang" before. They all have as there are "farangs" plenty in this country, including Chiang Rai - even the smallest villages I have visited have "farang" residents and my presence in these places no longer provokes any reaction anymore, unlike 10+ years ago perhaps. More likely the kids were interested in getting to know the new "farang" and wanted to watch his reactions to their games.

Anyway, in my experience many of these funny incidents you describe wouldn't have happened if you could speak more Thai. Getting by in Thailand outside of the major cities in English is a struggle and things never go very smoothly unless you speak fluent Thai. Fortunately, I can hence I don't experience these kinds of incidents that you have described, but they are funny nonetheless, I'll give you that!

[Tomtomtom69]

Having lunch in some little hole in the wall noodle shop one day with a few Thai friends. I picked up the bill for three of us which was something like 96 baht. I left the change, four one baht ,coins on the table as a tip. Get out to my car ready to drive off when the waitress comes running up to my window to give me the four baht...thai friends explained she thought i had forgot to pick up my change.. she apparently couldn't quite believe someone actually left them a tip.

Or, she thought your tip was so insulting, that you needed the 4 Baht more than she did.

Sorry pomchop, I agree with this. Leave a decent tip or don't tip.

So much for trying to post some funny things....and getting criticized for not tipping more......perhaps if some of you had been there you would have known that the "restaurant" was set up so you went up to the counter and ordered and picked up your own bowl of noddles and took it to a table yourself where you sat down and ate it...you paid at the counter as well.....the TIP that I left was simply for the person who had to pick up the dirty dishes after we ate....

All of you big tippers of course are welcome to leave whatever you want and I apologize if my meager little 4 baht did not meet your high standards.....

Who tips for a 96 Baht meal? You have to actually go to a decent restaurant and spend like 300-400+ Baht per meal, like you would in Bangkok to start leaving a tip. A 4 Baht tip on a 96 Baht noodle meal in a no-name "restaurant" is just weird - nobody does it.

[AnotherOneAmerican]

1. Having lunch in some little hole in the wall noodle shop one day with a few Thai friends. I picked up the bill for three of us which was something like 96 baht. I left the change, four one baht ,coins on the table as a tip. Get out to my car ready to drive off when the waitress comes running up to my window to give me the four baht...thai friends explained she thought i had forgot to pick up my change.. she apparently couldn't quite believe someone actually left them a tip.

Don't tip at stalls

2. Go to CR driver's license place to get proper Thai license. Gal behind counter wants my passport, other docs and USA drivers license. When i hand it all to her she looks at it says "moment" and disappears behind the counter . I am of course thinking some problem that i dont' have right papers or whatever. But she comes back dragging one of her co workers with her....."she like go America with you" was the introduction. I guess they had been sitting there for months/years waiting for some American guy to show up.

aka looking for a 'customer'.

6. Shopping in afternoon market one day from the aka bunch that spreads their stuff on the sidewalk. Bought some veggies from a gal who kept saying something to me that i couldn't understand.....she makes motion for me to wait and walks up the street....comes back with a gal in tow who she wants to introduce to me. "Only in Thailand" i think can i go to buy some vegetables and have some vendor try and fix me up with her sister/cousin/friend.

another 'customer situation'.

Always amazed when foreign guys don't understand who is, and who isn't a hooker.

Still fun post OP, thanks.

[Will27]

It's no wonder people are reluctant to post in "our" little subforum here in CR.

One of the more positive posters here decides to post some of his anecdotes

and he gets grief over it.

I would've, and do the same when it comes to loose change. For me it's just a case

of not wanting to carry around a pocket full of coins.

Edited July 5, 2013 by Will27

[harrry]

If someone is too proud to accept 4 baht so be it. I will keep it. She was probably just being nice anyway and thought he forget it. I probably would have said thanks, you keep it when she bought it back.

Of course we probably have a lot of people who were waiters and similar back in the USA here lording it up and they think that they would never have accepted a tip like that.

[Paul888]

Person A says something is weird, person B suggests a possible reason why it is not weird. Two others agree with person B, which upsets person A and then all person A's friends come running into "defend" him.

Remind anybody of school?

THIS in a nutshell is the problem with this forum.

Too many people post in support or against the poster not necessarily the post or the point.

[pomchop]

It's no wonder people are reluctant to post in "our" little subforum here in CR.

One of the more positive posters here decides to post some of his anecdotes

and he gets grief over it.

I would've, and do the same when it comes to loose change. For me it's just a case

of not wanting to carry around a pocket full of coins.

Thanks. The idea of the post was to hopefully get some others to share some stories of funny/strange things that they have experienced in Chiang Rai. Apparently there are a few that read a post looking for something they can attack or lecture upon what REALLY happened. So to sum it up I am a jerk for leaving a few baht, all thai girls are hookers, and if I spoke fluent thai nothing funny would ever happen to me.

Meantime. Hopefully some others will tell a few funny stories.

[tingtongfarang]

1. Having lunch in some little hole in the wall noodle shop one day with a few Thai friends. I picked up the bill for three of us which was something like 96 baht. I left the change, four one baht ,coins on the table as a tip. Get out to my car ready to drive off when the waitress comes running up to my window to give me the four baht...thai friends explained she thought i had forgot to pick up my change.. she apparently couldn't quite believe someone actually left them a tip.

Don't tip at stalls

2. Go to CR driver's license place to get proper Thai license. Gal behind counter wants my passport, other docs and USA drivers license. When i hand it all to her she looks at it says "moment" and disappears behind the counter . I am of course thinking some problem that i dont' have right papers or whatever. But she comes back dragging one of her co workers with her....."she like go America with you" was the introduction. I guess they had been sitting there for months/years waiting for some American guy to show up.

aka looking for a 'customer'.

6. Shopping in afternoon market one day from the aka bunch that spreads their stuff on the sidewalk. Bought some veggies from a gal who kept saying something to me that i couldn't understand.....she makes motion for me to wait and walks up the street....comes back with a gal in tow who she wants to introduce to me. "Only in Thailand" i think can i go to buy some vegetables and have some vendor try and fix me up with her sister/cousin/friend.

another 'customer situation'.

Always amazed when foreign guys don't understand who is, and who isn't a hooker.

Still fun post OP, thanks.

Stealth hookers? they are everywhere

[tingtongfarang]

It's no wonder people are reluctant to post in "our" little subforum here in CR.

One of the more positive posters here decides to post some of his anecdotes

and he gets grief over it.

I would've, and do the same when it comes to loose change. For me it's just a case

of not wanting to carry around a pocket full of coins.

I use the loose change for other things i need it for...i leave the tipping to the americans,

But i agree on the grief part.