Chulaporn Dam Zoo

[Tomissan]

Be advised.

The Zoo (using the term lightly as there are only a few deer) near Chulaporn Dam just before the golf course charges 20 baht for Thai's and a whopping 200 baht for farang.

Just another slap in the face since most farang foot the bill for the whole family anyway....

Better note: golf @ 100 baht/day/without caddy. caddy @ 80 baht/round...9 hole, very nice course...

[markt]

Went to Korart Zoo yesterday. 30 B to get in. Nothing saying farangs pay more.

The sign outside was all in Thai, the only difference in prices was during holidays they charge 40 B instead of 30. Oh yeah, kids were 5 B.

[ProfessorFart]

Age old argument I'm afraid. If you don't like it then go somewhere which doesn't double charge. There are plenty of places which don't.

[PREM-R]

I have always thought that it would be better if the Thais advertised the entrance fees thus:

Entry Fee - 200 baht Thai ID card holder 20 baht Children - 5 baht

I know it is only 'window dressing' but somehow the idea of a Thai getting a discount rather than a farang having to pay 10X entry fee seems more paletable to me.

[croftrobin]

Many people seem to have a problem with this. Yet for themselves they will happily spend 200/500 baht on a breakfast /lunch.

Many of these places that charge 10x entrance fee - also have signage around the parks etc - in English and other languages - this costs money. This is always being improved upon in my experience.

Signs have to be repainted - often, in this country - in many places an English speaking guide / or advice is available- on quiet days - when no tourists come - these people's salaries have to be paid.

If you live and work in Thailand then just show your work permit and you will be charged the same as a Thai.

If you are retired or just supporting a thai family then you can obviously afford to pay the extra.

Just pay it and don't complain. At least you wont be charged 10x the price for ice cream, food or drinks.

Have you paid recently to visit a zoo etc in Europe with a family? Ate there?

I doubt for a good day out you would not get much change out of 60 pounds (3600 baht)

At 10x entrance fee its only 200 baht !

MOST IMPORTANTLY

Your extra payment helps subsidise only these places to be open to families to whom can afford 20 baht per adult.

20 BAHT IS CURRENTLY ABOUT AN HOURS WAGE FOR ONE ADULT iIN 90% OF ISSAN.

Many families can not even afford to visit these places even if they want to.

So please, be realistic when you complain.

[thaibites0]

''Have you paid recently to visit a zoo etc in Europe with a family? Ate there?

I doubt for a good day out you would not get much change out of 60 pounds (3600 baht)''

If you did go to the zoo and paid the entrance fee of £8 did the guy behind the kiosk desk tell you that the wife had to pay £80 because she was not 'local'?

[Spaniel]

You should report them to: www.fairprice-thailand.org

[taxexile]

Your extra payment helps subsidise only these places to be open to families to whom can afford 20 baht per adult.

20 BAHT IS CURRENTLY ABOUT AN HOURS WAGE FOR ONE ADULT iIN 90% OF ISSAN.

Many families can not even afford to visit these places even if they want to.

So please, be realistic when you complain.

what utter nonsense.

its not the duty of any tourist/guest/expat/foriegner in this country to subsidise zoo visits for those who cannot afford it. if subsidising was the real reason , then richer thais would be asked to pay more too.

there are many things in life that i can not afford to do , and i dont expect those better off than myself to subsidise me.

[PREM-R]

It is not just a "Thai thing" or even an "Asian thing" check out these snippets:

A new museum has just opened and I'd like you all to come with me and have a look at it. Of course, you'll have to pay twice as much as I do to get in, but I'm sure you won't mind.

What's that? You don't see why you should pay more? Well, the reason is obvious. You see, you are a foreigner, so you must pay more. It's all perfectly logical.

Logical anyway to the con-artists who have just opened the new Mucha Museum in Prague. The Museum, which opened on Thursday, charges an entry fee of 50 Kč for "Czech" and 100Kč for the rest of the human race. Charging foreigners more is unfair pricing, and it is wrong

Airlines:

Discrimination against foreigners is rife in the Indian skies! For example flight from Bangalore to Kolkata on Jet Airways for Indians costs between 4700 and 6940 INR (approx. 105 to 155 USD) but foreigners have to pay 290 USD!

Russia still has a sort of dual-pricing system, according to which foreigners are charged often 3 to 10 times more at theatres, museums or sights than Russian citizens. This price system is a relic from Soviet times when tickets for Russians were said to be subsidised. The entrance fee at the Kremlin for foreigners is 300 Rubles, whereas Russians only pay 70 Rubles. Alternative: If you are with Russian friends then you should them get the tickets for "local" prices. This procedure seems to be quite common ...

[Maigo6]

It is not just a "Thai thing" or even an "Asian thing" check out these snippets:

Well noted Prem.

If you guys drive to a National Park I assume you have a Thai Driving License, show it and you will pay only 20 Baht.

[Rinrada]

It is not just a "Thai thing" or even an "Asian thing" check out these snippets:

Well noted Prem.

If you guys drive to a National Park I assume you have a Thai Driving License, show it and you will pay only 20 Baht.

Spot on advice....

2 weeks ago we (9 of us) headed up to Doi Ithan National park and we all got in for half price ...think 15 bt (incl me-5 year D.L. )

Later on we went over to S.K.P hot springs for a paddle in the water and I got in for FREE....

Great fun and ended up sitting with all the kids (plus mums) with the me old plates dipped in and having a ..free wash in the sulphur wots-it.

They also served nice coffee with almost real milk for 5bt a go...

Then it was up to the Muang Cave....Great place and No tourists.........5 Bt.......Cool.......

[ray23]

I don't really care what they charge but I did see something that I thought was very interesting. The thought that if you were retired or supporting and Issan family that increase in fees would be no problem. In all honesty for me it wouldn't be. I have a friend here working as a teacher he makes about 30K a month. I also know retired people here that have a very difficult time producing the 40k a month to stay here.

I thought it was an interesting assumption that because you qaulify for an annual visa that you have a ton of money, not always the case, especially for those who retired on 1960's money now living in 2006. I beleive that was farrang thinking not Thai thinking.

You might also find that if you retire here, pay for homes and vehicles do all the normal things that people do to live here. You begin thinking of this as home, not a vacation, or an adventure. You begin to feel like a part of the community. It does not always set well to be treated differently like a tourist, maybe thats why a lot of places recognize the drivers license or work permit. They acknowledge that you are a part of Thailand. I know when they do it sure it feel more like my home to me and since that is what I came for, it really is appreciated. It's not always the extra baht guys.

[lampard10]

It is not just a "Thai thing" or even an "Asian thing" check out these snippets:

A new museum has just opened and I'd like you all to come with me and have a look at it. Of course, you'll have to pay twice as much as I do to get in, but I'm sure you won't mind.

What's that? You don't see why you should pay more? Well, the reason is obvious. You see, you are a foreigner, so you must pay more. It's all perfectly logical.

Logical anyway to the con-artists who have just opened the new Mucha Museum in Prague. The Museum, which opened on Thursday, charges an entry fee of 50 Kč for "Czech" and 100Kč for the rest of the human race. Charging foreigners more is unfair pricing, and it is wrong

Airlines:

Discrimination against foreigners is rife in the Indian skies! For example flight from Bangalore to Kolkata on Jet Airways for Indians costs between 4700 and 6940 INR (approx. 105 to 155 USD) but foreigners have to pay 290 USD!

Russia still has a sort of dual-pricing system, according to which foreigners are charged often 3 to 10 times more at theatres, museums or sights than Russian citizens. This price system is a relic from Soviet times when tickets for Russians were said to be subsidised. The entrance fee at the Kremlin for foreigners is 300 Rubles, whereas Russians only pay 70 Rubles. Alternative: If you are with Russian friends then you should them get the tickets for "local" prices. This procedure seems to be quite common ...

That's not the same in England of course. There foriegners get given money to pay and some places the English can't get in at all.

I wish I could say with some conviction, that we should have had dual pricing in UK. Made enough money to be a great place to live in, but then on the other hand if that had happened, maybe I would still be there, and not living in comparative paradise, listening to, and reading visitors comments, moaning about how much beer money they have to part with to see a wonderful sight.

Did you know, in some cases a man is deprived of two whole bottles of beer, to go and see a sight that has stood there for centuries.

[thatguy]

many places in the US do the same,

i grew up in a shoreside town in connecticut, a beach parking pass for town residents was a nominal fee. out of town? bring your wallet.

a seasons ski pass for a local up in vermont cost about 1/2 the going rate.

florida resident?

disney year-round pass ~ $170

non-resident about $350 for 4 days.

college tuition for a resident : 67.21/ credit,

non-resident: $262.40

etc, etc.

tg

[Rinrada]

Nobody would really object to positive discrimination on the basis of say (as in Uk) pensioners get a Free bus pass,£300 winter fuel allowance,local authority "freedom Type" passes for to allow and encourage locals to visit Museums,Art galleries etc. as against tourist paying "enhanced" entrance fees.

The big difference in LOS that the facility is NOT based on your status and ability to pay but on the colour of you wots-it....and ..its called...all together now...Rac.... Dis.........

Couple of years ago 4 of us visited some boonie place ..forget where and sure enough .guess wot

I ....told mates wife (philippino) ...dont say a word,K.Wife ..normal and her friend who is married to one of the richest guys in LOS...all were asked for the usual 20bt or something and of course for me the sunshine superman....felang-felang......@ Bt 200.....

.....No problem ...just walked away and went somewhere else......stuff "Em

[jts-khorat]

Unluckily the information provided here is only partially true: for Foreigners (independent if they have a Thai driving licence) the entry fee to the National Parks is THb 200; however staff controlling the entries make leeway to adjust fees on the spot, but it is actually against the regulation.

If ray23 thinks that makes him "accepted" that might be true for the little guy in front of him -- who elseway will have a ranting white guy to deal with -- but it sure is not true for the Thai government.

You do not have any "right" that you pay the Thai price at all.

I do not want to sound too bitter (I am normally rather of a sunny mood), but this is one of the times where you simply will have to suck it up and get on with life. TIT

[citizen33]

Spaniel's mention of www.fairprice-thailand.org got me interested, because I had never seen this site. It is based on the good idea that market pressure (i.e. letting the punters see which organisations go in for dual pricing and which don't) may be more productive than political campaigning. Unfortunately one gets the impression of a site running out of steam: there aren't very many recent posts. I added a couple of hotels where I had bad experiences in January, and I urge others to do the same. My view is that there is a very clear rationale for making informed choices regarding where to spend your money based on this kind of information. If you want to subsidise poorer Thais then support an appropriate NGO or charity.

[ray23]

Unluckily the information provided here is only partially true: for Foreigners (independent if they have a Thai driving licence) the entry fee to the National Parks is THb 200; however staff controlling the entries make leeway to adjust fees on the spot, but it is actually against the regulation.

If ray23 thinks that makes him "accepted" that might be true for the little guy in front of him -- who elseway will have a ranting white guy to deal with -- but it sure is not true for the Thai government.

You do not have any "right" that you pay the Thai price at all.

I do not want to sound too bitter (I am normally rather of a sunny mood), but this is one of the times where you simply will have to suck it up and get on with life. TIT

Point well taken, but the fact is I'm not Tourist I live here. I would never rant and rave about the price nor have I ever tried to get a discount. If that happens then I just pass and it hasn't happened to me that much. I can see many things that facinate me about Thailand on my bike rides and am treated no differently then anyone else. I just don't agree with it. Someone pointed out the Disney Land example, no different in Orange County, locals do get a reduced rate. All I'm saying is I live here, I'm a local.

Many people come here for a few weeks drop some money and leave. I don't for the past three and a half years I contributed to the community every day. I have no intention of ever going back to America not even for a vacation. This is my home.

As to the Thai gvernments position it's really a shame, Ecuadar for example offfers duel citizenship on entry for very little money. That means that you can own property, start a business or work wherever you can find work. That doesn't mean that the local businessmen won't try to double charge you. But at least it's not an official governement policy.

You know rumors abound here and I assume that this is one as well that was posted on a local site. The posting indicates that the government may raise the requirement for married to a Thai, to 600K. again a rumor, but very believeable here, they just doubled that figure two years ago.

So now we are at that stage in the world where the baby boomers are retiring, they are retiring into every imaginable corner of the world and when they do they bring with them all that they have worked for all thier lives. What do they take from the community? What do they give ?

I remember when the last increase was implemented there were retirees here who had been here for twenty plus years, wondering if they could stay. These were people who had purchased homes had childern, put them universerity. Yet the lives they had built here were threatened. At the same time a guy working full time as a teacher was only getting paid 30K a month and that is OK. Not very logical is it?

Now if you were one of those retirees looking for a place to settle would this be on the top of your list, knowing all the facts?

Thialand is a money driven society when it comes to us, that just how it is, I can deal with that. But if someone were to ask me now learning what I have learned in the past years I would tell them the truth and they can decide if the pluses out wiegh the negatives. for me it does thats why I'm here.

So I will still stand my ground and say I wish to be accpeted as what I am a member of the community that I live in. Now, I may never get that, but that doesn't mean that I don't want it.

[thaibites0]

On a recent trip to Koh Chang with a group of 50 Thai teachers we had an organised trip to go and see a waterfall, I was with my wife at the time and although the transport was part of the trip the entry fee to the National park was to be paid by ourselves.

Thai's B20 and Farangs B200 - I have a Thai D/L and residency with over 25 years here but it was still going to cost B200 for me and B20 for my wife. Maybe it is down to the ticket collector or seller who gets in at the Thai price but they would not let me in with a B20 ticket that we bought.

I did not go in and we went back to the ticket kiosk to get our money refunded, B200 is not the issue - I have never and will never pay the Falang price when I go anywhere with my family or friends. Maybe I miss some nice sights but I am quite happy to make my lonely protest by not using the places making these unfair charges, I would do the same anywhere there was dual pricing. If it means I don't get to see inside the Kremlin or the waterfalls of Koh Chang I am quite happy to have seen the Tower of london with my wife paying the same price as myself and waterfalls all over Issaan and Laos for free!

[ray23]

You know I don't think your a lonely as you think you are. Maybe it's just us Issan folk who have lived here awhile. When I first got here paid anything tht I was asked to pay and never hesitated, but after a while I began to understand what the smile meant sometimes.

But having lived here now did volunteer tasks where I can, helping Thia's create busineses for themselves because they wanted to better themselves ( not talking wifes realtives) Helping people with University costs for the children and contributing to local schools, orphanages. Most of the farrangs that live here full time know what I'm talking about. Most of us give to out communities and ask for no special treatment, but simply ask to be treated in the same manner as the rest of the communinity.

Here in Udon farrangs are recognized at different events, sponsored by the local Government, twice this year I have been invited to events as a Thai Son in Law. Once to Ban Chaing for a wonderful parade and dinner, we were bused there, given front row seat and treated to a nice dinner and how. I have no idea if the Thai's paid or not I know we weren't charged one baht. Because of the bike riding that I do with Thai groups twice I have been asked to ride in a parade at the beginning of the Sung Kran celebration here. Other farrangs are asked to be taken in the parade in the three wheel bikes. I couldn't make the parade this year but I will try again next year. Point is we do help where we can and in this community that is recognized and we are treated as a part of the community.

But when it comes to over charging these days I have a very different attitude then when I first came here. It's really pretty basic when someone over charges you they really do want to do business with you. They think your stupid and want to take advantage of that, that's not someone who is developing a on going busines realtionship with you here or anywhere else.

In some ways I understand it, if your tourist they get one shot at parting you from your baht and they will try to get as much from that encounter as they can, I think that hold in about any tourist area you go to in the world. You can pay 50 baht for a haircut here or you can pay 150 or more depending on where you go to get it. You go to a shop in the Robinson complex your going to pay more. I had been using the same barber shop for years, went in one day they had a new manager in the place and a new barber cut my hair. The barber asked the manager what to charge me for my 50 Baht haircut, answer 100 baht. Now the price is posted in large letters on the window. I didn't say a word and paid the money, no tip that time around. The other barbers in the shop were apoligixing to me all the way out the door, they recognized me as a regular customer, who did tip. I have never been back. Why a 50 baht haircut is the same haircut you get for 100 or more and there are barber shops all over Udon.

Motorcycles repairs I'm the same way I go to the people who treat me fairly, wouldn't it be pretty stupid not to. There is a little hole in the wall shop in that does good work in certain areas of repairs he simple things I have to have done I take there. I recently took in what I considered to be a a fairly big job, changed the front and rear chain sprockets and front and rear wheel bearings along with a new chain. The guy charged 100 baht for the work, he got a 50 baht tip. Why because he treated me decently he didn't charge me anymore then he did any of the other people who live here locally. This man will get any work that I can give him in the future and I would refer anyone to him. Why because he is a good mechanic and a fair businessman. There are some places I have to take the big bikes to and I pay more there then I would this shop, but some things are speciality work and the mehanic has a specific knowledge that makes his time more valuable, that doesn't bother me at all.

There is a small noodle shop in the village that at lunch time your lucky to get a seat in, it's clean nothing fancy, but the food is great. You will see many of the local farrangs in the shop everyday. Now noodles are 20 baht ther for a Thai, we farangs are not charged anymore because our skins are white or we speak a different language or we have more money. We eat there probably there or four times a week, she does get tipped everytime we go. That's not an ego thing I do have more money then most the locals, but when a business person treats me fairly I like to say thank you. Wen the wife bakes cookies, we drop some off for them, I have cooked dinner or her and her family in our home. we have taken her children bowling. When the kids are ready for University, if she needs help I will be the first in line to do just that. I had to go to Bangkok a while back and my wife didn't drive yet, this ladies husband picked me up at the airport and wouldn't take thing for it. This lady not only has my business but my friendship. I wonder how this story would have turned out had she charged me 40 baht for noodles.

It's not the money, it's being treated fairly, when that happens it opens a doors for much more. When it doesn't those doors are closed and will never be opened again. In the instance where the man went and got his 20 baht back for his wife, where is the advantage to the economy, they not only didn't get the 200 baht, but they lost 40 baht. How many baht have been lost here, after the local farrangs read this thread.

If you know the Issan area, you would know that there are many many water falls, lakes even camping area's that are absolutley free to anyone. Why would anyone pay 200 baht to see a waterfall, when there is so much around you anyway.

This sounds like another government policy developed in Bangkok where they don't see past the tourist areas. This country has many aspects about it, you want to party hardy it's here, if you want a reasonably quiet lifestyle it's here to. The things that work well in Pattaya don't always work well in Issan communities.

Probably most of us came here for the ladies, fell in love with the country and people and settled in living lives much different then our first trips here. In our hearts and minds this is home, we are a part of the community, not just the bar scene. In your home area would you tolerate being double priced for something, simply because you look different, why would you do it here?