 | Bangkok Tuk-tuks Reviews | Tips 1 - 10 of 37 |  |
 | |  |  | Tuk-tuks: Bangkok, go prepared | Tip Rating:   |  |  | |  |
I am not the first nor the last here to write this. The very minute you hit the road in Bangkok and have a look at your map (where are we going next?), you will have someone friendly come to you and offer help. These friendly people are ofte directly related to tuk tuk drivers or shops. They will say anything to get you have a trip with a tuk tuk with stops at many tourist shops. Mostly this sounds like this: "Where do you want to go?" ... "Oh, Wat xyz, that is closed today (or until 2 p.m. or whatever) because of a Buddhist holiday" - Don?t believe it. They don?t close their temples or museums because of that. Always believe your guide book on that and not what people tell you. We were told this 3 times in one day, and it was never true. On it goes: "But, I would propose you go to this Wat instead, that is very nice. I can get you a tuk tuk to bring you there. They make special price today because of Buddhist holidays "(or world fair, or because only it is Wednesday or whatever). "They will bring you there for only 20 or 40 Baht.". Yes they will. But they will also bring you to a jade shop, a yeweller, a Thai silk shop, a souvenir shop, a .... I think you got it. It also does not matter if you really buy something in these shops. They get their commission by just bringing you there. One more thing that is quite typical for Bangkook is the yewellery scam. They try to persuade you that you can make money by buying yewels cheap in Thailand and then reselling it at shops where you live. Don?t do this! For once you have no idea what the colorful stones you are offered are really worth if you are no expert. As a normal tourist you won?t even be able to distinct them from fake stones or even glass. Second: you won?t be able to resell them at home (not even at the addresses they may give you, they are not real either). Also don?t trust in any certificates they may show you- paper is patient. If there was money in it, they would not need to rely on tourists to do the trade. Leave a Comment
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| | | | Tuk-tuks: Beware,be educated and have fun! | Tip Rating:  | | | | |
Tuk tuks are great fun! and an essential Bangkok experience. Be aware of touts stopping you with amazing good English, on their way to somewhere close, who are happy to grab your Lonely Planet - and circle highlights etc., - and hail a coincidentally passing tuktuk, negoitiation a 20Baht ride around the whole city! You will be about to start a real journey via travel shops, jewellery stores, tailors, silk factories etc. - happened to me once, and I just said, NO, will pay you plenty fair fare to take me where I want to go. Negotiate the prices, and, if there are more than one passenger, ensure that the price is for the whole fare, not PER PERSON. If they try it on at the other end, raise your voice (assertively, not aggressively), and point out that the negotiated fare was...... , pay and leave. Saving face is most important to them. They will often have a little wry smile, and leave with no trouble at all. Remember that these are poor people, who drive government vehicles, and survive by their wits, and witless tourists. Don't take it too seriously, as any of us who travel to Asia have much more money and resources than these fellows. I have found that many of the tuktuk drivers in Thailand are amazingly smart and resourceful - and I admire them. Have cultivated a few relationships with them, and the wheeling and dealing stops immediately. They will actually give you very honest and loyal service - and wait for you anywhere. Ours found me in the street near the hotel one night looking for some pills for my ill husband - insisted on taking me to nearest 7Eleven, and refused to accept money. You simply can't go to Bangkok without experiencing the traffic in a tuktuk! - and the experience of getting to know one of these guys can be great. Cheers and safe journey to all.
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| | | | Tuk-tuks: Unreliable tuk tuk drivers | Tip Rating: | | | | |
When I took a tuk tuk ride during my visit to Bangkok in September 2007, I was well aware of their reputation for failing to deliver tourists to their requested destinations. I therefore decided that my tuk tuk ride would be solely for the experience value – I didn’t need to be anywhere, so I’d jump in, see the sights and see what happened! I agreed a fee of 20 Bahts (0.30 GBP) in advance with the driver for him to take me to the giant standing Buddha at Wat Intharawihan, the Golden Mount and then back to the Grand Palace. I could always ask him to stop at any other interesting sights en route. The journey started as planned. I visited the giant standing Buddha while my driver waited outside for me for 5 - 10 minutes. However, when I returned, he told me that the Golden Mount was closed until the afternoon and he would instead take me to another small temple nearby. At this temple, the room containing the “Lucky Buddha” was closed, but a man outside kindly offered me the opportunity to buy jewellery (available today only!) that I could sell back home for 5 times the price! The next stop was an unscheduled one at a factory, despite me repeatedly telling the driver I wasn’t interested in visiting a factory. I refused to get out, so the driver reluctantly drove on. We stopped at another small temple where the man who was responsible for its upkeep tried to sell me a variety of tours (which had to be booked that day – the last day of the sales!). My driver was intent on getting some commission one way or another, so he drove me to a “fashion shop”. I again refused to get out and browse. The driver pleaded with me to do so, in order that he would get a “coupon” for having taken me there. We discussed it for a few minutes and eventually reached an impasse. He established that I wasn’t going to go inside the shop, and I established that he wasn’t going to drive me back to the Grand Palace. I handed him a 20 Baht note and walked back to the palace. No harm done – it was a great experience at very little cost! Leave a Comment
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