Quote:
Originally Posted by BabaBobo
Before you all pack your bags and leave your home and go to "Paradise" you should probably realize that there is a flipside to the coin. It's not all beaches, cheap beers and hot girls.
Like some people mentioned this IS a 3rd world country and that includes some not so appealing stuff too (I will skip the bad hygiene, rotten food/water and illness stuff):
People are poor (especially in off-season which it currently is) and even "good people" can get desperate in these times.
This includes but not limited to burglaries and robberies which often includes knives, guns and even machetes. These people WILL kill you for 20$
if you don't do as they want and/or they are too messed up on "mad medicine" (yabah) to give a crap.
There have been cases of people shooting people driving home on their motorbikes minding their own business to rob them of their petty change.
Attacks while the farang is using the ATM is also a commonly used technique. It can get stressfull constantly looking over your shoulders while withdrawing your hard earned (?) money.
Also, if the wrong kind of people spot you spewing money in a bar or club (which people reading this thread are likely to do), chances are that some day somebody will follow you when you leave. People have been beat to a pulp and threatened with a gun in these situations before.
Cab drivers are all part of the mafia. If you screw with them or they don't like you, you can get hurt really bad.
Remember, Phuket is a relatively small place. They will remember you and they WILL find you.
This of course counts not only for tuktuk people but with any Thai person you screw with on Phuket.
If you get drunk and accidently say something stupid to the wrong person you will enter a world of pain if you are unlucky.
I realize some of this stuff can happen a lot of places in the world, but remember you are far far away from home and the farang is ALWAYS at fault here. If you get in trouble with a Thai person even if he is acting stupid it IS your fault and they WILL gang up on you!
The police are currpt as well. They will try to get money from you if you get in trouble and they can **** you up if you dont oblige.
This is not as uncommon as you might think!
Driving a motorbike in the hills of Phuket is anything but safe! if you decide to go chances are you will see dead people on the roads. Typically farangs lying facedown in the concrete with a pool of blood and motorbike pieces around them. Sightings of motorbikes caught under a truck with only the pool of blood remaining since the meatwagon has already been there are typical too.
Hopefully you will not experience this yourself but it can happen even if you drive safely as the police really don't care much about drunken driving and somebody can crash into you. Also, if you happen to crash into somebodys car/motorbike or even worse, tuk-tuk and break/scratch their vehicle, you can go from having a NL1k roll to grinding alongside WCG|Rider on the NL25 tables in a matter of 1 day.
Have fun and good luck.
Hey Baba, nice gimmick. What happened to your other account?
I agree with most of this except:
1) skipping the bad food/hygeine - I've eaten nothing but great food and haven't had experience with unhygeinic ppl. Obviously I'm balling out of control by eating $5 meals.
2) most ATMs are in heavy populated areas. I would hardly call it stressful taking out money unless it's late at night.
3) yeah, the police are ****ed. but you make it seem a lot wore than it is. if they help you out with a case and you get x amount of baht, they will ask for a percentage for their commissioner (if you are who I think you are then you know this). but then you can get the commissioners phone number and he will help you get out of some jams if need be.....i think. anyway, my dealings with the police have been nothing but pleasant. as long as you don't get in too much trouble, they are very kind and helpful and one even gave me a discount on my fine (even though I was too dumb to give him some of the discount back as a kind gesture).
4) most farang driving motorbikes that have crashed are usually hammered and have almost no experience driving them and driving on the roads of phuket. aside from the recent muggings which are limited to a small section of phuket very late at night, I think driving in the daytime is more dangerous than driving home at night a little buzzed. the roads are wide open and there's nothing to crash into. if you're careful and know how to drive a motorbike, i don't think it's that dangerous at all. the people driving cars here are far more aware of bikes then anywhere I've been in the west.
I'm just nitpicking and agree with most of what you said. You forgot ot mention the crazy thai women though!