BenNallay commented : Thanks Mr D. I think that you've been the first ever reply I've received to anything on the past three months. I would never try to put words in Lord Buddha's mouth, but there's something about balance which seems to be resonating around the wide open spaces between my ears. Others might call it moderation, but that's more of an individual thing, where I'm thinking more about the balance between the one in the RHF seat who's driving the taxi, on whom the passengers' lives depend in full flight at top speed, and the one in the LHF seat who's intending to pay the aforementioned one who's doing the speeding. Such a massive subject; luck. To make it simple, if he gets LHF seat person home in one piece, 40 baht is not huge sum for the value the said passenger might place on their own life. On the other hand, a 100% tip might be excessive by the same token. If the agreed fare is affordable and it's not too excessive, (such as the 700 baht price for the 200 fare I mentioned above last year), maybe it can reassure the driver about the money side of things, and possibly let the driving take more of the space between his ears? The balance is also more than left and right front seats and driver mindset and passenger luck. There's an imbalance most of the time between taxi drivers and farang passengers regarding wealth, and I don't think it's necessarily a sin for the taxi driver to expect a marginally larger tip or overall fee from a rich passenger than from the usual garden variety type. Luck gets us home in one piece and luck also gets the taxi a wealthier customer. How much would that 40 baht (which turned into 80 baht) fare have cost you or me for the same distance in a taxi in Australia? Such a massive subject: economics. Ripping off farangs (within the ranges of decency and affordability) is a means to counter that imbalance, apart from the other motive common to most of us from the moment we can ask our parents for pocket money which is get as much money as possible for ourselves without havign to do more household chores, or as we grow up, getting shot or chucked in jail. Again it's a massive subject. We could expand this thread for years and years if you care to, although I only usually turn up here on Sundays. NB: I use the masculine for simplicity although one in ten taxi drivers I've got to know have been shes.

SMercer commented : But the initial post does raise the question about whether some officials might single out 'dang dao' for special treatment as opposed to foreign non-residents visiting Thailand? Perhaps, even as a resident, you must always be aware you are a 'foreigner' in some people's eyes. I think it is probably the same attitude in many countries. In Australia, where I come from, Asian or African residents can sometimes cop an earful from ignorant officials. But whatever the circumstances, disrespectful behaviour from officials is unprofessional and unhelpful. Calm and bored indifference to everyone, regardless of race or residency, is a better attitude! I usually travel with my wife who takes care of my Thai immigration and visa details with officials. I sometimes get things wrong and often hear the phrase 'Thais must always help Thais' while the problem is being sorted. Maybe this is something us foreigners will always be excluded from.

Domrei commented : [b:127gcu4g][color=#BF0000:127gcu4g]SCY, I'm sorry, I was not attacking you, but trying to join with you in highlighting how badly foreigners sometimes get treated. True, the Thai military was helping with the resettlement of Cambodian refugees during the Indo-China war of the 1980s, however, credit should go to the efforts of the UNHCR, and Western countries such as the USA, Australia, France, Japan etc. who did so much to protect the refugees, and also paid the Thai military so much money to stop killing, and pushing back the refugees into the war zones. One had to be there to see what really happened, and what really happened was that the Thai military committed untold atrocities against the refugees for years and years. True that the Khmer Rouges committed genocide, and the Vietnamese had territorial ambitions, but the Thai military couldn't refrain itself from joining in committing inhumane and criminal acts against fleeing women and children from a genocide. I won't go in to details of the Thai military's decades of military cooperation with Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge. The Thai military was the closest ally of Pol Pot in the 1980s to the 1990s.[/color:127gcu4g][/b:127gcu4g]

ATM commented : [quote="Domrei":2z7ad6u1][b:2z7ad6u1][color=#BF0000:2z7ad6u1]SCY, I'm sorry, I was not attacking you, but trying to join with you in highlighting how badly foreigners sometimes get treated. True, the Thai military was helping with the resettlement of Cambodian refugees during the Indo-China war of the 1980s, however, credit should go to the efforts of the UNHCR, and Western countries such as the USA, Australia, France, Japan etc. who did so much to protect the refugees, and also paid the Thai military so much money to stop killing, and pushing back the refugees into the war zones. One had to be there to see what really happened, and what really happened was that the Thai military committed untold atrocities against the refugees for years and years. True that the Khmer Rouges committed genocide, and the Vietnamese had territorial ambitions, but the Thai military couldn't refrain itself from joining in committing inhumane and criminal acts against fleeing women and children from a genocide. I won't go in to details of the Thai military's decades of military cooperation with Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge. The Thai military was the closest ally of Pol Pot in the 1980s to the 1990s.[/color:2z7ad6u1][/b:2z7ad6u1][/quote:2z7ad6u1] and they are still doing it domrei thai people think if they deny something then it didnt happen very much like the germans in WW2. http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=45475 . I have visited or worked in over 30 countries around the world and yes i have had bad experiences with immigration staff but i have found that when you come to thailand you are guaranteed that the thai immigration will at the very least be unfriendly or as has happened to me many times they will be downright rude (and i mean rude no matter which culture you come from) disgusting people.

Happy Expat commented : Dear Chief Selth, You must have a very limited travelling experience. If you had as much as mine you would by now have come to the realisation that ALL immigration staff, wherever they are, are rude. By comparison however I can say that Thai immigration staff do not normally fit into this category. I have found them to be the opposite of what you describe. If you want to experience REAL rudeness try going to any of the following countries:- Australia (Melbourne, Sydney or Brisbane), USA (Hawaii or Anchorage take the cake), Russia (Moscow or Vladivostok), China (any point of entry), India, but the one that really takes the cake is Dubai. Been there for the first and last time. Generally the reason is, in my opinion, that these people are drawn from a low level of education and invested with far more authority than they can handle. Add to that the people they deal with inbound are likely to be stressed out after a long flight and are oversensitive to the behaviour directed at them. A mixture guaranteed to create unpleasantness. My advice is don't try to be "nice". Remain stoic, do not try to promote "pleasant" conversation, hand over your passport,remain silent and get on with it. Happy Expat

Sean Moran commented : It's actually really good to see that you made the flight so transparently, and so tell me about the swine-flu detectors at Heathrow at 00:00 GMT tomorrow morning. I'm too drunk to remember all that daylight stupid timing right now but it seems that your weekend has just begun, at 09:35 am on a Friday. . ---o0o--- [quote="Ian":3q1qw1ep] Regarding smoking rooms, you don't really need to light up in order to get your nicotine ration.[/quote:3q1qw1ep] No Ian. Not quite, but I know you understand what I mean. It is not about nicotine at all. It is about Humphrey frigging Bogart! Thailand is a very special place to me, just like this land of Australia when I get out of the city. Whenever I have the bad fortune to have to leave Thai soil to return to the place what brung me there I deserve the right to enjoy one last bia Chang and one last cigarette because Thailand is my Kathryn Hepburn even though I don't have a gf. Just gimmie one last friggin CIGARETTE in peace before I have to risk my life and get on that plane. This is not Garuda Airlines!

Sean Moran commented : One difference between driving in Australia and in Thailand came to mind this morning as I was driving up to the local shop. It's about turning left onto a priority road. It's well known that we drive on the left in Australia, and in Thailand ... mostly. So, in Australia it is quite normal, as you approach a major road from a side street, to look up that road to the right to check for oncoming traffic, and if there is nothing approaching from the right along the main road, then you're fairly safe to make the left turn onto that main road without the need to look to your left first. There is never anything (well very rarely) driving or riding down the main road on the right hand side so all all on-coming traffic in the left lane that you're turning into will be approaching from your right as you head towards the corner. Not so in Thailand. Bicycles and motorbikes and whatever else might be approaching the intersection along the right-hand side of the main road, which will be on your left as you approach the turn. Don't pull out onto the main road unless to check for oncoming traffic in BOTH directions or there might be tears and consequences.

villager commented : [quote="Sean Moran":3uv5dm0j]One difference between driving in Australia and in Thailand came to mind this morning as I was driving up to the local shop. It's about turning left onto a priority road. It's well known that we drive on the left in Australia, and in Thailand ... mostly. So, in Australia it is quite normal, as you approach a major road from a side street, to look up that road to the right to check for oncoming traffic, and if there is nothing approaching from the right along the main road, then you're fairly safe to make the left turn onto that main road without the need to look to your left first. There is never anything (well very rarely) driving or riding down the main road on the right hand side so all all on-coming traffic in the left lane that you're turning into will be approaching from your right as you head towards the corner. Not so in Thailand. Bicycles and motorbikes and whatever else might be approaching the intersection along the right-hand side of the main road, which will be on your left as you approach the turn. Don't pull out onto the main road unless to check for oncoming traffic in BOTH directions or there might be tears and consequences.[/quote:3uv5dm0j]ABSOLUTELY spot on Sean, if you want to avoid an head on collision here you have to look to your left first and right second, as some grinning maniac could well be turning right on YOUR side of the road!,and sometimes in the dark with no lights on!!.

Sean Moran commented : [quote:3th949o8]by villager on Wed Mar 25, 2009 9:25 am ABSOLUTELY spot on Sean, if you want to avoid an head on collision here you have to look to your left first and right second, as some grinning maniac could well be turning right on YOUR side of the road!,and sometimes in the dark with no lights on!!. [/quote:3th949o8] What I found rather amazing was the therapeutic benefit. No kidding! I had a sort of mild whiplash for the seven months since my first motorbike accident. In Australia I could barely move my neck more than a little bit up or down or left or right and that was still a big hassle the day I got on the plane to get back to Thailand. Then, after three days of walking around Nonthaburi, no more whiplash! This was because of the need to look in all directions at once. Funny how the body will adapt to the requirements of its environment, isn't it?