Double pricing leads to lost customers

Dear Sir,

During the public holiday last week I took my Thai family along to Mini-Siam on Sukhumvit Road.

There were four children and three adults and all except myself were Thai nationals. I was advised that the charges were for the children 40 baht, my wife and the other lady 80 baht but it would be 200 baht for myself as a non-Thai.

Although I pointed out I was a resident with my Thai family for some three years it was to no avail. In fact I was treated with total indifference.

I have never experienced such an unfair and inequitable entrance payment anywhere else in the world. This is certainly not the first time I have experienced such treatment but it is the first time I have drawn attention to it.

I don’t think the Thai operators of such attractions can be really aware of the damage they do to the tourist trade. Quite obviously most holiday visitors pay the extra fees but these happenings are invariably reported back in their own countries.

Amazing Thailand yet again! What is even more amazing that unfairness of such a system cannot be reognised and understood.

Incidentally, I took my family to another local attraction so Mini-Siam proved to be the loser.

Thai people should realise that if visiting the West they will pay no more than the residents of that country for goods, services or attractions.

Yours Sincerely,
John Hopkins

Warning: food-less trains

Sir,

I and my wife have today just returned from a visa run to Malaysia and thought you would wish to advise your readers that from Sunday 28th June, the railway no longer will operate a catering service on their trains south. Therefore, anyone going to Penang, Malaysia would be well advised to take their own food and drink with them. The cut-back is, they say, because the Thai Railway Authority is 300 million in debt. All the catering staff have not been paid their last monthly salary and now expect to be laid off.

Please let your readers know of this new development.
Malcolm Joyce

Bird watching, and wondering...

Sir,

As a frequent visitor to the Land of Smiles, and Pattaya in particular, where I always stay at Lido Beach Hotel, could someone please explain the phenomenon of the hundreds of birds that arrive from nowhere, perch in the few trees at the end of the jetty and appear to be having an animated conversation with each other.

This occurrence takes place nightly at approximately 1830 hrs and lasts for about an hour.

As I check your organ weekly (on the net) I shall look forward, with some trepidation, to any explanation given by one of the many, I am sure, hornotholigists who read your columns.

Best regards

Colin G. Murray

Braking leads to breaking

Editor,

After having endured an accident recently I want to warn all Asian tourists in Pattaya, that next time they are the cause of an accident for me, I will not break for them but pretend they do not exist!

About the end of June I was driving along Beach Road at moderate speed on a wet road surface, when an Asian looking tourist crossed the street without looking left or right, else he would have seen me on the motorbike and two Baht-busses coming along. In order not to run him over I had to break and thus my motorbike slipped away under me. The motorbike has moderate damage of around 1,000 Baht, my hospital bill amounted to around 2,500 Baht and I can’t work for 6 weeks due to a broken right arm from this incident. My arm and shoulder are still hurting after more than 2 weeks and I have problems to sleep, as the injury restricts my sleeping in the usual position. And I don’t want to go into the more private aspects of this.

The tourist on the other hand just fled the scene, leaving me with bills, pain and increased cost of living.

So the next time I come across a similar situation I will refrain from risking my health to save that of a stupid tourist. In their hometown, be it Hong Kong, Taipei or Tokyo or wherever, they wouldn’t dare to be so careless in dealing with traffic, but in Thailand they obviously think they can.

Nobody can claim I didn’t warn him or her!

Sam Munich

A Bangkok resident

A Stinky Matter

Hi,

Having just returned from my vacation to Pattaya I have many fond memories from the kind and friendly people of the area. I have seen much advertising about Thailand and many beautiful pictures from Pattaya. However, the one thing that sticks out in my mind from my visit, or I should say "STINKS" out in my mind, is the foul smell of raw sewage pouring out onto the beach of Pattaya. There is an obvious and serious lack of infrastructure in this area.

I saw busted sewer lines with sewage pouring out and no sign of any attempt to fix the problem! I was very surprised to find that the water is not considered safe to swim in! This is certainly not advertised as part of "Amazing Thailand", raw sewage and unsafe beaches. The city officials of Pattaya need to do something to fix the problem. Otherwise, tourists and business people like myself will choose not to return to the area.

Best Regards,
Greg Rhoades