We got this from the Party Boy...

Road safety

Me and a friend of mine went to Thailand in May 2002 for a month of travelling. Just before the Full Moon Party that month we decided to spend 4 days in Koh Samui. As anyone who has been there knows, motorbikes are easily available to hire there for tourists. My friend Jamie really wanted us to hire a couple but i was unsure but eventually i gave in thinking that so many tourists hire them so they must be fine. WRONG!

We hired the bikes for about 150B each for the day and decided to go around the island. After about an hour i was confident enough to get up to speeds of 70kmh. I noticed i needed some fuel and went to a fuel station to fill up. After i had done this i started to drive across the forecourt towards the exit at about 15-20kmp and breaked gently on the front break. Suddenly the bike started to go left and i couldnt stop it. It went on to its side with me under it. Luckily i got away with a few scratches and the bike wasnt too damaged. But i was miles away from where i had to take the bike back too so i had to ride it back...very slowly. But every time i breaked i could still feel it going to the left (definetly a dodgy bike). I came to a hill which made the bike speed up to about 50Kmp and there was a big corner at the bottom with a steep drop to the side.

I didnt know what to do so i started to break and the bike started to go left towards the edge of the road and a steep drop. My life flashed before my eyes and out of pure reflex i put my foot on the accelerator which took me back into the middle of the road. I was about 1 metre from death! I would say to anyone hiring motorbikes anywhere in Thailand to think hard as to if it is worth it, and if you do always wear the helmets provided. Make sure your travel insurance will cover motorbike crashes too. Im hiring a mountain bike when i go back in the summer!

New Experience

Hi, well I've been to Thailand 5 times, each of which have been a new experience! Last time I was there I landed on September 10th 2002 obviously the day before the New York hell... I decided to fly on the cheap with Aeroflot... BAD mistake, I got delayed at Russia for 7 hours, then the whole flight consisted of drunken nutters/crying flight crew and to top it all off, when I finally got to Bangkok they didn't have my baggage (rucksack). Thankfully I had been in Thailand before and arranged with the kind people of Thai Airways that they would deliver my rucksack to the Kao San Palace on Khao San Road. 3 days later my bags arrived (I bought some cheap clothes in the mean time) and after that my trip was very cool - went to Koh Samui which is always a favourite of mine, but didn't fancy flying back to Russia (not knowing insane people were flying aircraft into New York) so luckily I met a very kind/sexy Dutch girl who invited me to Amsterdam, all in all I had an interesting journey despite the horrors of 9/11.

Mike Williams :-)

A Tale of Two Cities

We received the following emails at pretty much the same time. As they show a very different side to people in Bangkok, we thought they should go together. We got the first one from Darran Thompson:

I would just like to compliment the Thais I have met on Khao san rd. Firstly I would like to point out my dissapointment with other travellers who freqent KSR, they sometimes are ignorant, arrogant and down right rude to the locals who live and earn their daily living on this road. My experience with Thais has been fantastic, I am currently learning to speak Thai and have sufficient knowledge in Thai to comunicate without the use of English.

I was boxing in the north and then had to leave to return home, I decided to spend my few last days on Khao San. It was at first very confusing as it was like a holiday resort smack bang in the middle of Bangkok, they say it's backpacker heaven.

I was pondering my days away and had very little cash to spend when I decided to speak with some of the locals, it turned out that a Tuk Tuk driver knew my Trainer from the north... instant connection! We had a laugh talking about stupid things and wasn't long till he offered me a drink "ao kin lao mai" I waited till he finished work and then together we vanished into the side streets of Bangkok. We went to a snooker hall ordered some whiskey and sat there drinking till we both had spent all our money on whiskey!!! The following day I met the same driver, after a long night drinking we both had a hangover. Somsak is his name. He knew I spent all my money and I knew he spent all his!

I was penniless and had a some days to spend till I left, the Thais knew already who I was and where I was going and that I was broke. Some guys (all Thai people) took me for food paid for by them, they even offered me money to help for my airport tax, Tuk Tuk drivers giving me bannanas to eat and bottles of water to drink, unreal as it seems I didn't ask for any of it it was all offered to me with the most genuine concern. The help that I recieved from the Thai people on a road full of money spending foriegners was unbelievable, they didn't need to help as there were many foriegners who could help me and who could afford to help but didnt, they didn't care at all, they were all tied up in their own world and had no time to take one minute out of there busy schedule to simply ask if I, a fellow traveller, was ok! It was Thai people who cared and Thai people who earned 150Bht a day who helped. Even a girl from Lao passed by me, I wasn't looking too clean, she asked had I money. I assumed she was about to ask me for money so I replied with the truth that I simply had no money, to my amazment she put her hand in her bag took out a crumpled 100bht note and shoved it into my hand and then dissapeared!!! That was the most moving experience I had that day, a girl from a poor country and obviously was on KSR to earn had gave me money, me a Farang given money from a Laotian!

I have been to Thailand for some time and have never really had money problems till then, I was always financially secure untill then. I am glad that I had that experience as if I had've had money I would certainly never have had experienced that kindness, caring and genuine concern like I did those last few days. My whole mind and opinion has changed, I greatly appreciate what these people did for me and will never forget it. I will return back and plan to help some people who are needing help, I hope to help as many people as I can when I return. Thank you for everything

D Thompson

I wanted to share a tip to anyone who might be needing to visit a hospital while in Bangkok. While staying on Khao San, my brother got food poisoning (undercooked chicken soup we think) and we decided to go to the Bangkok Adventist Mission Hospital. Upon hailing a metered taxi (we considered them more "fair" than tuk-tuks because they are metered), the driver saw my stress and the state my brother was in, and demanded 200 baht for the ride to the hospital. I pointed at the meter (which was off) and asked him to turn it on. He vehemently declined to do so and insisted on 200... and then raised it to 300, explaining something inane about the location of the hopital.

Not knowing where it was, and wanting urgently just to get there, I agreed to 200. Well, the hospital was less than a 10 minute drive away. On the many subsequent visits I had to make there, I discovered that the metered fee is only 50-60 baht. One other metered taxi, upon hearing that I had to "go to hospital" tried to pull the same trick, but this time I was not in a panic, and also knew better, so I told him I knew it was only a 50b ride and asked him to put on the meter. He resignedly did so.

xeli from Canada

PS - The Adventist Mission Hospital provided great service and also quite well in English; it's also the closest hospital to Khao San. Recommended!

P.P.S. For food-poisoning, a 2-day hospital stay + pharma runs about 7,600 baht. Probably worth it to have medical insurance -- I met someone who didn't). Healthy travels!

We got the following mail from "Allgemein St.Gallen" in Switzerland

It was the first day of the year 95. My buddy Ron and I got up after a long night partying on KSR. It was acutally my second day in Thailand ever. We decided to book a Tuk-Tuk for the whole day to drive us around town to see the wats and other interesting sights and as a relaxing way to get rid of our New Year hangover. We knew about the bargaining. Ron and agreed on 200 Baht for the whole day and went up to a Tuk-Tuk driver, anxious to get this price. We started: We give you 200 Baht if you drive us around the whole day! To our surprise the answer was: No, no, today only 100 Baht, Happy New Year Price!!! Without any arguments he drove us wherever we wanted to. He didn't even try to bring us to a shop. So, happy New Year to all of you!

GLOBETROTTER TRAVEL SERVICE AG
Andreas Eugster, Reiseberater/Travel Agent Merkurstrasse 4, 9001 St. Gallen, Switzerland
Telefon ++41 71 227 40 90, Telefax ++41 71 227 40 91
Öffnungszeiten: MO-FR 09.00-18.00 Uhr, DO 10.00-18.00 Uhr SA 09.00-14.00 Uhr (Für Samstag Voranmeldung erwünscht)

Jon France from Suffolk in the UK sent us this fictionised account of a dozy bugger getting ripped off... and it's all true! Only the guesthouse names have changed to protect the innocent!

'Hi, my name's Susie, what's yours?' Andy, tired, hot and not a little flustered after spending a sleepless night trying to make himself comfortable on a thin matress in a characterless room somewhere near Khao Sarn Road, turned his head and was met with oriental beauty itself. She was from Singapore, like him was on her first day in Bangkok, and wanted his advice about a good place to stay. She had arrived late last night with her friend Annie and had been taken to a hotel by a taxi driver but didn't like it there, as it seemed to be miles away from anywhere interesting.

Somewhat smitten by this charming lady of the East Andy invited her for a drink and readily agreed to accompany her back to her hotel to help her get her stuff to Khao Sarn Road. They jumped into a tuk-tuk and were there about 10 minutes later. The 'Hotel 22' sign at the car park entrance escaped Andy's notice, as did the curtain rails around the parking bays outside each door. Susie led him into her room and sat him down on the bed. 'I'll just take a quick shower' she said, disappearing into the bathroom.

A few minutes later she reappeared with a bath towel wrapped around her alluring figure. 'Would you like a massage?' she asked. Andy needed little persuasion to tear his clothes off, to reveal to his regret his Aston Villa boxer shorts. 'I can't believe my luck!' he thought, struggling to contain his excitement. She had barely stroked his shoulders when there was a knock on the door and in walked another pretty little thing with some cold cans of cola. Massage over, Annie and Andy got out a Bangkok map and chatted about their travel plans while Susie disappeared back into the bathroom. Andy eventually got changed into his clothes again and arranged to meet the girls later that evening. That afternoon Andy went shopping, but when it came to paying all the cash in his moneybelt had gone! Passport ok, travellers cheques ok, but no 3,000 Baht!

After a couple of minutes of confusion it dawned on him that the two girls had stolen his dough while his pants were down. And they'd seemed so nice! 'Hahahahahaha, you sucker!' was his mate Jon's unhelpful reply. Jon was working in the city as an English teacher and had warned Andy to be careful of people who approached him in the street offering to take him places. 'Just keep your wits about you, ok' was his parting shot as he returned to his apartment early one evening before a busy day's work.

A couple of days later Andy was having a stroll on Sanam Luang after having visited the Grand Palace. 'Hello sir, where are you from?' A well dressed Thai male in his mid twenties had joined him. 'I'm a steward on Thai Airlines. I hope you like my city. Do you mind if I practise my English with you?' Andy admitted to himself that he was bored and could do with some company, and he wasn't going to fall for any tricks again, oh no. They got on quite well and after a few minutes his new friend asked him to go for a drink at a nearby restaurant. 'No harm in that', thought Andy. The restaurant was in a nice shaded spot away from the unrelenting sun and Andy ordered himself a cold Coke. His friend ordered himself a bottle of Thai whisky and then several dishes of Thai food. Andy was reluctant to join in, as the place had an expensive air about it, and the only menu he could see was all in Thai. But he agreed to try delicious offerings from his friend's plate and soon began to relax.

One and a half hours later and it was time to go. The waiter arrived with the bill and Andy held out 20 Baht towards his friend for his Coke. But his companion looked pensive, and seemed to be searching his pockets in that language that we all understand, meaning 'I haven't got any dosh'. Two pairs of eyes looked accusingly at Andy. 'Bloody hell, I'm not paying 3,500 Baht, all I had was a coke!' he protested. Another waiter arrived and things looked as if they might get uncomfortable. He reluctantly paid, and when the waiter came back with the change his companion spoke to him in Thai, to which he nodded and smiled and put the change in his pocket! That was the final straw for Andy. He jumped up, swearing to find the nearest police station and left without any fond farewells.

He eventually located the Tourist Police station at the end of Khao Sarn Road and filed his report. Feeling exhausted he sat down on a bench to read a paper. 'Hello, what's your name?'... Hang on, that voice sounds familiar, thought Andy. As he lowered his paper her smile wavered. It was that girl who had nicked his money again! 'Fucking hell, you stole my money!' he yelled, as she turned and ran. 'Police! Stop! Thief!' Andy shouted as he ran after her. She jumped into a waiting car on the main road outside the police station. The doors were locked by the panicky occupants as Andy shouted and swore and then jumped onto the car, shouting in vain for the police.

The lights turned green and the traffic slowly began to move forward and Andy jumped off the car, which fled the scene.