Taxis and stuff…Okay day 3, time to really crack down and learn some Thai. Knowing where I am going is nice but not being able to communicate it to the person who is driving is bad, and these are cabbies in the true sense of meaning hustlers. If you can even find a car that will run his meter instead of trying to barter a straight charge (always very high), you will be coerced into a “quick stop” … this is where the cab drops you at a store/venue where they pay him a commission for bringing you, of course they want you to stay and/or buy something. It is really annoying, usually out of the way and they get more for this than usually what your fare is worth and still want you to pay them……an interesting note is that it is common for them to have an on call translation service via cell phone, and they advertise with signs in the window. I have had to use this service twice now :P
Overall it is kinda a strange vibe that everyone is willing to negotiate anything and everything costs something….(2baht to use the ladies room at the MBK, a mall) granted 2baht is like a nickel but still its weird, because in addition to wanting to haggle and charge you for every little thing tipping isn’t really a cultural practice at all.
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