I love people's inquisitive nature, asking questions is key to bettering ourselves and better understand others.
But many see this as a nuisance. And it can be if you are asked the same question by 20 people time after time. Then I can see their point.
So that brings me to Khao San Road, Bangkok. Some say, the centre of the backpacking world. Some say an absolute hell hole.
Fortunately, I only stayed two nights in Bangkok and stayed in a cheapo guesthouse just off Khao San Road. I did this as I knew I’d likely meet people and likely share a story or two.
Picture the scene; I’m walking down a somewhat crowded street getting asked if I want everything from a tuk-tuk ride to crack and hot woman. Then…
“Fucking prick”, came out of an annoyed mouth. The insult hurled at me by some Thai guy when I said no thanks to his want to sell me a tour around in his tuk-tuk.
Now, this pissed me off; so I stopped to ask him WTF that was about, just because I wasn’t interested in staying and listening to his fantastic tour sales pitch.
People have bad days, some people are just bad. Either way, he didn’t need to be a dick.
Sometimes this is why cities and countries get a bad name. People like him that didn’t get what he wanted decided verbal abuse was the best option.
You know what I’m talking about, people write countries off because of one or two dealings with these, pain in the arse touts.
I get they are trying to make a living, but accept no and move on. And if I do agree with what you are selling, don’t rip me off or take advantage.
The truth is, you only find out the true spirit of a countries people when you leave the tourist traps. Get out and mix with the people.
Never judge a country based on a couple of its clowns. You will find they are outnumbered a million to one. Instead, seek out and see the good in people.
Thailand is a magical place with amazing people! I can't wait to go back and explore again!
Keep it real
Derek
If you like my posts, please consider upvoting and commenting. I always reply and upvote comments. Thank you.
A while back I was working for a flat rental company in Saigon. I picked two guys up from the airport, took them for a tour of the city. I showed them the Grand Opera House, took them up the Bitexco tower for drinks in the skybar on the 50th floor, strolled along the historic Nguyen Hue boulevard, shopped in the Saigon Central Market, noticing how utterly unimpressed they were by all these amazing things.
The next morning they told me they'd been to Bui Vien (along similar lines to Khao San, the way you describe it), declared it boring and then, having seen about 0.1% of Saigon, they actually PAID hundreds of dollars for plane tickets out the next day.
So yeah totally - the kind of thing you're talking about happens all the time and it can have real consequences. We wasted a lot of time and effort on them, and they gave up the opportunity to explore this amazing city.
When you go on an adventure, commit to it! You don't know what's round the corner.
The tourist traps can be a real turn off for some. Saigon is not for everyone, It's a hive of activity. Some like the peace, so beach resorts or country retreats are prefered.
Good pot friend
Cheers brother. Do you mean post? I've no pot here 😉
This post has received a 0.43 % upvote from @booster thanks to: @derekcowan.
This post has received a 0.34 % upvote from @buildawhale thanks to: @derekcowan. Send at least 1 SBD to @buildawhale with a post link in the memo field for a portion of the next vote.
To support our daily curation initiative, please vote on my owner, @themarkymark, as a Steem Witness
You got a 0.73% upvote from @postpromoter courtesy of @derekcowan!