Originally Posted by jackal

I was warned about even the metered taxis in Southeast Asia--according to some travel sites, the meters are fixed to run fast. One in Vietnam that I persuaded to turn the meter on (it was a bit too easy to persuade him, I think in hindsight) seemed to run a bit on the fast side. I never could get taxis in KL or Bangkok to turn their meters on, even when walking away from the taxi and approaching another one (once I tried three cabs in succession, and after turning away the third one in disgust, I just walked).

Having to always be on guard for scams (from taxi meters all the way up to buying precious items) was one of the big downers for me of traveling in Southeast Asia. It was wearying--so much so that despite all of the positives of travel in that region, I was fed up with it after three weeks (with a fourth week looming ahead), ready to return to Western culture, and not really looking forward to going back. (Fortunately, after a few weeks in Australia, my attitude was softened, and I look forward to returning someday!)