Originally Posted by
sonoftheheartland
the take charge tone will probably suffice ...[snip] ...It is definitely tougher when the "farang" or other Asian passenger doesn't speak Thai.
Those comments from
Son fit perfectly with all my observations here.
Most readers of this forum won't be speaking Thai language, but a take-charge tone in English certainly would go a long way towards avoiding taxi problems.
Why is that?
Power & hierarchy are very much alive and well here.
In Thai culture, power is most often demonstrated by a commanding tone of voice.
There is another option:
Hire a local, Thai guide.
The guide doesn't need to be an official, tourist-bureau-licensed guide.
Any Thai person with time available can be your protector.
Many Thais will be happy to have some extra income.
Where to find them?
When I first arrived to live here, I often hired hotel staff to guide me shopping and to tourist sites, after their work shift finished, or on their day off
They handled all the taxi rides with never a problem.
In addition, most bars in Thailand offer guides for hire by the hour or by the day.
It's a normal part of the bar business here.
Those guides often have lots of free time available during the daytime.
Since most "bar guides" in Bangkok come from the same region of Thailand as most taxi drivers (Issan region), chances are good that you will be treated with decent courtesy.
So, how to handle BKK taxi problems:
- If you can, speak clear/fluent Thai.
- If you can't speak Thai, then speak English in a commanding voice.
- If you want someone else to handle taxi problems, hire a Thai as your guide.
- Get lucky and maybe have no problems.
-- Peter