Beggars and Other Scams

Thais don't beg ... bar girls asking you to buy them a drink ... being the exception.

When you see a mother and young child or baby sitting on the street begging, they are from another country or at least the children and baby are. The many tourists can not tell the difference or perhaps they don't care about the nationality.

Thailand has 0% unemployment. The only reason a Thai would beg on the street is because it was much more lucrative than working. Rumor has it the Thai mafia run the beggars. No Thai would lose 'face' by begging. I often see Thai males going through the garbage bags in the early morning hours after the bars and businesses close. They are looking for soft drink cans, plastic bottles, etc. I don't imagine they would pass up a half eaten hamburger ... but would not beg.

There was a male whom I refer to as the crawler with one leg amputated at the knee. He was always dressed in very dirty clothing and used to lie on his stomach and drag him self along the sidewalk for about 10 city blocks, pushing an empty McDonald's plastic cup before him. The tourists were appalled that anyone would have to do this for a living and donated generously. When he finished his 4 hour drag he would pick himself up hop to where he had stashed his prosthetic leg and would drive home on his motorcycle.

There is a lady who has a downs syndrome male child who routinely makes the rounds of bars in a 10 block area of downtown Bangkok. This area is frequented by many tourists and her routine is to walk with her son and pause in front of each tourist and wait about a minute and then move on. I would think she pulls in at least 1000 Baht a night. I will let you be the judge.

I used to donate to both the crawler and the downs syndrome lady but stopped after local Thais explained to me.

Thais do not beg but they will scam.

There is usually a farang price for street food and a Thai price. Sometimes the farang price is double. This is even institutionalized. A farang visiting an historic site will sometime pay 10 times what a Thai national pays. Why, because we can afford it.

Tuks, Tuks are for first timers and fools. They have no meter, are not air conditioned, are no faster than taxis, and you will pay 3 times what a taxi would cost and will more than likely take a side trip to a local business with 'great' prices.

I am very well known in the area that I live in and seldom get charged the farang price. I am semi accepted by the Thais I say hello to every day.

Thailand is a very inexpensive place to visit ... even at farang prices.