Thread: A few recent travel anecdotes

I recently returned from a trip, a quick swing through the southern islands of Lanta, Jam and Phi Phi (with a bit of Krabi thrown in). I have visited all before and am fairly cynical of the touristy parts of Thailand. I think the over commercialization, the rampant corruption and the ill-feeling of those in the industry (and let me assure you that I am not just speaking of Thai folks here, generally speaking, Thai and whitey are the same) have all combined to give tourism in Thailand a pretty shoddy image in recent times. I do a bit of travel writing so I get to see the touristy parts of the Kingdom regularly. I have become skeptical about the future of the industry in Thailand.

The reason why I am writing this is to share 3 stories which happened to me when I was on my most recent trip, stories which give me hop that the industry in Thailand isn't just a bankrupt, scamming machine.

First up, I was on Lanta, Phra Ae Beach. I was seeing some restaurants and bars, looking to review them for my latest assignment. I ended up at one end of Phra Ae Beach (called Long Beach in most guidebooks) at night. I was about 2km away from my beach hut at the other end of the beach. There are motorcycles with sidecars which zip along the beach all day and take you to where ever you want to go for a price. I rarely use these things because I can't be bothered with the hassle of negotiating a price, so I either walk or rent a moto. This was night time and I was drinking, so I was walking. I decided to walk back to my hut (2Km). Next thing I know, a guy with sidecar stops and says "where you go", expecting an extortionate fee I said "I am walking". He then said "I take you, for free". I checked in Thai that he was indeed going to take me for free and why he wanted to and he told me that he just wanted to be nice to tourists. I got in, still cynically expecting a demand for money when we go to where we were going. We had a good chat (in Thai), he then dropped me off, wai'ed me and refused to accept the 50 Baht I tried to give him. He refused it three times. Nice fella, just trying to do good things. I was impressed.

Next up, I was on Phi Phi. Phi Phi isn't a great place to be in any season, but high season it really gets full of wankers (including me....). I went to my usual GH and found that a new Thai guy was in charge. I asked for a room, he offered one at a highly inflated price, in line with all of Phi Phi inflating their prices for the high season. I smiled, said it was a bit much and asked for a discount. He smiled back and just said sure, discount is fine because you asked for it. He then went on to say that not many tourists asked for a discount and he was a little confused by that. Later on he invited me to eat with his family and I spent 2 great days on Phi Phi working but also hanging out with him and his family. Nothing was too much trouble and they really put a great deal of effort into entertaining me. I have no idea why he showed such kindness to me. His GH was full and he certainly didn't need to welcome me into his family like he did. Just another nice guy in an over commercial tourist world. He did ask me a great many questions about whitey and what they wanted out of a GH and the tourist scene on Phi Phi, which I happily answered.

The third thing was on the boat from Phi Phi to Krabi. I was just lounging around and a tout/boat staff came up to me trying to sell me accommodation. I waved him off and told him I lived in Thailand and knew what I was doing. He went away after a nice conversation in Thai. He came back a few minutes later and, in Thai, asked me how he could be more polite in English. We then went through some things and he went off and practiced them. He kept coming back to ask how to say this and that, always with an emphasis on politeness. He then thanked me and I forgot all about it. Touts usually piss me off, but he was a nice guy, trying to do his best at his job and trying to be as polite as possible. When I got off the boat he ran to catch me up, (and called me 'Pee') asked me my name and gave me a wai and thanked me. I am changing my mind on touts.

These stories may be insignificant in many readers eyes, but they are told by someone who has become cynical of the rampant commercialism of the Thai tourist industry and the growing trend that value isn't being had for the tourist Baht, especially in the south (Pattaya should be included in that). I met three of the nicest folks, all trying to do good things, all without trying to make money from me. The Thai tourist industry may not be as bad as I thought it was. Maybe the problem is me, maybe I have seen too much. I don't know, but I thought I would share my good experiences - they really made my trip the best trip I have had in a long time.

I don't really have a major point to make, I just want to say that there are folks out there doing good things and genuinely wanting you to have a good time.

I've always found Krabi folk to be less aggressive and gouging than elsewhere in beachside Thailand.
I've been holidaying there for many years for mainly that reason.

I've never been to phi phi because pretty much everyone says the same thing as you, goo.

Which has lead me to wonder why it's so popular.

Hollow, that is true, but I visited before the movie and there really was nothing there. It was a few huts and a couple of restaurants and not much else. It was difficult to get around. Some folks would have loved it, but the tourist 'gap year' crowd, who are by far the largest group on the island now, would have hated it. They are definitely in it to paint their bodies, drink buckets and shag in the sand at 04:00 on Ao Dalem to the backing track of thumping house music. I am not trying to defend what it has turned into, it is definitely paradise lost, but I think all idyllic spots turn out like Phi Phi. Greed, corruption and rampant commercialism lead to ramshackle design, poor sewage and lack of water. Popularity has been its downfall. I did manage to have a good time this time around - usually I hate the place and can't wait to get away from it.

Btw, I think I solved the mystery of those two women who died on Phi Phi last year. The answer was staring everyone in the face - the water treatment plant is the guilty party.