Thailand – Some Of My Best Photos
Not much of an article here, just some photos of very beautiful places I was lucky enough to visit in Thailand. Click the pictures for a large hi resolution version.
Ko Phi Phi at dusk
This was Ko Phi Phi. Possibly one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been to. It was worth going way out of my way to visit this place and I really recommend anyone who is thinking about going to just go.
Two Rocks Bungalows on Ko Phangan
Two Rocks Bungalows. The living area
This was one of the better places I stayed. I genuinely feel blessed to have been able to stop here. I don’t use the word blessed very often.
Buddhist Temple Somewhere In Thailand
I forget exactly which temple this is because I saw a lot of them in my time but this picture is particularly striking.
Waterfall in Chiang Mai
One of the many waterfalls I visited. This one in Chiang Mai was probably the most dramatic although the one in Ko Samui was the most fun.
Sukothai
The ruins around the old Thai capitol city. This is a really stunning place to spend an afternoon but you’re best advised to cycle everywhere as motorbikes are not allowed in the ruins.
The biggest temple in Chiang Mai
I tried hard to get the image to reflect the way the gold looks to your eye but it’s very difficult. I think this is the best result I got with image editing. These things really need to be seen in person to get the full effect though.
I hope you’ve enjoyed checking out my Photos from Thailand. They are images of beautiful places that I was lucky enough to visit. I would encourage everyone to visit them too. You only need to go once and it will leave a lasting impression on you, I have no doubt.
Thailand – How To Negotiate With Street Sales People
If you spend any time in Thailand at all you will no doubt come across people trying to sell you something on the street. The first time you see them all their products will look nice and unique. Kind of hand made in a quirky way. If you visit a couple of markets you will find that throughout Thailand all the products are the same.
This is the first thing you need to know. You can buy the stuff someone is trying to sell you absolutely everywhere so it is most definitely a buyers market. You don’t need to worry about not being able to find the product somewhere else. Feel free to walk away at any time if you don’t like the price or their attitude. They want your business and may well chase you. If not, no worries just go to the next one.
Picking a starting price is important. I don’t like to pay more than half their asking price and flat out refuse to pay more than 66% of the starting price. When they quote a price I immediately offer 1/3 of their price. In the UK this is probably the cost price but in Thailand this will still give them a good profit margin.
Feel free to move price around a little bit. After all, price negotiation is give and take. You’re never going to get something for 1/3 their asking price but it lets them know that you’re serious. Not some 18 year old gap year idiot that thinks they’re getting real Ray Ban sunglasses for £3.00.
I’ll gradually increase my offer until I get to 50% and then flatly refuse to go up anymore. I’ve walked away from people who won’t give me 50%. Sometimes they’ll chase after you to try and get your money. If they do, it’s definitely an option to offer them a little more money and carry on negotiating. I find negotiating fun and challenging so keep going and don’t settle for anything more than 66%. This is still a really good deal for them too.
If you’re looking to buy more than one of something, for gifts perhaps, it’s good to negotiate a small individual price for one item then when they agree offer to buy more but at a reduced cost. For example if I can get 60% cost on one item and I want five I will then offer them 50% initial price for five. If they don’t go for it walk off and see if they come to you.
Always remember that you can buy most of the things in street stalls all over Thailand so there’s no need to worry if you can’t get a good price at your first time. Don’t pay them anything, just go and find someone else who will sell it to you.
Disinterest in the sale often works well. If you act like you’re just browsing sometimes the sales person will do the bargaining for you. I got a pair of sunglasses reduced from £8 to £3 doing absolutely nothing more than repeatedly telling the guy I was just looking. Different sales people have different emotional triggers you can work. Once you learn to read people’s triggers you can make them do pretty much whatever you want.
Thailand – Over Staying Your Visa
We’ve all been there. You head to Thailand and fall in love with the place. You just don’t want to leave. It’s OK you think. It doesn’t matter about the date on my passport, I’ll just stay a few more days. There won’t be any harm.
Unfortunately this isn’t the case. Whilst the islands like Ko Phi Phi and Ko Phangan might be very easy going, the immigration is not so forgiving. You will be charged 500 Baht (correct July 2011) for every day over your Visa you stay. Given that you’re probably a poor gap year student if you’re reading this then you’ll want to save as much money as possible so this isn’t a good idea.
Fortunately the Thai government has forseen events like these and it is relatively easy to get your Visa extended. All you need to do is to go to the building mentioned in my article about losing your passport in Thailand, pay your fees and get on with your journey.
Remember, the best way to get to the immigration building is by Taxi and should cost approximately 200 Baht (plus fees for the high way) from the Khao San Road area. It should be significantly less from the Sukhumvit area but noone wants to be in the Sukhumvit area if they’re tourists!
Thailand – The Rules of The Tuk Tuk Drivers
I love Tuk Tuks. They’re so much fun. In Lonely Planet they are totally slated but they are definitely an experience that you need to do at some point when you’re traveling through Thailand. It is important to understand the rules of the Tuk Tuk game because if you don’t you will get totally ripped off. I wrote a post about improving your negotiatings skills a little while ago and a lot of the same rules apply here but it definitely helps to know how they’re going to operate so you can have the best chance to get a good deal.
Firstly, if you’re in a hurry don’t bother getting a Tuk Tuk. You’re just wasting your time. True they can cut through traffic much more easily than a taxi but the driver will likely try to charge you insane amounts of money. Getting good deals in Tuk Tuks takes time. Get in a Metered Taxi and make sure they put the meter on. You won’t get a terrible deal.
If you’ve already got a metered taxi you probably know that the minimum fare is 35 Baht. This will get you quite some distance so be aware of this. I’ll typically start my negotiations at this price if I want to take a short journey.
You should be aware that Tuk Tuk drivers will tell you that they get gas for taking you to various shops. I don’t know if this is true. They tell you that they don’t get a commission on anything you buy but I find that very hard to believe. I just assume that they do get a commission. A Tuk Tuk will usually take around 100 Baht of fuel to be filled. Factor that into your negotiations.
The deal with these shops is you go for 10 minutes and take a look around. If you don’t buy anything you don’t buy anything. Often these places are high pressure sell environments. Especially the tailors. I actually bought a suit from Ram Fashion, a tailor I was introduced to by my tuk tuk driver. My suit was lush and exactly what I wanted. I managed to negotiate them down to half price on that too. I like these guys and will likely make them my tailor in the future. The quality is excellent.
If you’ve got a lot to do, it can be worth negotiating with your driver and using these visits to shops as a bargaining chip for you.
For three shop visits, I was able to get a tuk tuk for 4 hours and paid 10 Baht. It’s not that difficult to shrug off salesmen if you don’t want anything. 10 minutes can be a long time in a shop where everyone is trying to sell you something but at the end of the day, just enjoy the chilly air conditioning that they inevitably will have in these shops.
So here’s what you’ve got to negotiate with:
Money (obviously), trips to shops for gas tokens, commission on purchases from these shops.
If I bought something in a shop, I would make sure that I pay no more than 30 Baht for a ride in a Tuk Tuk. If it’s a short journey, example from Khao San Road to Hua Lamphong Station, I would expect a 30 Baht ride for simply stopping at a shop for 10 minutes.
Remember, no matter what they tell you, they can always do it for a cheaper price. Decide on the price you want to pay beforehand and make sure you don’t pay any more than that. There are other ways to bargain with the drivers apart from money. Make the most of them. Trade trips to shops for extra miles in the Tuk Tuk. Don’t be afraid to drive down the price because these guys are businessmen and they are sharks. They are looking to take every single penny that they can from you. Treat them with no mercy because they will not treat you with any.
If all else fails, just give them what you think is fair and walk off. They don’t like that.