legover Posted May 16, 2003 Report Share Posted May 16, 2003 Have you ever been driving around, completely lost, and you ask your thai companion to ask directions and she won?t. flat out refuses even if it means driving round in circles forever? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fidel Posted May 16, 2003 Report Share Posted May 16, 2003 I haven't personally been in that situation but I know what you mean. I was once due to be picked up at my house by a taxi driver. He had been given my address written in Thai and a well drawn map. He called me and said, 'I'm at the end of your soi.', I walked to the end of the soi and called him back 'No, you're not.', I said. He called me back again, 'Now I'm at the end of your soi', again, 'No, you're not'. 'Look, where are you?', 'near xxxx school', 'Wait there, I'll come and get you'. The guy obviously wouldn't ask for directions. I find that Thais are pretty crap at giving directions anyway. I was teaching kids to give directions once and to practice I asked them the way to their house. Each kid looked confused and took a long time and a lot of help to answer. My Thai partner explained to me that the English wasn't the problem, they just couldn't even think of the directions in Thai in the first place as they weren't used to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mongatu Posted May 16, 2003 Report Share Posted May 16, 2003 When going somewhere off the beaten track, I've specifically asked taxi drivers whether they know the way to my destination, had them say they did, only to find out after we set off that they did not. I think it is a loss of face for them to admit they don't know the way to somewhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacko Posted May 16, 2003 Report Share Posted May 16, 2003 And I think you just hit the nail on the head. I soon learned not to ask for directions in Spain. Apparently they hate to admit to not knowing something, or perhaps disappoint , because they would send you on a wild goosechase around town. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted May 16, 2003 Report Share Posted May 16, 2003 I had an intersting experience. I was trying to find an obscure place in china town. The taxi drive actualy asked a tuk tuk driver where to go, twice. Now that is a great taxi driver. Most of the would have driven for an hour and then said I can't find it. Also how many times have you gotten in a taxi and the driver doesnt know or doesnt want to take you to a certain place. Seems like it about one out of 4 or 5 times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
limbo Posted May 17, 2003 Report Share Posted May 17, 2003 Spot on Fripence, a similar experience is when I ask my wife (Thai) to call somewhere in order to get information. It takes days of persistent asking before she considers picking up the phone. What's up with that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pattaya127 Posted May 17, 2003 Report Share Posted May 17, 2003 Have you ever been driving around, completely lost, and you ask your thai companion to ask directions and she won?t -------------------------------------------- sure, I can relate to that. It's not always the companion's fault. Thais, well, south east asians, are notoriously not very good at giving directions, or showing the way to a place. I believe it has to do that they don't grasp the concept of us weird farangs having to go out of the usual spots, or having to know anything outside of their daily scope. BKKians probably a little more aware, but still, forget it for giving accurate directions. Exceptions confirm the rule.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CondomKing Posted May 17, 2003 Report Share Posted May 17, 2003 I have found that the best local directions are from the motorcycle taxi guys. They have also always been eager to help. Of course, unless your fluent, you will need a Thai translator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torneyboy Posted May 17, 2003 Report Share Posted May 17, 2003 Says Mongatu: When going somewhere off the beaten track, I've specifically asked taxi drivers whether they know the way to my destination, had them say they did, only to find out after we set off that they did not. I think it is a loss of face for them to admit they don't know the way to somewhere. Not just LOS on this topic we could run a huge thread on taxis and knowledge or lack there of Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Khun_Kong Posted May 17, 2003 Report Share Posted May 17, 2003 I posted the first part of this experience in another thread- here's the whole story... I recently took a mototaxi ride, about 15 minutes duration, ended up back where we started, never actually reaching the destination. Paid up front, of course, no refund, no second try by a more knowledgeable driver!! I should add that the driver was on MY cell phone, getting directions as we drove!!! I was going to the pattayalive.com offices in Pattaya, never found them. On return, head honcho says, "No find first time, you go again, you pay now, 30 B". Smiling, I politely declined. I say, "You take me again and find it, I pay". However, I was won over by the next Thai motomafioso's flawless logic, to wit: "You fuck lady 1 time, you pay 1 time. You fuck lady 2 time you pay 2 time" . I then walked a block or two to another group of drivers. Again, riding, driver on my cell phone, khrap khrap khrap. He confidently gets me to what seems to be the right road and the building is only off by a couple of numbers (like, looking for 247/2 and left at 243/1, something like that). Thanks, pay him, start trying to find building. That was my first lesson in numbering in TL. Seems that they number by order of registration or some crap, so doesn't appear to be any systematic way to find a place! Took one more motobike that day. Back to Beach Rd. Couldn't miss it. Drive towards the water, stop just before you get sandy and wet. Have beer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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