Pharcyde Posted August 17, 2004 Report Share Posted August 17, 2004 Leaving the Land of Smiles is not all too difficult as long as you catch one of the thousands abundant taxis around town. Once you have left your suitcases in charge of the people in charge, leaving the Land of Smiles becomes even easier. And why that? Because I have just realised that many people at the airport seem to have created a joint effort in making the departing traveler board his plane with the least amount of superfluous local currency left in his pockets. Let me tell you how I came to this conclusion. Having passed the migration point I made my way towards the international departure gates. As there was plenty of time left before boarding, I decided to shop around a bit. ? the walking street that leads to the gates is nothing but a giant international shopping mall. I decided to have a browse through the books offered for sale a bookshop. I picked my way through bibliographies of Bernhard Trink and brightly illustrated cooking books showing delicious photos of Phat Thai to an ordinary novel of thrash literature that would do the trick of killing time on a sleepless night on the airplane. Paying for the book was uncomplicated. Apparently I wasn?t even to receive a receipt for my purchase. The girl at the counter had already wai-ed, when I asked her if I weren?t supposed to receive some kind of evidence for my shopping. She promptly proceeded to ask me for my boarding pass, - I?m in trouble now, I thought and wondered why I hadn?t just let a sleeping dog lie. But there was no trouble at all. Writing down the details of the customers boarding pass is just part of the procedure, when you buy stuff in an airport. I still wondered why she quickly tossed the original bill into the bin and looked away. I was flabbergasted. Well, well. Full of literature but with an empty stomach I strolled on in search of a Burger King. Unfound, I asked at the information counter who informed me that if I was to eat at Burger King, I would have to leave the departure area and pay another 500 Baht departure tax upon returning. Many burgers can be bought for that amount of money, so I decided to satisfy my rumbling stomach at the KFC branch inside the departure area in stead. Ambling into the joint I found the probably most crowded fast food franchise in the whole Kingdom. It seems like many people (including myself) have to get the last filling of junk food before leaving the country. I looked at the enormous queue and decided to have a go at KFC´s Chocolate Sundae Ice-cream, just because the amount of people in front of the small ice cream shop wasn?t as intimidating as inside the joint. As the Japanese guy in front of me had received his order of a double up Oreo blizzard, I pointed at the large picture of the Chocolate Sundae and pronounced the order. A few moments later I received my treat alongside the change of a hundred bath note I had used to pay with. And there it was again, something just wasn?t right. I looked at my change and at the price tag for the ice cream and subtracted. I recounted the amount of change in my hands with all my primary school knowledge of math and realized that I had been shortchanged by a whole 37 Baht. While not the essential part of the down payment for my car, I still considered it too much for my understanding of tolerance, and thus asked the cashier to recount the money. Promptly I received the missing 37 Baht from her colleague, almost as if she knew on beforehand. Again I was flabbergasted, but decided not to discuss the matter before the Ice cream started to melt seriously. I thus boarded my plane without any further incidents but pondering on what I had just experienced during my last hour in the Kingdom and decided to write this account. That night I left Bangkok with the uncanny feeling of having witnessed two attempts of scam in a very short time. It is not the fact that I was shortchanged by a small amount of money, because worse things can and do happen in the scam department. Neither is it the fact that I didn?t get a bill from the lady at the bookstore. I would have thrown such bill away anyway. The point is that it is just not acceptable. It makes me wonder just how many Baht are made through these small but professional scams. I do not attempt to reason as to why the commercial enterprises at the Don Muang establishment are going down this path, but for a leaving traveler like myself it surely lightens his pockets but weighs down his heart. The airport is the first and last picture a visitor will get of the country. And even though the saying goes, ?First impressions last? it also counts for a lot to leave with a good impression. It is important to make sure that this impression is positive, otherwise I will take my business elsewhere next time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
check_bin_krap Posted August 17, 2004 Report Share Posted August 17, 2004 I agree. I do not like the department area of BKK airport after checkin, its all geared into shopping - its a disgrace for people who want to sit down and relax. I often sit on the floor (no room on seats cause too many shops ), sip my cans of beer which I brought in and listen to music on my CD player. No complaints so far - and if they did I would listen of course! Cheers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soongmak Posted August 18, 2004 Report Share Posted August 18, 2004 The biggest scam is probably the price you paid for the book. The same books you find at The Asia Book stores on sukh for 400 baht, easily cost up to 700 at the airport. I have never bothered to buy anything at the airport - not past customs anyway. Cheers, soongmak Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pharcyde Posted August 19, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 19, 2004 right guys, books and beer should be brought into the airport from outside. That way Ill have more baht in my wallet for the next trip. Cheers, Pharcyde Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted August 19, 2004 Report Share Posted August 19, 2004 I have been told most of the ppl that work in the shops in the departure area "pay for the privelage" to work there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shygye Posted August 19, 2004 Report Share Posted August 19, 2004 At the airport, I buy some Thai sweets to share with me mates back home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soongmak Posted August 19, 2004 Report Share Posted August 19, 2004 That is EVIL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Encore Posted August 19, 2004 Report Share Posted August 19, 2004 > The biggest scam is probably the price you paid for the book. The same books you find at The Asia Book stores on sukh for 400 baht, easily cost up to 700 at the airport. < No, the biggest scam is the massage. 1000Bt for an hour, asking price 1500 Bt, negotiable down to 1000 for a HJ, oil 400 extra. now that is a scam!!! But you can take it or leave it, this is the market place! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pharcyde Posted August 19, 2004 Author Report Share Posted August 19, 2004 I´m surprised how many aspects of a scam one can cum over at the airport. 400baht for a happy end? Not inside the departure area, cant be... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Encore Posted August 20, 2004 Report Share Posted August 20, 2004 >>No, the biggest scam is the massage. 1000Bt for an hour, asking price 1500 Bt, negotiable down to 1000 for a HJ, oil 400 extra. now that is a scam!!!<< >I´m surprised how many aspects of a scam one can cum over at the airport. 400baht for a happy end? Not inside the departure area, cant be... < I'll rephrase that: 1000 for a trad. massage, 400 extra if she uses oil, and 1000 on top of that (negotiated down from 1500) for the HJ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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