Worst case of two tier pricing????

[rookie]

Earlier this year I rode to Ubon Ratachatani to see their Candle Festival. After the festival, I went east, near the Cambo border and visited the Pha Tam and Kaeng Tana National Parks.

At Pa Tam, using my Thai driver's license got me the normal entry fee. At Kaeng Tana the guard stopped me and was curious to see a farang on a motorcycle out his way. I chatted briefly with him in my very marginal Thai. He waved me in for free, but as I was about to enter a young Thai couple drove up in their car. I saw him charge them 20-Bt each to enter the park.

Reverse discrimination! I love it!

[preahko]

Earlier this year I rode to Ubon Ratachatani to see their Candle Festival. After the festival, I went east, near the Cambo border and visited the Pha Tam and Kaeng Tana National Parks.

At Pa Tam, using my Thai driver's license got me the normal entry fee. At Kaeng Tana the guard stopped me and was curious to see a farang on a motorcycle out his way. I chatted briefly with him in my very marginal Thai. He waved me in for free, but as I was about to enter a young Thai couple drove up in their car. I saw him charge them 20-Bt each to enter the park.

Reverse discrimination! I love it!

 

At least in the case of Cambodian citizens getting in to see Angkor Wat free, it's a case of getting those of us foreigners who have the cash to pay for its upkeep, while allowing the locals to witness the great works of their ancestors for free...

 

When the Thais charge foreigners to see Khmer, Lao or Lanna ancient monuments on what's now Thai soil, they're charging you to see the stuff they stole from all the other cultures in the region that they colonized!! Meuang Tam, Phi Mai, Tat Phanom are about as "Thai" as they are "Australian" or "German"!!!

 

preahko

[Flashermac]

I suppose the Cambodian peasants came up to Isaan and built all of those temples. Sounds like you buy into the crap in the Thai school books about the alleged "migration" from Nan Chao etc. In fact, the people who built the Khmer temples in Isaan and southern Laos are the same folks who live there now. The Khmer were the overlords, just as much as the Romans who made the locals build those "Roman ruins" you see in Britain, France, Germany etc. Later, the Thais replaced the Khmer as the rulers. So?

 

 

 

 

 

[limbo]

I don't like the two tier pricing system too much but get less aggravated about it nowadays.

 

For whatever it's worth though, the system exists throughout the world and is not exclusive to Thailand, but as already mentioned before, the racist slant the Thais give to it makes it more 'detestable'.

 

Here's a sample of two tier pricing in the West;

My parents used to run a cafe/hotel in a very touristy area in the Netherlands with very clear cut high and low seasons.

The regulars in the cafe, paid very different prices in high season than the tourists.

[buffalo_bill]

[color:red]" The regulars in the cafe, paid very different prices in high season than the tourists.[/color]

 

 

TIH : This - is - Holland

 

 

[Lusty]

I was looking last night at some of the hotel prices in Pattaya and noticed that it is extra for the Thai market over Songrahn and the Chinese new year?

[limbo]

[color:red]" The regulars in the cafe, paid very different prices in high season than the tourists.[/color]

 

 

TIH : This - is - Holland

 

 

[cavanami]

One point for the locals paying a lower price is that they live in the area and pay taxes (OK, not the Thais).

When a tourist arrives, the tourist reap the advantages but have not paid the infrastructure costs, so thus, the tourist should pay a higher price.

[panadolsandwich]

I got this when I went to Koh Chang. Same deal 400 baht for tourists - and for what? It's not an amusement park - it's a waterfall!

 

The rip off starts when you step off the boat. Want a taxi to your hotel? Well the only game in town is going to charge you what ever they think they can - about 75 baht last time I was there - non negotiable. I even rented a car there and the guy refused to drop me off at the ferry with the car saying the mafia would shut him down (or worse) if he was seen taking me there. Running late that time I payed the policeman to drive me to the ferry because the only game in town wasn't arsed to even come!

 

So what is the story with these island taxis? I was watching the Koh Samui tv channel and this girl is going on about the shopping, the crocodile farm etc. She gets onto the topic of transport and explains the soongtheiow two seats on a pickup truck. Then she said the taxi 'meter' is really just a misnomer. ***You have to negotiate the price before you set off!!!*** Just so matter of fact eh?

 

Fuck them. I don't pay a single baht to those bastards anymore. If I can't bring my own transport, or hire it - I'd rather fucking walk.

[zen4dummies]

We went to a waterfall on Koh Chang last weekend and the posted price was 20 baht for Thais and 400 baht for farangs. We displayed a less-than-eager attitude to go see a less-than-spectular waterfall (I had been there before) and found out that if you show a work permit or retirement visa you will be allowed to get in for 200 baht.

 

Once at an elephant park in Ayutia (sp?) we had the girls buy the tickets and went in at the Thai entry fee. It was the girls idea.