Incompetent Ministry of Tourism and Sports (MOTS), Thailand?

[hunghung]

I am enjoying the comedy too, seeing how screwed up officials can be.

[rookie]

...seeing how screwed up officials can be.

 

Well, more appropriately, how some officials and others have no conscious about screwing us...;-)

 

So, hunghung, welcome to Asia..

Keep one hand on your wallet, be alert and watch out for the scammers. Yet, most Thais are quite honest!

 

You need not feel too bad (though not happy!) about being cheated by a travel agent, yet some are very reliable. It's common for most backpackers, who commonly stay in Khaosan Rd, to take tours from local agencies to Cambo. Most end of paying extra fees and seldom get what the travel agent promised. You're now more wise, aware, and better able to avoid future problems. In the future use recommendations and tips from people whose judgment you've learned to trust.

 

[kamui]

...seeing how screwed up officials can be.

 

Well' date=' more appropriately, how some officials and others have no conscious about screwing us...;-)

 

So, hunghung, welcome to Asia..

Keep one hand on your wallet, be alert and watch out for the scammers. Yet, most Thais are quite honest!

 

You need not feel too bad (though not happy!) about being cheated by a travel agent, yet some are very reliable. It's common for most backpackers, who commonly stay in Khaosan Rd, to take tours from local agencies to Cambo. Most end of paying extra fees and seldom get what the travel agent promised. You're now more wise, aware, and better able to avoid future problems. In the future use recommendations and tips from people whose judgment you've learned to trust.

[/quote']

 

And just to add: Most tourist scams in LOS are very well documented (like the famous gem scam or the Kao Shan bus trips to Cambo) and the Thai officials know about them since years.

 

Which means, to expect that the TAT is doing anything in your case, is really naive.

 

Even in first world tourist destinations, like South Europe, tourists are being scammed of thousands of Euros regularly (Time Sharing of apartments, e.g.) and in most cases they will find no help from the local government/law enforcement agencies.

Especially in second/third world countries it is absolutely up to the traveler to take care of his money, since no one else will do in 99% of all cases.

[Flashermac]

About 5 years ago I taught an English conversation class for the Tourist Police. One of the exercises was about a situation where a tourist complained he'd paid too much for some jewellery. He wanted the police to try to get his money back. Every single tourist policeman or policewoman in the class asked what they were supposed to do about it. If the guy was overcharged, it was his own fault. The gemstones were genuine, just not worth as much as he paid. He should have bargained better.

 

Caveat emptor.

 

 

[hunghung]

TAT is more about tourism promotion and getting feedback. It has no jurisdication over restaurants or shops, although it can refer the case to the appropriate authority. So reporting a bad shopping experience, for example, to TAT wouldn't help too much.

 

However, MOTS is in charge of issuing travel agency permits (licenses). Since my case involves a travel agency, MOTS has lots of leverage when dealing with the travel agency.

[USVirgin]

It's a wonder some of us old farts were able to travel the world under the school of hard knocks and not have an internet to bitch to upon return home.

[Flashermac]

I blame the current mess on that bunghole Joe Cummings and his guide books. Anyone else old enough besides us to remember when there were "world travellers" who just went and explored on their own? No books, no guides - just find out for yourself. Make it an adventure. Nowadays, low budget travelling more resembles a grand scavenger hunt, with destinations to tick off.

 

"Yep, been there. Done that. Now what does the guide book say we should do? Nope, don't want to go there. The guy who wrote the guide book didn't like the place."

 

Rant over.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[rookie]

.....I blame the current mess on that bunghole Joe Cummings and his guide books.

 

I was guilty of using a Lonely Planet guide book during my first trip to Thailand. After a week, I realized that it provided fairly accurate info on various cities and towns, but any recommendations for various services were absolutely _worthless_. I tossed the book away!

 

On a positive note, the book is the bible for the naive hordes (backpackers) exploring SEA. The book was instrumental, as well as shared info on the Net, in creating the 'backpacker trail'. I've traveled much of SEA, via motorcycle, and do all I can to avoid those boring backpackers and the predictable trail they follow.

 

One of the better examples of one of the worthless suggestions proffered by LT I encountered in the town of Pai. I stopped at a restaurant for coffee. They had a sign out front that said, "We are not listed in the Lonely Planet, we have good food" The owner told me that 3 other good Pai restaurants have the same sign and all the visiting backpackers usually eat at an LT recommended place that locals consider to have the worst food in town.

 

[Flashermac]

Joe Cummings lasted maybe six months in the Peace Corps. I'm not sure if he just got restless and resigned to roam, or if his college told him to bugger off. The LP guide to Thailand is full of errors, but Joe never bothered to correct them in its many new editions. When I see a mistake in some of my published writing, I feel embarrassed. Apparently, he doesn't. He also put his own opinion into everything. e.g. He can't stand Nakorn Sawan and tells people not to go there. Nakhorn Sawan is a big fascinating city, one of the major Chinese areas of Thailand. People travel from all over Thailand to watch the Chinese festivals. Guess Cummings doesn't like the Chinese or something.

 

He has made a good living off of that book though, so more power to him. It's tough to support oneself by writing.

 

But try his guide book on Laos. Some comments from Amazon on it (admittedly the negative ones):

 

<< After using the Thailand Lonely Planet guide (also written by Joe Cummings) extensively this summer (it was extremely helpful), I found the Laos guide really disappointing.

 

Laos is changing at an alarming rate and a lot of the information in this guide was out of date. Also, unlike the Thailand guide which is quite detailed, I found this book to be kind of skimpy. The maps aren't very good, a lot of towns weren't included, transportation details were no longer correct or not included, and because of the surge in tourism and high inflation rate, the prices listed were meaningless.

 

Until edition 4 of the Laos Lonely Planet guide is published, I would recommend buying The Rough Guide Laos which was published in January 2000 and was getting good reviews from other tourists. >>

 

<< Lonely Planet has a bad habit of using grim Peace Corps Puritans to write their guides, and the one who wrote this one is even duller and more pedantic than most. He resolutely ignores all that might help you enjoy this wonderful country in favour of long disquisitions on Buddhist cornices. If you are touring Laos in order to learn more about the architecture of temples, this is your book. If you'd like to have a good time in Laos, look elsewhere. >>

 

<< It appears that the more Mr Cummings writes, the worse his pamhlets degrade. If you have an intense interest only in how to locate the cheapest noodle stands and flea invested "Hanoi Hiltons" this book is for you. If you desire to learn something of the culture, people, ethnic minorities and diverse locale of Laos, please look elsewhere. This book was of very limited use to me in a country that already has so little written of it. >>

 

<< I'm sorry, but did the author even go to Laos before writing this book? Don't get me wrong- Joe Cummings does an excellent job in his Thailand books, however, in Laos, he falls short. The descriptions are incorrect (and sure, things change but not that much) and the maps are totally off. Skip the bike routes (eg. the one to Buddha Park) in Vientiane, especially after the rainy season. >>

 

 

[Flashermac]

p.s. As to food, try "Thai dishes" in the KSR area. You know something is wrong when they serve a bottle of Heinz ketchup with your kweitiow or phat Thai.

 

The other Thai meals usually are only Thai in the sense that you are eating them in Thailand.

 

KSR does have some good food ... Indian, Nepali, Israeli. But forget the "Thai" restaurants there and walk a bit north to Banglampoo.