Honest Taxi Drivers

[bambergasgoigne]

Theres a lot of bitching and moaning about, and I guess theres lots of things to bitch and moan about, (but the same could be said of any town and any country in the world I guess).

I did a really stupid thing yesterday, but just want to thank the honesty of a taxi driver for not making me look even stupider (not sure thats a real word).

I owed another Farang 10,000 baht and to pay him back he was sending his driver to my hotel in Bangkok. The previous night I had arrived from overseas and asked my random yellow&green taxi driver from the airport to collect me the next day to bring me down to Hua Hin. (you can probably guess what I did, its bordering on racism !).

The next morning, I got a phone call to say the driver to collect the money was on the way, and would phone me when he got to the hotel. 5 minutes later I got a phone call from reception saying my driver was in reception. I went down (a little jetlagged perhaps), and counted the 10,000 baht in front of the driver, put it in an envelope and gave it to him.

10 minutes later I got a phone call in my room to say the driver for the money was in reception. I told the guy I had already given it to him. He phoned me back and said his driver was still there and did not have the money.

I thought, F**k, how did that scam work. How did someone know to collect money from me, and then I remembered I had ordered the taxi from the night before.

I rushed down to reception to find my original green&yellow taxi driver sitting there waiting for me with a bemused look on his face and the money in his hand. I passed the money to the correct driver, returned to my room and felt like a first time visitor to Thailand.

I was so embarrassed I hadn't recognised my driver from the night before, I hired him to drive me round for the week, and he probably made up the money anyway !!.

all in all another feel good story (just), and another reason to love this place.

Bamber

ps - I am ready for your enlightened criticisms at my stupidity and naivety.

[bambergasgoigne]

when I said yesterday, I didn't mean it literally - its only a turn a phrase, it was actually a week or so ago.

Bamber

[Randy Cornhole]

Makes one feel all warm inside...

[redzonerocker]

ps - I am ready for your enlightened criticisms at my stupidity and naivety.

no criticisms from me bamber, but thats just your starter for ten

here's a story that's possibly even more stupider on the 'dumbass scale'

Good Samaritan carjacks Bristol woman
Saturday, January 31, 2009, 07:00

A Bristol office worker was carjacked by a Good Samaritan after he tricked her into thinking one of her car's wheels was about to fall off.

Jessica King, 19, had just parked her car opposite St Mary Redcliffe Church when a man knocked on her window. He told her the back wheel of her R-reg Vauxhall Corsa was loose.

Getting off his mountain bike, he persuaded her to get the wrench out the boot to tighten the wheel nuts and then said he'd "test drive" her car.

The filing clerk from Horfield, who was on her way to work at Beachcroft solicitors in nearby Portwall Place, innocently handed over her keys.

"He kept saying 'It's for your safety' and I stupidly trusted him," the former Monks Park A-level student told the Bristol Post.
Click here!

"First of all I thought he looked a bit dodgy, but then I started to think he just wanted to help."

She stood watching helplessly as he sped off towards Queen Square in her blue Corsa, leaving behind his bike.

In the car's passenger footwell was her handbag, containing her digital camera with sentimental photos of her 94-year-old great-grandmother's birthday.

They are Miss King's last memories of her aging relative, who sadly died not long after the celebrations.

In a carrier bag in the boot was her friend's Playstation console, which she had been leant together with games and DVDs.

Miss King, who is studying to be a legal executive and hope to one day train to become a lawyer, added: "After he was in the car, driving away, there was nothing I could do.

"I'd only put the Playstation in the boot that morning to return to my friend after work.

"I have to get to work early so I can get a free parking spot on the street, rather than paying for the car park.

"I had just parked and all of sudden he was knocking on my window saying my back wheel was wobbling as I drove up. I took the keys out the ignition to get the wrench.

"He showed me the wheel with two lose bolts, but in hindsight I think he probably undid them before he showed me.

"He then said 'I'm just going to test drive it'. He took it up the road, and I was thinking 'oh my god, he's nicked it', but he came back.

"But then he drove off again, leaving his bike behind."

Miss King had to stop a passerby to call the police, because her mobile phone was also in her handbag.

She paid £1,300 for the 10-year-old car when she bought it three years ago with money she earned from her Saturday job at Clinton Cards.

Police said they were looking for a white man in his 20s, who has sandy brown shaved hair. He was wearing dirty white trainers, jogging bottoms and a jumper when he took the car.

His bike his being checked to see if any DNA or fingerprints can lead officers to the carjacker.

PC Nick King, beat manager for the area, said: "We are checking CCTV in the area and would appeal to anyone who saw this man acting suspiciously shortly before 7am on Thursday in Phippen Lane to get in touch with us immediately."

Witnesses to the incident, or anyone who has seen a blue Vauxhall Corsa registration: R302 LPC, should contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555111 or ring police on 0845 456 7000.

[Rider]

Heh, I like the good taxi-driver stories, the one who retrieved my passport for me during the madness of sonkran in Phuket is eternally in my favour

[Toy]

Bamber good for us there are honest people.

Think we are more people who did strange things during our visit to Thailand.
Before I would rent a car, but the contract was only in Thai, my first reaction was it doesn’t matter. Thank God I thought me and find another landlord.
Thailand does some strange thing to me.

[dtaai-maai]

I confess to being the odd man out - I haven't understood one single post on this thread. Again.

[Randy Cornhole]

I confess to being the odd man out - I haven't understood one single post on this thread. Again.

Have you started on the giggle juice early this evening...

[dtaai-maai]

It may be early in Croydon, Randy, but it's after 1 a.m. here...
I suppose my confusion arose from the fact that someone owed 10,000 baht by Bamber would send a driver to his hotel (how much do bank transfers cost?), and that it would be necessary to have a separately booked taxi to take him to HH.

[BaaBaa.]

It may be early in Croydon, Randy, but it's after 1 a.m. here...
I suppose my confusion arose from the fact that someone owed 10,000 baht by Bamber would send a driver to his hotel (how much do bank transfers cost?), and that it would be necessary to have a separately booked taxi to take him to HH.

Its quite possible the fella who was owed money lives in Bangkok.

Simple really.

Whats confusing me is how did the BKK Taxi drive him around for the week if he was going to Hua Hin that day.

[PeteC]

I've had to take taxi's frequently in Bangkok these past few weeks, sometimes four a day. I've noticed that on Saturday's and Sunday's the driver is never the man in the picture on the dashboard. He's either very young or very old and probably a relative of the registered driver. The driving skills of these substitutes is not very good as well. I had one with glasses as thick as coke bottle bottoms who would zoom up to things and then slam on the brakes, obviously not being able to see they were stopped, or a pedestrian, until he was on top of them. He would then flip the bird and yell "Quay!!", even at inanimate objects such as parked cars. I had my little 3 year old with me who got a big kick out of that and laughed every time! If you have a small daughter and travel in taxi's in Bangkok, you may find yourself having to wait for a pink one as I was ordered to do each and every time. Pete

[sandman67]

I always thought those words sort of went together like

Military Intelligence
Fresh Frozen
Light but Filling

[bambergasgoigne]

just to clarify

dtaai-maai
sorry for confusing you. I do that to myself all the time !. The person I owed money to was not living in Thailand, and I can't transfer money to someone outside the country online (at least not that I can work out). He had a friend working in BKK who he could get the money off, and so his friend sent his driver to my hotel.

baabaa
I arrived at the airport the day before, hired a green&yellow taxi driver, who I booked to bring me to Hua Hin the next day. Hence the confusion. Then in my guilt and to reward his honesty, I got him to drive back to BKK and bring some friends to Hua Hin to meet me, bring them back to BKK a few days later, and bring me back to BKK a few days later again. Sorry 'drive round for a week' was a bit of an exaggeration. I just knew he was more expensive than the taxi's i usually get, but I didn't mind. Although I said the incident happened yesterday, I really meant last week.

I'm off now to have another dose of my 'old age' pills.

Have a good evening - whereever it may take you !

Bamber