Bangkok Tut Tut Experience
I was visited to Bangkok last month, it's worth to share my tut tut experience with you, tut tut is a common transportation in Bangkok (maybe in whole Thailand), which I called it Taxi without cover, it just like a Taxi will send passanger to their destination, but smaller and no cover, it most likely only can fit in 2 people comfortly but sometime can fit 4 people (like what we did during trip), I believe that might be more. However, tut tut is not a car, it look like a three tires motorbikes to me, and carry a cart at its back. For people who doesn’t like public transport but think Taxi is too expensive, tut tut might be a choice as they are cheaper.
At our first night in Bangkok, we walked along night market until we were too tired to return to our hotel, there we got a ride back with tut tut, which cost us about 100 baths for four people with around 15 minutes journey, I think price might be a bit higher after do some calculation back home, however it was night ride and currency convert, I think I am fine with this price. Well, this is my first tut tut experience in my life. There was second tut tut experience in the second day and this is more interesting experience.
On the second day, we planned to visit some attractions in Bangkok, we got a ride with Taxi to Wat Pho, the journey from our hotel to Wat Pho is around 30 minutes and Taxi fare was 70 bath (by meter) and 150 bath (without meter) for two taxis. It was before 8am when we arrived to Wat Pho and the temple only opened on 8:30am, there we met a tut tut driver outside the temple, he offered us a half day tour, which include taking us hop to 4 temples and a 3 days only expo just with 30 baths per tut tut.
Well, 30 baths only for a morning, this really sound good, right? Because it is even cheaper than what we paid for tut tut in first night and Taxi in second day. And, I didn’t really know what the expo is, it sound to me a cultural fair and interesting, however I kind of drawback because of its cheap price, sometime I would feel hesitated with those especial valuable offer, it sounded to me like a trap behind it.
However, Wat Pho was not opened yet and one of friends already went into the tut tut, there followed the second and the third friend, so I think we just followed them since we got 7 people, so we don’t need to worry too much, but I still with doubt at the beginning of tour, kept thinking if it is safe or if they would bring us to some hidden corner in Bangkok.
They brought us to see standing Buddha at the first place and talked joke a lot during the tour, they looked like friendly and harmless. Well, the first place wasn’t so interesting, but the second place was fine as it is at a hill and we need to walk a while to the hill and there we could see Bangkok view from top and I think there wasn’t bad, then I just lifted down my alert and told myself they might be really friendly and tut tut in Bangkok might be really that cheap.
Then we when to visit fortune Buddha and lucky Buddha, there were just normal place but we met a person there and he told us that he went to an expo on the day before, he said there were a good place and we would love it a lot (really?), later he told me that he bought a sapphire in the expo at a cheap price with about 10k Ringgit. Well, he is rich man and sure would think 10k is cheap, but it is not the same case to me, and even more I am not a fan of jewelry. After meeting that man, a light bulb turned on in my brain, I realized that the expo should be just a jewelry factory or outlet which I got not any interest on it.
There we departed to our final destination – the expo, during the journey, the driver told us that the factory will subsided them petrol if we consumed and buying jewelry, they encouraged us to buy some items there because they are cheaper than others. Well, I am for sure with spend money there one and just felt sorry for that. When we arrived to “expo”, those salesgirls were so friendly to introduce us their jewelry but I didn’t spend any there, of course we all came out with empty hands. Well, we couldn’t help the driver get their fuel subsidy (I think even some nice commission on top), but shopping isn’t by force or sympathy, right? It is by need, since we don’t need it, then why should we force ourselves to buy? This is just a trade freedom market.
However, I think our drivers didn’t think so, because they totally changed after we came out from “expo” without any spending, the whole journey to our original point (Wat Pho, as they promised will drop us back there after the expo) were silent and crazy, the driver seems drove dangerously (sometime even without his hands on sterling). Then, they finally decided stop at middle before got to Wat Pho, and requested us to pay 500 baths per tut tut, which mean we need to pay 1000 baths to them. Well, 1000 baths between seven people for a morning tour might be reasonable (I don’t know), but which was not the original offered price, LE felt like we were be cheated as they didn’t take us to famous attractions, like Grand Palace and Wat Arun, but some small attractions only, and this is not an acceptable behave as we felt like be forced to purchase some jewelry, therefore LE insisted only paid them 60 baths in total, this is also a lesson to them. On the other hand, YY was kind and think that they actually also worked on something to earn money though they used a wrong method, still they didn’t rob or steal, therefore we should be considerate to them and pay them more than 60 baths.
Of course, I am agreed with both of them, actually nobody was wrong in this place, I don’t agree with our drivers for putting us on that must-buy-jewelry situation, but I also think 60 baths sure not enough for their fuel expense in that morning. Well, we finally decided to pay them 400 baths instead though I don’t know if this is enough or extra to them, this is what we were willing to pay. One is not putting too hard on them, and second is letting know this is not the right way to tourists.
Anyways, I even believe that we need to inspect clearly before we take a deal, nothing is coming free or cheaper than it should be, surely there is an agenda behind a super cheap deal (well, at least mostly is it). To me, this consider another interesting travel experience to avoid myself to step into another trap next time. Well, now I wonder if that three-days-only “expo” really only happened for three days? Or it was only a trick to persuade tourist to spend money willingness? I wondered if there are other tourists also experience the same trick on different travelling period? Perhaps, I can try to see this if I have chance to visit Bangkok again :)
At our first night in Bangkok, we walked along night market until we were too tired to return to our hotel, there we got a ride back with tut tut, which cost us about 100 baths for four people with around 15 minutes journey, I think price might be a bit higher after do some calculation back home, however it was night ride and currency convert, I think I am fine with this price. Well, this is my first tut tut experience in my life. There was second tut tut experience in the second day and this is more interesting experience.
On the second day, we planned to visit some attractions in Bangkok, we got a ride with Taxi to Wat Pho, the journey from our hotel to Wat Pho is around 30 minutes and Taxi fare was 70 bath (by meter) and 150 bath (without meter) for two taxis. It was before 8am when we arrived to Wat Pho and the temple only opened on 8:30am, there we met a tut tut driver outside the temple, he offered us a half day tour, which include taking us hop to 4 temples and a 3 days only expo just with 30 baths per tut tut.
Well, 30 baths only for a morning, this really sound good, right? Because it is even cheaper than what we paid for tut tut in first night and Taxi in second day. And, I didn’t really know what the expo is, it sound to me a cultural fair and interesting, however I kind of drawback because of its cheap price, sometime I would feel hesitated with those especial valuable offer, it sounded to me like a trap behind it.
However, Wat Pho was not opened yet and one of friends already went into the tut tut, there followed the second and the third friend, so I think we just followed them since we got 7 people, so we don’t need to worry too much, but I still with doubt at the beginning of tour, kept thinking if it is safe or if they would bring us to some hidden corner in Bangkok.
They brought us to see standing Buddha at the first place and talked joke a lot during the tour, they looked like friendly and harmless. Well, the first place wasn’t so interesting, but the second place was fine as it is at a hill and we need to walk a while to the hill and there we could see Bangkok view from top and I think there wasn’t bad, then I just lifted down my alert and told myself they might be really friendly and tut tut in Bangkok might be really that cheap.
Then we when to visit fortune Buddha and lucky Buddha, there were just normal place but we met a person there and he told us that he went to an expo on the day before, he said there were a good place and we would love it a lot (really?), later he told me that he bought a sapphire in the expo at a cheap price with about 10k Ringgit. Well, he is rich man and sure would think 10k is cheap, but it is not the same case to me, and even more I am not a fan of jewelry. After meeting that man, a light bulb turned on in my brain, I realized that the expo should be just a jewelry factory or outlet which I got not any interest on it.
There we departed to our final destination – the expo, during the journey, the driver told us that the factory will subsided them petrol if we consumed and buying jewelry, they encouraged us to buy some items there because they are cheaper than others. Well, I am for sure with spend money there one and just felt sorry for that. When we arrived to “expo”, those salesgirls were so friendly to introduce us their jewelry but I didn’t spend any there, of course we all came out with empty hands. Well, we couldn’t help the driver get their fuel subsidy (I think even some nice commission on top), but shopping isn’t by force or sympathy, right? It is by need, since we don’t need it, then why should we force ourselves to buy? This is just a trade freedom market.
However, I think our drivers didn’t think so, because they totally changed after we came out from “expo” without any spending, the whole journey to our original point (Wat Pho, as they promised will drop us back there after the expo) were silent and crazy, the driver seems drove dangerously (sometime even without his hands on sterling). Then, they finally decided stop at middle before got to Wat Pho, and requested us to pay 500 baths per tut tut, which mean we need to pay 1000 baths to them. Well, 1000 baths between seven people for a morning tour might be reasonable (I don’t know), but which was not the original offered price, LE felt like we were be cheated as they didn’t take us to famous attractions, like Grand Palace and Wat Arun, but some small attractions only, and this is not an acceptable behave as we felt like be forced to purchase some jewelry, therefore LE insisted only paid them 60 baths in total, this is also a lesson to them. On the other hand, YY was kind and think that they actually also worked on something to earn money though they used a wrong method, still they didn’t rob or steal, therefore we should be considerate to them and pay them more than 60 baths.
Of course, I am agreed with both of them, actually nobody was wrong in this place, I don’t agree with our drivers for putting us on that must-buy-jewelry situation, but I also think 60 baths sure not enough for their fuel expense in that morning. Well, we finally decided to pay them 400 baths instead though I don’t know if this is enough or extra to them, this is what we were willing to pay. One is not putting too hard on them, and second is letting know this is not the right way to tourists.
Anyways, I even believe that we need to inspect clearly before we take a deal, nothing is coming free or cheaper than it should be, surely there is an agenda behind a super cheap deal (well, at least mostly is it). To me, this consider another interesting travel experience to avoid myself to step into another trap next time. Well, now I wonder if that three-days-only “expo” really only happened for three days? Or it was only a trick to persuade tourist to spend money willingness? I wondered if there are other tourists also experience the same trick on different travelling period? Perhaps, I can try to see this if I have chance to visit Bangkok again :)
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