BANGKOK
Patpong Night Market STREET MARKET
(Map p 82 ; Patpong Soi 1 & 2, Th Silom; h7pm-1am;
BTS Sala Daeng, MRT Si Lom) Drawing more
crowds than the ping-pong shows, this mar-
ket continues the street’s illicit leanings with
a deluge of cheap and pirated goods, par-
ticularly watches and clothing. Bargain with
intensity as fi rst-quoted prices tend to be as-
tronomically high.8 Information
Dangers & Annoyances
You are more likely to be charmed rather than
coerced out of your money in Bangkok. Prac-
tised con artists capitalise on Thailand’s famous
friendliness and a revolving door of clueless
tourists. Bangkok’s most heavily touristed
areas – Wat Phra Kaew, Wat Pho, Jim Thomp-
son House, Th Khao San, Erawan Shrine – are
favourite hunting grounds for these scallywags.
The best prevention is knowledge, so before
hitting the ground, become familiar with the
more common local scams listed in the boxed
text below.
If you’ve been scammed, the tourist police can
be eff ective in dealing with some of the ‘unethi-
cal’ business practices and crime. But in general
you should enter into every monetary transac-tion with the understanding that you have no
consumer protection or recourse. Cultural Centres
Various international cultural centres in Bang-
kok organise fi lm festivals, lectures, language
classes and other educational liaisons.
Alliance Française (Map p 90 ; %0 2670 4200;
http://www.alliance-francaise.or.th; 29 Th Sathon Tai;
MRT Lumphini) Leafy compound includes a
library (h10am-7pm Mon-Fri, 8.30am-5.30pm
Sat, 10am-1pm Sun), bookshop (h9am-7pm
Mon-Sat) and Café 1912 (p 127 ).
British Council (Map p 86 ; %0 2657 5678;
http://www.britishcouncil.or.th; 254 Soi Chulalongkorn
64, Th Phra Ram I; h8.30am-7pm; BTS Siam)
Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand
(FCCT; Map p 86 ; %0 2652 0580; http://www.fccthai.
com; Penthouse, Maneeya Center, 518/5 Th
Ploenchit; BTS Chit Lom)
Goethe Institut (Map p 90 ; %0 2287 0942;
http://www.goethe.de; 18/1 Soi Goethe, btwn Th
Sathon Tai & Soi Ngam Duphli; h9.30am-6pm
Tues-Thurs, 9.30am-3pm Wed, 8am-1pm Sat &
Sun; MRT Lumphini) Emergency
If you have a medical emergency and need an
ambulance, contact the English-speaking hos-COMMON BANGKOK SCAMSCommit these classic rip-off s to memory and join us in our ongoing crusade to outsmart
Bangkok’s crafty scam artists. For details on the famous gem scam, see the boxed text,
p 142.
» Closed today Ignore any ‘friendly’ local who tells you that an attraction is closed for
a Buddhist holiday or for cleaning. These are set-ups for trips to a bogus gem sale.» (^) Túk-túk rides for 10B Say goodbye to your day’s itinerary if you climb aboard this
ubiquitous scam. These alleged ‘tours’ bypass all the sights and instead cruise to all
the fly-by-night gem and tailor shops that pay commissions.
» (^) Flat-fare taxi ride Flatly refuse any driver who quotes a flat fare (usually between
100B and 150B for in-town destinations), which will usually be three times more
expensive than the reasonable meter rate. Walking beyond the tourist area will usually
help in finding an honest driver. If the driver has ‘forgotten’ to put the meter on, just
say, ‘Meter, kâ/kráp’ (for female/male).
» (^) Tourist buses to the south On the long journey south, well-organised and con-
nected thieves have hours to comb through your bags, breaking into (and later reseal-
ing) locked bags, searching through hiding places and stealing credit cards, electronics
and even toiletries. This scam has been running for years but is easy to avoid simply by
carrying valuables with you on the bus.
» (^) Friendly strangers Be wary of smartly dressed men who approach you asking where
you’re from and where you’re going. Their opening gambit is usually followed with:
‘Ah, my son/daughter is studying at university in (your city)’ – they seem to have an
encyclopaedic knowledge of major universities. As the tourist authorities here pointed
out, this sort of behaviour is out of character for Thais and should be treated with
suspicion.