Go Go Touts on Bangla Rd

[CanineTruth]

Look at Tanman's avatar for his usual stance

 

[Emerald]

A simple no thanks and keep walking worked well for me.

 

[wc206003]

Thais probably equate ping pong shows with slapstick 3 Stooges Comedy.

 

[Mountian_Baby]

I just ignore them totally and they leave me more or less alone. They dont deserve any no thanks.

 

[americ.adian]

Well, I'm pretty sure that no foreign TP volunteers were involved in detaining these touts, because we have absolutely no authority to do so (cos they are Thai...). Maybe it was Thai TPVs or Thai TP or the local licencing guys who detained them - definitely not the foreign TPVs.

It is was farang who detained them, then that would be the Immigration Volunteers - not my camp...

As to how the foreign TPVs can assist tourists re these touts, since we have no authority to detain them in any way, all we can do is try to 'educate' tourists prior to the event, and try to mediate after the event.

In any case, it's not a good situation re these touts, but I need to change my nationality to Thai before I can do anything 'physical' about it

About the lizard guys, they have no trading licences, but it's also not illegal to tout the lizards for photos. It is illegal to do this with the baby gibbons. I'm fully aware of the guy who 'touts his gibbon' (sounds a bit rude..) outside of Banana disco on Beach Road. We passed photos of the guy and his gibbon onto our Thai bosses almost 1 year ago, but nothing was done about detaining him.

Simon

 

[DorienG]

.... and Thaicam!

FFS - Raw has given an honest answer to the root problem :great: ... NO-ONE knows better than him whats going on with the touts.

 

[hidden]

Went out a little after 9 last night. What a change Friday night is from Thursday. Many more people, families again, with kids, the costumed people with the froggies were back, more touts, and lots more vendors with trinkets for sale. The restaurant was 1/3 full - same place had been dead the night before. Went down to the beach, where all the white-shirted tourist police volunteers were lined up at attention.

A big tourist van came along, and parked by the tourist police station. Lots of VIP looking people, others with video cameras, and others looking like they're on the way to a major event got out of the bus and several vans that pulled up. The crowd of VIPs, reporters, officials, and all kinds of uniformed guys walked down Bangla, stopping on the way to pose in front of posters while many people took piccys and vids. Then the whole group turned right towards Jungceylon, and stopped once again for a photo session. I guess I couldn't resist - snapped the photo you'll see below. I asked one of the volunteers what was going on, and he said it was a visit by the Minister of Tourism and the Minister of Sports. After lots more handshakes and photos, the VIPs got into a van and drove off, the tourist police volunteers and other uniformed guys went their separate ways, and I headed off as well.

I was going to make the video of walking along Bangla, but with all the police, army officers (I think), VIPs, reporters, and so on, it wouldn't have been a typical night. Instead I just got the snapshot below.

 

[JUSTIN BIEBER FTW!!!!!!]

I have noticed the touts in SD and at the entrance and their numbers have increased in the year between my visits.
Although i am approached by them i just give a wave of my hand and a "no thanks" with a smile. That is my experience of the touts and it's only because of threads like this i now fully understand the situation and the pitfalls.
Guess i've been lucky (in a beginners sort of way) that none have attached themselves to me on entering a Go Go or been persistent in trying to get my attention.
I'll be more aware my next trip..would be nice if they were banned by then:rules:

 

[veritypendragon]

You just don't get it do you! The gogo bars with the shows are NOT charging more money on drinks because they have the pingpong/bird stuffed-in-the-moneymaker shows. They are NOT charging anything above their normal published prices which generally are 120baht for a beer. You can walk into one of them, order a beer, watch the "show" for FREE, pay 120 for your beer and walk out if you want to. The shows are paid for by the woman who does them going round the customers afterwards with a box asking for tips.

 

[Brom]

Sometimes I think this forum is some kind of parallel universe........

 

[the_super_pessimist]

You've no doubt been involved for longer than I have. For me it's only fifteen years or so, and I've always been walking around on Bangla Road to take photos. Last night didn't seem much different from the year before, but I'm only talking about the touts actually out on Bangla Road.

I only drink beer, and rarely go to the bars, so maybe that makes me a "non drinker". Still none of the touts has EVER come up to me, wanting to take me someplace for drinks - it's always to go see a show. Not one of them has ever gotten upset or angry when I say "no thanks" and keep walking.

You're correct that I've never wandered into Soi Seadragon. Maybe that's different from Soi Eric and Soi Crocodile, but going to those other places it's all the people from the bars who are trying to drag you into "their" bar.

Just for the heck of it, I'll walk around Soi Seadragon sometime in the next few days. Whether I'm a drinker or not, the touts will most likely see me the same as always, as a "tourist". Like I said before, no touts have ever tried to get me to go someplace "for drinks". Every single time for as long as I can remember, it's been to see "a show".

I'm not arguing with you, or in any way saying you're wrong. I'm only saying what I experienced last night. From what I've been reading in this thread, I expected to find things very different from before, but (for me) that wasn't the case at all.

 

[GORGI]

Wonder if those VIPs had any problem with the touts...:whistle:

 

[southboss05]

What about "Tiger Shows"? :666:

 

[Trust Me]

Do you remember these comments way up above? What you're saying is quite different from what Paul has posted. I do "get it" if you mean do I understand what Paul posted here - it's very clear. I'm sure that other places charge the way you say they do, but that wasn't Paul's experience at the place he posted about.

 

[Gwennie B]

Just a comment from me in my police volunteer role [see other thread].

In all my patrolling work on Bangla [hundreds of times], I have NEVER been approached by a tourist with a complaint that they have been overcharged for drinks in a bar or gogo. Charged for lady drinks that they didn't buy - yes that happens. But charged 500 or 600 baht for a drink? Never. And complaints about being hassled by touts? Never. Not one single time. [Yes, tourists moan about them, but no-one has actually wanted to make a formal complaint]

[So that either means that the tourists are happy to pay these inflated prices, too scared of the touts to complain, or think that I am on my way to a fancy dress party...]

Simon

 

[Miuccia]

I used to just ignore them completly with no eye contact. That normally worked 90% of the time.

The couple of times one or two of them followed me in to a go-go, I just stopped before entering and just waited for them to leave before going in myself. Took all of about 30 sec as they realise you know the score.

Might have changed since I have been there of course.....

 

[Chili]

http://www.phuket-info.com/forums/nightlife-2/34429-owning-leasing-bar-bangla-road.html

but you could have found it yourself if you bothered to search.

 

[CARAMEL LOVE]

Simon, I do recall back in 07 I was at Dingos Bar in soi croc.
One or 2 of the lizard/iguana guys used to use Dingo's as a base.

I was there one night & Trent said to me.....Hey mate, ask the iguana guys where their iguanas are?
So I asked one of the guys & he said.......Police take iguanas from us & put them in jail.,,,(hard not to laugh at that)
They had to sort out some kinda paperwork/bribe.....A few days later when I went back to Dingo's, the lads had their iguanas back & ready for pics.

If Trent reads this, he may be able to elaborate some more?

 

[dorkydes]

Ah !!! That famous "International Humour Gap" !!!! :


Calrsberg run a series of adverts on TV in the UK with the by-line "Carlsberg don't do..........

........but if they did ......

Have a look here. :

 

[dawg]

Easyrider_au, yes, it's a licencing/bribe issue, nothing to do with the illegality of possessing the iguanas.

Since the iguanas are not native to Thailand, it is not considered illegal to tout them for photos, whereas the gibbons are native and an endangered species, and therefore totally illegal to tout them for photos, (not that it has encouraged the Thai police to arrest the guy with the gibbon).

With the iguanas, I only intervene if the touts are shoving the lizards in the face of terrified tourists.

Ugly buggers (the iguanas, not the touts...)

Simon