Koh Samui Taxi Mafia

[RickThai]

why pay 400 baht for a taxi when a motorbike only costs 150 baht for a day? some tourists deserved to be ripped off

Samui is full of euro trash so of course the locals are going to try and rip people off

shit thai food around the tourist areas but the euro trash don't know any better

My wife doesn't like to ride on the back of a motorbike, and believe it or not, tourists often get ripped off big time, if they put a scatch on some old beater of a motorbike. I rather pay 400 baht, than several thousand dollars US because of motorbike damage (either real or imagined).

My solution is NEVER to go back to Koh Samui. Simple and totally effective.


As regards to euro trash, I don't think its confined to Europe. Australia, USA, and of course Russia, Chinese, and Mid-easterns all contribute to the sleeze.

I can't believe how decrepit some of those old whoremongers are. Wrinkled up like old prunes, almost toothless except for a few rotten molars. Ugh, I feel sorry for the bargirls who have to service those old punters. I can't imagine how bad their breath must smell after a night of drinking Leo! Not to mention how many incurable STDs they have probably picked up after decades of whoring.

Yuck!

I hire motorbikes every year and never get ripped off. Only real dumb tourists get ripped off. Most don't. You don't even need to hand over your passport which some do.

2 bikes cost 300 baht a day or less if you hire for longer.

Try Chang, Lanta, Krabi if you want something less sleazy/mega touristy.

I've been to Chang. It certainly wasn't as bad as Koh Samui for the sleaze.

Actually, I have been thinkig about Krabi as my next vacation instead of Phuket. I've been to Phuket twice and it wasn't as bad as Koh Samui, but it has been awhile, so it may have went downhill.

I'll look into Lanta as well. I want some place with fairly good Thai food at a decent price, nice hotel, and access to prime snorkeling and scuba diving.

Thanks for the tip.

Rick

[waradmiral]

Lanta doesn't have any good snorkelling but a boat trip from there to the Trang Islands provides such a thing but they only go oct-may.

Trang itself is worth visiting. Trang Town has an excellent night market and very few foreign tourists. You can do a 3 island snorkelling trip which includes the famous Emerald Cave lagoon on Ko Mook and it does stops at Ngai and Kradan. Most of the tourists are Thais.

Krabi - I rate it much higher than Phuket. Krabi is cheaper with far less tourists but heaps of things to do. Many of the attractions you have to do via tour but tour prices are cheap - 600-1000 for full day tours and tour numbers are low.

Krabi Town has excellent thai food but the beach areas of Ao Nang/Railay Thai food isn't much good but there's 2 markets near Ao Nang that operate on different afternoons/nights and the street food is ok.

[aging one]

^ Raillay is a beautiful beach, in fact was voted in the top ten by Travel Advisor this year. Not only the beach, but all the rocks to climb and really nice food. Disagree wa

[waradmiral]

Railay has a reasonable beach but Phra Nang which is a 5 min walk is better. There's very limited food options around there and it's double priced what you'd pay in Krabi Town where you get genuine Thai food at Thai prices.

Railay serves up the touristy Thai food.

[RickThai]

Wow. Thanks for all the good info. Krabi with side trips to Ao Nang and Railay is starting to look better and better.

Cheers,

Rick

[taxexile]

koh samui, in spite of its upmarket resorts, tourist attractions and chrome and glass villas has always been and I suspect will continue to be nothing more than a third world backwater run by self serving greed consumed bureaucrats, ignorant businessmen and carpet bagging property developers who are more concerned with lining their own pockets than with improving the lives of its inhabitants and visitors.

the fact that an island that advertises itself as a world class destination was last year unable to re-instate electrical power after 3 days of trying , has little or nothing in the way of back up or emergency plans and can all but run out of fuel should tell you all you need to know about the place.

it is a shimmering illusion teetering on a plinth of superficiality, and a monumental folly to greed and avarice.

if the power had remained cut for 6 months it would have been a wonderful thing. the island could have reverted to the peaceful haven it used to be.

[terry57]

^Be interested in your opinion of 100 Islands. It's a potential stop off point for a cycle trip I'm planning.

Brilliant hotel, great big rooms, real nice pool and very good prices. Nice to sit out the front and have a beer.

Handy having the big Tesco over the road as well.

[terry57]

I can't believe how decrepit some of those old whoremongers are. Wrinkled up like old prunes, almost toothless except for a few rotten molars. Ugh, I feel sorry for the bargirls who have to service those old punters. I can't imagine how bad their breath must smell after a night of drinking Leo! Not to mention how many incurable STDs they have probably picked up after decades of whoring.

Sums up nicely why I have never ever been attracted to the mongering scene, some of the sick trash that these girls service is frightening.

Anyway, Samui can still be nice if one is prepared to make the effort to get away from the tourist spots.

One must put in the effort though. The situation with the taxi's is bad news though.

[taxexile]

Samui can still be nice if one is prepared to make the effort to get away from the tourist spots.

samui is nice if you never set foot outside your hotel, full stop.

[Bettyboo]

Samui, like Thailand generally, was a very nice 80 baht per night beach bungalow island... But, the Thais concreted over everything and increased the prices tenfold. It was always a dodgy island run by mafia type scumbags, often killing each other, as are the 2 islands off it...

Had some great times in Samui back in abouuuuuuuuuuuuut 92 or 93; and es, the beach bungalows were 80 baht on the main beach, cheaper in Lamai (which had nothing...). I went back about 4 years or so ago and left straight away; the place has been raped. Same same Phuket. Of course, if you make an effort, and manage to ignore the scumbags, you can have a nice holiday of sorts.

Nice to hear of those places in Krabi, went to them all around the same time; if it hasn't changed much that's good news. Is the Danish restaurant still in Krabi town? Nice meatballs...