This is not my first time travel to Thailand. No doubt,Thailand is a heaven for traveler - cheap eats, and friendly people that always made me feel like home in Thailand. However, the city, Bangkok has not left me with good impression. It's not really cheap to eat here, people not really friendly, but definitely a shopping paradise. There are so many scams in Bangkok compared to other part of Thailand that I went to! ( never come across scams when I was in Phuket & Koh Samui, maybe it's just good luck).
This post is not intend to put Bangkok in a bad light. All countries have scammers. There are a few things to take into consideration and I wish I knew before I go Bangkok.
Beware of Touts, Tuk-Tuk's, Taxi & Gem Scams
Bangkok is generally safe but beware of tuk-tuk drivers who offer you city tours at an amazingly low price, you will end up visiting gem and souvenir shop. For my case, the driver sits us down for a little talk. He asked us to help him to get the fuel coupons from the store he takes us to by staying in the shop for at least about 10 minutes. Actually, I don't really get what he trying to say (he can't speak English well) until he dropped us at the gem shop. We didn't stay in the shop long enough and he was unhappy and wanted to bring us to another shop to help him get fuel coupons again. I started to get annoyed, so I told him is enough and bring us back to where he picked us up earlier, in an angry tones. Thankfully, he is very nice to send us back. We almost fall into the same cycle when we trying to get a taxi to Siam Paragon Mall, then we decided to walk instead. The best option, if you're ever in a situation where you're not comfortable is to simply leave.
Horrible Traffic & Air pollution
Traffic in Bangkok are busy and rather confusing. Use zebra crossings whenever possible, but do not assume your are safe. Always look left-right-left-right-left before you crossing, run/walk faster if you can to other side of the road. Don't forget to drink more water after spending long hours outdoor.
Plenty of people fall for scams when traveling in Bangkok. Some scams are harmless but wasting your time, like my case. That's a website to inform travelers about the scams - www.bangkokscams.com I suggest you spend some time to read it before you travel to Bangkok.
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