firecat69

I just sent you a message with no problem. Maybe try a different Browser??

Your post makes no sense. You quote something from Michael which is in response to your complaint as an OP and has nothing to do with the taxi thread. And for the 3rd time I point out to you the person whose posts you had a problem with in a different thread has not posted for 3 days. How long can we expect you to complain about a poster who is no longer posting?

I have to agree with GB. Your post should have ended like this. A simple explanation of why an alternative presented to you would not work. You should be thankful for the valuable information you received here . The people that responded to you do not deserve to be demeaned just because you are still working. Believe it or not most people work a long time in order to enjoy longer vacations or residence in Thailand.

Gets tiresome hearing the same thing from you every 3 months. Even more tiresome when you fail to reply to my accurate assertion that nobody can be banned. They can come back in 10 minutes under another name and email and a VPN address such as Hidemyass Meanwhile Cedic is gone and has been for 3 days. You need to keep up! And since it was me he was replying to and I'm not upset I fail to see what business it is of yours.????

The best way to handle posters like Cedric is to bury him with facts which he has no answer for like I did . Since you think that was an attack on me, I just considered it laughable from someone who is being laughed at by all the posters in the thread. Since you did not say what the other post was I am unable to comment except that I think the moderation here is just fine . By the way since actually it is impossible to really ban anyone why bother with the futility. All you can ban is 1 IP address. I have at least 5 IP addresses including IPhone 4 G accounts . Surfcrest thinks he banned me but I am on that site anytime I care to be. If I wanted to register again I could , just need another email address of which I have 7. I have not re-registered because as the Owner I respect his right to try to ban me even if his reasons were ridiculous. But it is a public Board with some fun members and I go there anytime I want to read their posts. Just today there was an interesting post about Jomtien being turned into a Walking Street. Sounds like a good idea? I am not trying to start a fight with Surfcrest but using it as an example of futility of banning someone. The only thing that can really be done is to just delete the posts which I have noticed happens sometimes and is a simple way of dealing with it.

Unless something has changed the chance of you finding an exciting vibrant gay life in either of those countries is ZERO. You will find some massage parlors, gay bars etc but hoping you will find anything that compares in any way to Thailand is a pipe dream. Boys can be found on Gayromeo , Jack'd, Hornet, Grindr etc but there is no way you will find something like Soi Twilight, Sunee Plaza in Pattaya or BT. Not to deter you from visiting because those countries offer some wonderful things but an Exciting Gay Vibrant Life is not one of them.

"f the taxis were 6star affairs and that was plain to see I might think of indulging their little quirks like trying to charge first world prices." by Cedric. He continues to say stupid things like the above ,even in the face of my facts that it is his home HKG that charges First World Prices without offering even a competetive product. Not surprised that Cedric never paid for a Breakfast Buffet but I am surprised he .had no blather about my hard facts that taxis in HKG are 5x as much and yet the cars cost the same to buy and put petrol in. He has nothing to say because it is true . He appears to be an entitled person who thinks people should treat him like a King. Possibly he needs to travel to more places where exorbitant taxi fares are Legal such as HKG ,Sydney , Montreal etc. or Prague , Budapest etc where most of the taxi drivers will try to quadruple the legal fare. Him trying to say that taxis regularly try to get 500 baht from him is plain ridiculous. BKK is a large city and there are in fact trips where the trip can take over an hour even in normal traffic and the fare might approach 400-500 baht. Anyone who travels in the Main Tourist areas would find it unlikely for a driver to ever mention such a ridiculous amount . Does it happen sure but rarely. Proof is in the pudding.!! There is nobody here supporting his ridiculous assertions . The most he can get is everyone who regularly takes taxis sometimes has to deal with someone asking for 200 baht for a 75 baht fare and driver quickly accepts 100 baht . And even then a great bargain compared to the city Cedric lives in which by the way has many more old and falling apart taxis then BKK. But of course he does not know that because he never takes public transportation . Would not surprise me if he has a Driver most times. hehe

If you had to worry about that, probably should not bring him. Of course if you hold on to the air ticket , he really can't do anything. I would think the boy has more to worry about then the farang!!

Just to show how ridiculous Cedric' s assertions are I converted the cost of regulated fares in HKG and BKK. Hong Kong $3 US just to get in the taxi vs $1 in Bangkok Every mile in HKG another $1 per mile vs. 12-14 cents in Bangkok Waiting time in HKG 22 cents US per minute vs. 6 cents US per minute in BKK Does not take a brain surgeon to see that HKG fares are many many times more expensive in all categories Five miles in HKG with 10 minutes of waiting would be $10.20 US Five miles in BKK with 10 minutes of waiting time would be $2.20 US In other words HKG is 5 x as expensive . The cars cost the same and the petrol costs relatively the same, yet BKK taxis are 1/5 as expensive as HKG So if you were paying double what the meter fare would be , you would still be getting a great deal in BKK. Taxi drivers in BKK are not perfect nor are they in HKG but value for money is far greater in BKK and there is no reason to complain about the occasional taxi driver trying to get 500 baht from the airport to Hotel. First after paying airport 50 baht and 90 baht in tolls the driver is left with 360 baht. For that he probably waited in line at the airport for at least 2 hours . The same fare would be the equivalent of 1600 baht in HKG. Thats exactly why I offer them 400 when I climb in and most times am happy to give them 500 on arrival and watch them smile.

Cedric, The other part of your argument that is Idiotic is that standard of living should have something to with prices charged. Buying the car is at least as expensive in BKK as anywhere else in the world and maybe more. The cost of petrol is the same or more then many of those countries. So how can you possibly figure the fares charged should be relevant to the standard of living, Once again taxi fare are ridiculously low when compared to similar sized cities all over the world. Their availability is far better then any place I have been and far more available then HKG. All this when what they have to pay is basically the same as many richer cities. They are a bargain and if you don't understand how to use them , shame on you!

First of all I have been in BKK taxis far more then you have. I lived in BKK for 3 years and have visited at least 100 times.To talk about 500 baht being demanded is so ridiculous that I don't even know how to comment. Comparing Chiang Mai riding in the back of a pick up truck in 100 degree heat with riding in a modern A/C taxi is equally ridiculous. I wonder if you tell your Hotel they are ripping you off when they charge you 700 baht or more for a Breakfast Buffet or 200 baht for a diet coke. After all the standard of living should not allow them to do that. Your arguments are ridiculous. Every fine restaurant in BKK is as expensive as HKG. Under your arguments , it makes no sense.. Under your argument of what people pay for rent in HKG then please explain why your Hotels are not 5x as much as BKK. In fact they are not. At most during similar times of demand Hotels are 1.5-2 x more expensive then BKK. Guess those High End Hotels you stay at in BKK should lower their rates because they are ripping you off under your arguments. Under my arguments Nice Hotels happen to be another bargain in BKK. Under your argument why does Skytrain charge similar fares to HKG mass transit. All those poor people should not have to pay what rich HKG people pay.. You just don't know what you are talking about in regards to taxis in BKK. Because you had a couple of bad experiences , you want to condemn all the taxi drivers. Basically I think you are not as well travelled as you think you are. I just came back from 2 trips , Australia, New Zealand , Hong Kong , Copenhagen, Prague, Budapest , Cape Town , Amsterdam, Paris, London , Barcelona, Madrid , Rome Dublin etc etc etc. I would have loved to find taxis as reasonable and available in any of those cities. Instead they all cost many times more, have less availability and more as you would accuse Mafia types And by the way getting a taxi in HKG is much more difficult then in BKK. First you have to find one of the designated standing places. Then you line up and wait for the taxis to stop. Sometimes the line can easily be 20 people and many empty taxis pass the spot by while you wait. Many times I waited 15 minutes or more. In BKK it would be unusual to wait 2 minutes except if raining. Because I can hail a taxi anywhere in BKK. And then the fare is a small fraction of HKG. I'll take BKK taxis anyday compared to HKG.

Cedric I am trying to figure out what world you are in. To compare HKG taxi fares with Bangkok is ridiculous. I was just there a few months ago and took taxi from airport to Hotel and it cost 5x as much as a similar ride in BKK. You mention the Netherlands , just more information that is incorrect. Try taking a taxi in Amsterdam and you will pay 5-10 x as much for a similar ride . I grant you it may be a Mercedes but its $60 US Schiphol to downtown Amsterdam less of a distance then BKK airport to downtown for $12 US. Yes Skytrain is a great option if it goes where you happen to be going and you are not traveling late at night. Possibly you are spoiled because HKG has mass transit then runs 24 hours a day for the most part. Cedric your post alludes to the fact that you are staying in high priced hotels , so all you do is tell the doorman to inform the taxi to turn on his meter. They will turn it on or drive away with no fare . Rarely does that happen. But the thing that amazes me is if you are in fact staying at a High End Hotel , that you are worrying about pennies in taxi fares. Except in a rain storm with traffic stopped or rush hour traffic , it is almost impossible to spend $3 US (100 baht). And Christian unlike Vinapu or I being the problem for worrying about spending an extra 60 cents (17 baht) for a taxi ride, you may be the problem for being a Cheap Charlie. I frequently take taxis in the middle of the day (non traffic periods) and weekends where the fare is 40- 60 baht and the Skytrain would cost 30-40 baht and not be close to either my departure point or destination. I should worry about pennies like 20 baht? I guarantee most of the time you wait for the change if the meter say 55 baht and you hand the driver 3- 20 baht bills. I can't remember who someone mentioned Chiang Mai Taxis being better. Ridiculous they don't even have meters, are considerably more expensive then BKK for a similar distance and the worst thing of all it is impossible to find one in most places and at most times. Pattaya Taxis never ever turn the meter on and their fares are atrocious. All that said I occasionally get aggravated with a taxi driver but on balance they offer a better product at a better price then any other place in the world. The only place that even comes close is Vietnam where the fares are similar or a little less but the product tends to be older and smaller. Also much more likely to run into a less then honest driver.

Wonder if anyone has used UBER in BKK. One of the cities listed but I wonder how many drivers they have?

I have had some bad experiences with taxis but I don't let some bad experiences color a whole group of taxi drivers. How many of you have not had a poor experience with a money boy. If you say none I don't believe you. Does that make them the Money Boy Mafia. Certainly the same applies to Massage experiences. Why don't I hear Massage Mafia. And by the way these bad experiences and everybody has had them represent a lot more money then 50 or 100 baht to taxi drivers. Anyone who complains about the taxi drivers parked in front of Soi Twilight or on Silom at night just don't get it. Walk up the street a block and a hail a moving taxi and it is almost sure he switch the meter on when you close the door. As far as a tourist getting ripped off at the airport because he is not familiar with the correct fare etc. No excuse for their stupidity. With hundreds of sites like this one and travel sites like trip advisor anyone who arrives in an unfamiliar destination without doing some reading has nobody to blame but themselves. One of the first things I do when going to a new city is read on Trip Advisor etc what to expect in the way of fares etc for taxis. And by the way I have never been in a city and I have been in many where the quality of the taxis and the fares come even close to BKK. In most cases many many more times expensive. Now anyone wants to complain about Taxi Mafia in Pattaya I will fully support you and that includes the crooks in baht buses if you ask for individual transpiration to some point.

Absolutely ridiculous to refer to them as Taxi Mafia. Vast majority of drivers are hard working, long hours and use the meter without argument. Just because a few people think it is a big deal to lose an extra 30 baht or once in awhile when it is raining taxis asking for flat fare does not make them the Mafia. Anyone who travels should understand one of the great bargains in BKK are the taxis. The cars are plentiful , mostly new and air conditioned. No matter where you go it would be hard to spend $4 us or 120 baht . In all cities in Europe , Hong Kong, Tokyo etc etc etc it costs at least that just to get in the taxi. Some cheap people should count their blessings that taxis are so available and so cheap in BKK

And I did say it is possible but just as likely to be impossible certainly during High Season. And then you are looking at another 12 -17 hours on Top of maybe 24 hours of traveling. To me just something I would never consider. Someone who needs to save $20 --$30 when they just in most cases spent upwards of $1000 for airfare and will certainly spend more thousands. And by the way not just midnight arrivals. What is the difference if you arrive at 10pm. What would someone do then? Yes maybe the train is running and then still no Hotel available in most cases. unless you pay for that night. You sleep in the airport to save 300 baht taxi fare? Not me!!!

Anyone who thinks Thai Gay Boys don't like Thais need to spend 6-7 hours in Siam Paragon where if your Gay Radar is working , you will see many Thai Gay Boys who have lots of money and could care less about farangs . In fact they are quite happy to talk with you but do not need your money. Although I am not an expert on the Gay Discos in Bangkok, the same applies. If someone spends most of their time in Pattaya or Soi Twilight in Bangkok, they could easily get the wrong notion that most Thai Boys are Money Boys and have no interest in each other. Just Ridiculous IMHO!

Which is what I said: "Last thing on my mind after spending 24 hours in a Aluminum Tube is try to save 50- 60 baht if I'm going to BKK or more if I am going to Pattaya where there are no other options then having a car pick u up and take me to my destination" That is what works for me. The key sentence "That is what works for me" ​And by the way waiting until 6am for the train makes no sense to me because last time I checked no Hotels I know of have a 7 am check in time. I suppose it is possible but certainly not a guarantee!

Last thing on my mind after spending 24 hours in a Aluminum Tube is try to save 50- 60 baht if I'm going to BKK or more if I am going to Pattaya where there are no other options then having a car pick u up and take me to my destination. Since my shortest trip is 30 days , worrying about some small amount of money when I will spend hundreds of thousands of baht, makes no sense to me. I get to my room faster and have my first boy and that is what the trip is about. I recognize that some on a short trip with limited funds have to be careful but honestly, I feel that applies to very few people who frequent this Forum.

Well I guess but I have made that trip 50 times at least and never have a problem. I get in the Taxi and tell him 400 baht, tollway included. I have never had anyone say no and even though I know I might do meter and tolls for 330, I eliminate the possibility of circuitous routing etc and with tip I would always be very close to 400. No hassle , no arguments and as fast as he can make it .

Anonone. Just a fabulous report and photos. I think most here would consider you a very Lucky Man even without seeing your BF which makes you even luckier!!!

Why would anyone pay for a shared shuttle when they can have taxi for same price?

Thanks for the report. Glad you could remember so much despite the alcohol haze. HeHe Interesting how every thing comes down to personal experience. Lots of glowing reports on other sites about Sunny Boys but those are only guides to some ones experience on that night and do not guarantee you will have the same experience. Bottom Line, you have to go to all the Bars yourself and not rely on what else someone else had for an experience.

Agree completely!

I still like Free better. Between FaceTime, WhatsApp and Line, I see no reason ever to pay to talk and see people unless you happen to be in a dark cage with with no WiFi or even 4G in most cases is good enough.