TotallyOz Posted October 12, 2012 Posted October 12, 2012 Be careful! You have been warned. I was sitting at the greatest restaurant in Pattaya, Salt and Pepper, in Day Night 2 and a customer was telling me about how he was pick pocked by a gang of ladyboys who get on the baht bus with bags and try to distract you and pick your pocket. That very night, a good friend was in front of the Central Festival area when a group got on the baht bus with him and they tried to go inside his pocket. I had heard this is rampant on Beach Road. So, be careful! Quote
Guest Posted October 12, 2012 Posted October 12, 2012 As one partial defence against pickpockets, the small tailors shops behind Tuk Com can sew zips onto your trouser pockets or even fit a concealed pocket on the inside for about 70 baht. Quote
Rogie Posted October 12, 2012 Posted October 12, 2012 Pickpockets on baht buses would be out of a job if everyone made a point of walking along beach road at night. Be sure to have your Rolex (genuine - preferably diamond-encrusted) on display as well as your 2 baht 22 carat gold necklace and equally chunky and glittering bracelet. The young men and ladyboys on their motorbikes - usually with an accomplice riding pillion - really appreciate it if you could take the trouble to walk as close to the road as possible. Whilst you are being eyed-up by all and sundry, it may take you by surprise to be accosted by a young man or ladyboy who rushes up to you from behind and who must have been walking a few paces behind you. The newcomer is chatty, and seems so eager to please and whose company is so pleasant you suddenly feel quite lonely after he's /she's gone. Reaching your hand into your back pocket fails to locate your bulging wallet. Ever-obliging, you'd only walked a hundred yards or so from an ATM where you'd withdrawn 20,000 baht. Quote
KhorTose Posted October 12, 2012 Posted October 12, 2012 I do that every night, but I usually withdraw 50,000 Baht, and I leave the Rolex home and wear my Patek Phillippe. Doesn't everyone. TotallyOz 1 Quote
Guest thaiworthy Posted October 13, 2012 Posted October 13, 2012 As one partial defence against pickpockets, the small tailors shops behind Tuk Com can sew zips onto your trouser pockets or even fit a concealed pocket on the inside for about 70 baht. What tailor? I tried doing just what you suggested on many occasions. All they wanted to do was sell me a suit! God forbid real sewing is involved on pair of jeans you give them, but if you wanted to buy a new suit from them, they could probably put zippers on pockets but that's all they're willing to do. As far as outfitting my faded 501s, I find it difficult to believe there is a single tailor anywhere in Thailand that would actually do this. I would love to be proven wrong. Quote
Moses Posted October 13, 2012 Posted October 13, 2012 As I saw many thai boys use pokets linked by metal chain to jeans to avoid to be pickpoketed.. Quote
Guest Posted October 13, 2012 Posted October 13, 2012 What tailor? I tried doing just what you suggested on many occasions. All they wanted to do was sell me a suit! There's a row of shops just up the road from the Baan Dok Mai. The last one on the right has always agreed to the modifications requested. These places have sewing machines and people actually working in the shop making suits, rather than just selling them. I think that's the key difference. Quote
Guest thaiworthy Posted October 14, 2012 Posted October 14, 2012 Thanks, Z. I'll try again. It has been disappointing up to now. I like Moses' idea of the chain, if the wallet that goes with it is suitable as well. Don't know where to buy the chain, but it would probably look more fashionable on Thai boys than it would on me. I do like the zipper idea, especially since I already have a great deal of experience opening zippers, anyway. Quote
Guest Posted October 14, 2012 Posted October 14, 2012 I tried the chain idea. My chain was purchased on e-bay, however I guess you could get the same thing on a market stall somewhere in Thailand. I also got a tool for punching holes and inserting a steel eyelet to the wallet for attaching the chain. Overall, this method is much less convenient than the zip. Also, the additional internal pocket can be useful for carrying passports, or other items you don't need to access regularly. Quote
Guest xiandarkthorne Posted October 14, 2012 Posted October 14, 2012 I never carry all my cash in one bundle in the same place (pocket, wallet, bag, whatever) when I'm on holiday so I usually split my money and hide the various wads of cash on different parts of my person. Of course when I go to the beach, it's a whole different story...there are only so many places you can hide money in a pair of Speedos, after all. Quote
Guest thaiworthy Posted October 15, 2012 Posted October 15, 2012 Of course when I go to the beach, it's a whole different story...there are only so many places you can hide money in a pair of Speedos, after all. I knew a Thai boy who hid his money in his Speedos, too. He was either less-endowed than most, or these days Thailand must hardly have any problem with inflation. Quote
Guest travelerjim Posted October 15, 2012 Posted October 15, 2012 I never carry all my cash in one bundle in the same place (pocket, wallet, bag, whatever) when I'm on holiday so I usually split my money and hide the various wads of cash on different parts of my person. Of course when I go to the beach, it's a whole different story...there are only so many places you can hide money in a pair of Speedos, after all. X... No doubt, for you...space would be a problem in Speedos tj Quote
Guest xiandarkthorne Posted October 16, 2012 Posted October 16, 2012 Mea culpa. I am tryng to fit into aa smaller size of Speedos. But I don't think anyone would want to swimming in the sea with a wad of cash stuck under one's Speedos in either one of the only two places I can imagine. I am curious, however. Why is pickpocketing almost invariably associated with ladyboys on the forum boards? I have never experienced it myself - not even when I have allowed ladyboys to grope me. Quote
Rogie Posted October 16, 2012 Posted October 16, 2012 Mea culpa. I am tryng to fit into aa smaller size of Speedos. But I don't think anyone would want to swimming in the sea with a wad of cash stuck under one's Speedos in either one of the only two places I can imagine. Britain's Daily Mirror newspaper in typical 'coarse' language had this headline recently: Dirty Money: One in seven bank notes and one in 10 credit cards have traces of poo ONE in seven bank notes and one in 10 credit cards have traces of poo. And 11% of people have hands with the same level of bacteria as you would find in a dirty lavatory. A survey of 1,000 people in East and West London, Birmingham and Liverpool found over a half forgot to wash their hands before eating. And 44% often just rinse their hands with water, not soap to save time, even though soap can reduce diarrhoeal infections by up to 42%. Birmingham had most contaminated cards and notes, 17%, and people with the dirtiest hands with one in three having traces of faeces and E.coli. http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/dirty-money-one-in-seven-bank-1379439 Dirty Money: 90% U.S. Bills Have Traces of Cocaine As a child, my mom always warned me never to put money in my mouth and always wash my hands after handling it. Though I doubt she had scientific evidence for the caution, apparently her intuition was spot on. On Aug. 16 the American Chemical Society released the results of a new study in which it found traces of cocaine on up to 90 percent of U.S. bank notes. The findings showed the highest numbers in large cities such as Baltimore, Boston and Detroit. Greenbacks from Washington, D.C., had a 95 percent rate of contamination. The scientists also ran tests on banknotes from more than 30 cities in five countries, including the U.S., Canada, Brazil, China and Japan. Those results indicated strong evidence of cocaine use in many areas. "The U.S. and Canada had the highest levels, with an average contamination rate of between 85 and 90 percent, while China and Japan had the lowest, between 12 and 20 percent contamination," the researchers report. http://open.salon.com/blog/somyr_perry/2009/08/20/dirty_money_90_us_bills_have_traces_of_cocaine I am curious, however. Why is pickpocketing almost invariably associated with ladyboys on the forum boards? I have never experienced it myself - not even when I have allowed ladyboys to grope me. I agree it does seem the ladyboys are disproportionately implicated. One reason might be most might not look very hefty, but the majority have not had a full sex change so are 100% man. They can pack quite a wallop if the have to, which means if they are challenged by a would-be pickpocketee they most likely will be able to escape. That might explain why fewer girls/young women do this kind of thing, but it doesn't explain why ladyboys seem to outnumber men. Perhaps if we take a late evening baht bus journey as an example: if you see a young man with tatooos and toned body hop on, unless you are very drunk or very green, you'll watch him warily. A ladyboy may well seem less of a potential threat to the majority of baht bus users - although ex-pats and readers of this forum will know better. Quote
TotallyOz Posted October 16, 2012 Author Posted October 16, 2012 I am curious, however. Why is pickpocketing almost invariably associated with ladyboys on the forum boards? I have never experienced it myself - not even when I have allowed ladyboys to grope me. I think it is just the culture of this city and who is doing it. It is just about always ladyboys. Day in and day out, they try this. Perhaps, because they are flamboyant, they can get away with it more. That does not mean I think guys or girls are any better or worst, they just do different crimes. Have you heard of 2 ladies on a Motorbike driving by a baht bus and grabbing the necklace off of an unsuspected tourist? I don't hear that too often. I think that the local mafia give classes in crime and they require all ladyboys to attend. At least that is my theory. Quote
