Here's a story in idiocracy, hot off the press:
A traveler, maybe who lost his wallet (maybe you know him or maybe you don't), likes to kill time, while waiting for his credit cards to arrive in the mail, by sitting outdoors at the little river pier in Krabi, Thailand. He's been going there to relax every other day or so, and since there's a roof, its suitable even if it is raining. Taxi boat touts poach there too, and they hassle people who pass-by, including the said gentleman of this story. But after the initial onslaught, the hassling abates and the touts generally leave him in peace. Occasionally, the touts will joke with the traveler or ask him where he is from, but it is all friendly; and to be honest, he thinks the touts are bored.
Well, on one fine today, the sunniest day in 10 days, this traveler meets one of the taxi boat touts. The taxi boat tout introduces himself first, his name is Adam. What a strange coincidence, the traveler thinks, my name is also Adam. {I think it really was a coincidence, although he could have picked up my name by eavesdropping on the only other day previous where I introduced myself by name}.
The tout goes through his regular spiel, in excellent English for a high school educated individual, about paying for a taxi boat to the tout's village and what not. The traveler explains that he has very little money because he lost his wallet. The tout understands this, doesn't get hung up on it, and the conversation moves onto the importance of the environment, the pros and cons of tourisms in Thailand, the devastating tsunami in 2004 and village life where he lives across the river, to name a few. The traveler spends most of the day taking in the sun, writing little bits and pieces in his journal, and engaged on and off with the tout in conversation, while the tout waits for some paying customers.
Then, late in the day, the tout suggests that the traveler come with him to his village. The tout owns a rice farm, so there is plenty of rice, and there is white snapper for grilling. Our traveler's appetite is whetted and he is intrigued by the offer -- a real chance to escape the well trodden path of the traveler -- but the traveler can't spare the extra money to do that. No, no, says the tout, it is free, we are friends. A back and forth discussion goes on between the two discussing the terms and price of the offer, and whether it is really free. The tout re-re-re-re-assures him: Absolutely, it is free.
The traveler has an internal monologue at this point: I travel all over Asia, I've spent two month in Thailand already, and I very rarely get to interact with the culture. As a traveler, I'm always corralled into the same places as the rest of the travelers, insulated by Westerners from the local culture, and for the times when I try to connect with the culture, I have to book a tour through a travel agent to an "authentic" village (which, by the way, subsists on tourism; authentic tourism, I imagine). This tout is offering me a chance to do something original and personal. I can't let my skepticism stop me from interacting with local people -- eventually, one has to trust someone to get this type of authentic experience. Yes, I'm going to take up his offer. In fact, I must do it! And then a pirate cried out "Huz-ZAH!" from the river, breaking the travelers concentration.
The traveler has some extra things with him. A camera, a journal, and another writing pad. The tout says that first the traveler should "go make his books safe", which seems like a better idea than lugging them around. Our intrepid traveler and the tout head out in the direction of the guesthouse. The traveler goes up to his room, removing the last remaining amount of money from his wallet (just in case the tout is scamming him) -- all except for 100 baht (~$3). Then he meets the tout downstairs at the front of his guesthouse. Here, as the traveler understands the request, the tout wants to go to the pharmacy to pick up some "syrup" for his sister who is pregnant.
A pharmacy is just around the corner, so getting to one isn't a problem. Unfortunately, the tout does not have any money on him. The tout asks the traveler, do you have 100 baht for the "syrup", I will pay you back the 100 baht when we get to my village? This starts the whole "is this offer really free" discussion again. The traveler asks the tout why he should trust a total stranger with borrowed money. The tout is persistent though, and acknowledges that he is asking the traveler to trust him. Eventually, the traveler relents saying, "If you're cheating me, I'm going to be really angry", but internally he's thinking, we're going to his village, and what, is he just going to run off in front of me?! And the tout comes out of the pharmacy with a bottle of cough syrup. Well, the tout wasn't lying about the syrup at least.
The tout and the traveler head back to the pier. The traveler is told to wait a few minutes for another tout's wife to arrive, and then they can all leave. At this point, not even kidding you, the traveler turns his back for about 30 seconds, enjoying the sunset over the river, and turns back to the tout -- the guy who shared the same name, who spent hours in conversation discussing conscientious subjects, who said absolutely, the trip to the village is free -- now 100 meters away, in a half-sprint. With a bottle of free, absolutely free, cough syrup.
Resigned to the situation, the traveler sat down and watched the sunset.
{Me again. I don't know if I'm just getting worse at traveling, or more complacent, but seriously, was I off in trying to trust another person, a tout albeit, in order to get an authentic cultural experience at a village? I don't think so and perhaps losing three dollars to find out isn't a bad trade, but it doesn't make me feel travel savvy, that's for sure}.
A traveler, maybe who lost his wallet (maybe you know him or maybe you don't), likes to kill time, while waiting for his credit cards to arrive in the mail, by sitting outdoors at the little river pier in Krabi, Thailand. He's been going there to relax every other day or so, and since there's a roof, its suitable even if it is raining. Taxi boat touts poach there too, and they hassle people who pass-by, including the said gentleman of this story. But after the initial onslaught, the hassling abates and the touts generally leave him in peace. Occasionally, the touts will joke with the traveler or ask him where he is from, but it is all friendly; and to be honest, he thinks the touts are bored.
Well, on one fine today, the sunniest day in 10 days, this traveler meets one of the taxi boat touts. The taxi boat tout introduces himself first, his name is Adam. What a strange coincidence, the traveler thinks, my name is also Adam. {I think it really was a coincidence, although he could have picked up my name by eavesdropping on the only other day previous where I introduced myself by name}.
The tout goes through his regular spiel, in excellent English for a high school educated individual, about paying for a taxi boat to the tout's village and what not. The traveler explains that he has very little money because he lost his wallet. The tout understands this, doesn't get hung up on it, and the conversation moves onto the importance of the environment, the pros and cons of tourisms in Thailand, the devastating tsunami in 2004 and village life where he lives across the river, to name a few. The traveler spends most of the day taking in the sun, writing little bits and pieces in his journal, and engaged on and off with the tout in conversation, while the tout waits for some paying customers.
Then, late in the day, the tout suggests that the traveler come with him to his village. The tout owns a rice farm, so there is plenty of rice, and there is white snapper for grilling. Our traveler's appetite is whetted and he is intrigued by the offer -- a real chance to escape the well trodden path of the traveler -- but the traveler can't spare the extra money to do that. No, no, says the tout, it is free, we are friends. A back and forth discussion goes on between the two discussing the terms and price of the offer, and whether it is really free. The tout re-re-re-re-assures him: Absolutely, it is free.
The traveler has an internal monologue at this point: I travel all over Asia, I've spent two month in Thailand already, and I very rarely get to interact with the culture. As a traveler, I'm always corralled into the same places as the rest of the travelers, insulated by Westerners from the local culture, and for the times when I try to connect with the culture, I have to book a tour through a travel agent to an "authentic" village (which, by the way, subsists on tourism; authentic tourism, I imagine). This tout is offering me a chance to do something original and personal. I can't let my skepticism stop me from interacting with local people -- eventually, one has to trust someone to get this type of authentic experience. Yes, I'm going to take up his offer. In fact, I must do it! And then a pirate cried out "Huz-ZAH!" from the river, breaking the travelers concentration.
The traveler has some extra things with him. A camera, a journal, and another writing pad. The tout says that first the traveler should "go make his books safe", which seems like a better idea than lugging them around. Our intrepid traveler and the tout head out in the direction of the guesthouse. The traveler goes up to his room, removing the last remaining amount of money from his wallet (just in case the tout is scamming him) -- all except for 100 baht (~$3). Then he meets the tout downstairs at the front of his guesthouse. Here, as the traveler understands the request, the tout wants to go to the pharmacy to pick up some "syrup" for his sister who is pregnant.
A pharmacy is just around the corner, so getting to one isn't a problem. Unfortunately, the tout does not have any money on him. The tout asks the traveler, do you have 100 baht for the "syrup", I will pay you back the 100 baht when we get to my village? This starts the whole "is this offer really free" discussion again. The traveler asks the tout why he should trust a total stranger with borrowed money. The tout is persistent though, and acknowledges that he is asking the traveler to trust him. Eventually, the traveler relents saying, "If you're cheating me, I'm going to be really angry", but internally he's thinking, we're going to his village, and what, is he just going to run off in front of me?! And the tout comes out of the pharmacy with a bottle of cough syrup. Well, the tout wasn't lying about the syrup at least.
The tout and the traveler head back to the pier. The traveler is told to wait a few minutes for another tout's wife to arrive, and then they can all leave. At this point, not even kidding you, the traveler turns his back for about 30 seconds, enjoying the sunset over the river, and turns back to the tout -- the guy who shared the same name, who spent hours in conversation discussing conscientious subjects, who said absolutely, the trip to the village is free -- now 100 meters away, in a half-sprint. With a bottle of free, absolutely free, cough syrup.
Resigned to the situation, the traveler sat down and watched the sunset.
{Me again. I don't know if I'm just getting worse at traveling, or more complacent, but seriously, was I off in trying to trust another person, a tout albeit, in order to get an authentic cultural experience at a village? I don't think so and perhaps losing three dollars to find out isn't a bad trade, but it doesn't make me feel travel savvy, that's for sure}.
THAT is a good story !
ReplyDeleteI'd say you made the right choices Adam : to say Yes AND to take with you only 100 baths.
Funny monologues by the way, could be a great book : "The Krabi Monologue - 3 weeks in the head of a man waiting for its wallet".
(are you still there ?)