Just What Pattaya Needs!

[Undaunted]

Indians may be the answer to shrinking tourist numbers:

https://news.thaivisa.com/article/37588 ... or-pattaya

[Gaybutton]

I don't see anything wrong with Indians. They are nothing even remotely like the Sunee area motorbike maniacs. They don't show any interest in going to the places farang usually go. They almost always eat in Indian restaurants and hardly ever in the restaurants farang usually frequent - and I like Indian food, so as far as I'm concerned the more good Indian restaurants, the better. I don't see any them on the trillions of tour buses. They're not impolite - at least I've never encountered any impolite Indians, and nobody needs to give them pamphlets explaining how to behave. As far as I know they don't bother anybody or cause any trouble. There may be the occasional individual trouble makers, but can certainly apply to any ethnic group, including farang.

The only Indians I've ever had any issues with are the aggressive Indian tailors trying to coax people into their shops, and that's a very minor annoyance. I just ignore them and walk on.

What's the problem? What do you have against Indians?

[Captain Swing]

From my extremely limited experience, I thought Thais disliked Indian tourists. My longtime BF worked in many tourist venues in Pattaya. When he worked in a hotel he told me they charged Indians a higher room rate because the hotel often had to leave the room vacant for an extra day after they checked out, in order to get the smell out (from their food, not their bodies). Later he worked in a disco that catered mostly to Asian tour groups. He told me that most customers got in free, paying for drinks as they went along. Russians had to pay 200 baht admission, which included one drink; otherwise they would dance and enjoy the music and buy no drinks at all. Indians, however, had to pay 600 baht, which included just one drink, in hopes of discouraging them from coming in at all. When I asked why, he said the Indians regarded any Asian woman they saw there as a prostitute and approached her accordingly, which didn't go over too well with the schoolteachers and office workers from Korea or Taiwan--or with their boyfriends. Too many fights ensued. I'm just repeating what he told me--and I know it's a very small sample-- so please don't call me racist.

[fountainhall]

From observations made during a few visits to Central Chidlom, there are already a lot of relatively high-spending Indian tourists already here. I always seem to see a dozen or more when I shop there.

[Bangkokian]

The only Indians I've ever had any issues with are the aggressive Indian tailors trying to coax people into their shops, and that's a very minor annoyance. I just ignore them and walk on.
What's the problem? What do you have against Indians?

The money sucking leeches who bleed poorly off waiters and boys in popular tourist areas as money lenders.

Peanut sellers seem to be a thing of the past.

[Gaybutton]

The money sucking leeches who bleed poorly off waiters and boys in popular tourist areas as money lenders.

That's a new one to me. This is the first time I've heard anything about that. If any are doing things like that, then I can understand why you feel the way you do. But isn't it a small number that would hardly apply to all the Indians, especially the ones coming to Thailand merely as tourists?

Same as the motorbike maniacs - it applies only to a small group.

[Dodger]

It would be hard to imagine anyone who visits or resides in Thailand disliking Indian culture for the mere fact that everything you experience in Thailand has its roots deeply embedded in India.

Indian culture has played an integral role in influencing many aspects of Thailand, including religion, ceremonies, language, literature, dance and food. Buddhism was born in ancient India in the 6th century BC and then spread across much of Asia including Thailand (Siam). Today over 95% of Thailand’s population practice Theravada Buddhism which is really the corner stone of Thai culture.

Much of Thailand's unique cuisine comprised of sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and spicy flavors evolved from India, including all those spicy curry dishes which happen to be my personal favorites. Traditional Thai literature and drama have also been heavily influenced by the arts and legends of India. The dance routines the Indians were shown performing on Walking Street are examples of ancient Indian dance that has been mimicked by the Thais for centuries. Two of the largest holidays celebrated in Thailand also have their roots in India, i.e. Loy Krathong : A festival of Lights which was adopted from the Indian Diwali Festival of Lights, and our all-time favorite Songkran Festival (Thai New Year) which was adopted from the Indian Holi Festival.

I enjoy Indian food, find the people to be respectful with pleasant personalities, and appreciate the fact that they have contributed so much to this unique culture in Thailand.

I'd love to visit India one day but heard it's so hot that you can fry an egg on the sidewalks and the mosquitoes are as big as bluejays. The boys are cute too until they start growing those mustaches.

[Undaunted]

The money sucking leeches who bleed poorly off waiters and boys in popular tourist areas as money lenders.

Frankly the more Indian restaurants the better! The amount of Indian restaurants on second road is amazing.

As to Bangkokian’s post when I lived in BKK years ago I would go almost nightly to Soi Twilight and I always saw the same Indian interacting with workers I asked a boy I knew what he was doing the boy told me he was the go to guy to borrow money obviously at high interest rates, that makes him no better or worse that the local Thai mafia guys.


.

[Gaybutton]

The boys are cute too until they start growing those mustaches.

I'm with you on your post, especially this part . . .

[Dodger]

The money sucking leeches who bleed poorly off waiters and boys in popular tourist areas as money lenders.

Frankly the more Indian restaurants the better! The amount of Indian restaurants on second road is amazing.

As to Bangkokian’s post when I lived in BKK years ago I would go almost nightly to Soi Twilight and I always saw the same Indian interacting with workers I asked a boy I knew what he was doing the boy told me he was the go to guy to borrow money obviously at high interest rates, that makes him no better or worse that the local Thai mafia guys.

Maybe you and Bangkokian are talking about the same guy: The Desperado of New Delhi.

What this has to do with the Indians performing dance on Walking Street is a head scratch.