women solo travelers ... - Thorn Tree travel forum

women solo travelers

Replies: 30 - Last Post: 20-Oct-2008 05:46 Last Post By: HangDong

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Posted
06-Jul-2005 11:22
by: taniagirl

Posts: 5
Registered: 06/07/05

women solo travelers

just wanted to say thanks lonely planet for your warnings to women travelers on the thailand page. women should really take note of this especially with regard to using transportation. i took an unregistered taxi (although it was from a tourist agency) in the middle of the day and was driven off into the jungle and raped. he threatened my life and i was lucky to escape from him. i am a seasoned traveller and had already been living and teaching in asia for a year and never thought this would happen to me. my advice for women travelling solo is to take care, don't take any chances, and ask a fellow back packer to share any rides with you. don't put yourself in a situation where you are alone with a driver...even if it's in the day.

Posted
06-Jul-2005 12:07
by: thaifan

Posts: 66
Registered: 03/12/03

1

Was it it Thailand ?Were you able to trace the driver ? Was he punished ? Always use a registered taxi,and take note of the drivers number.

Same Same, but different !

Posted
06-Jul-2005 12:16
by: taniagirl

Posts: 5
Registered: 06/07/05

2

yes it was in thailand. i went to the police but they were not much help and blamed me for travelling solo. they were able to trace the driver and he was known to the police, but they said if i wanted him to be punished i would have to go to trail, testify etc. the police told me to sign some documents saying that if i wanted to prosecute that i would have to remain in thailand until the trail and that i would promise to testify. i refused since i did not trust the police, and i could have been waiting there months for a trial. i was alone and already overwhelmed with everything that had happened and couldn't wait to get out of there. so no, he was not punished.

Posted
06-Jul-2005 13:22
by: leepow

Posts: 45
Registered: 01/03/04

3

It must of been awful,I dont know what else to say !
Lets hope the bastard doesnt do it again.

hot dogs 4 t boys !

Posted
06-Jul-2005 16:11
by: Free101

Posts: 3
Registered: 22/06/05

4

Hi, I'm so sorry to hear about your dreadful experience, but I also appreciate your advice.
I am a female solo traveller and flying over to Bangkok tomorrow! wasn't sure how to get from the airport to my hotel and now I know to be cautious in my decision...Thanks x.

Take care...Vicki x.

Posted
06-Jul-2005 17:59
by: stevee99

Posts: 286
Registered: 06/07/05

5

Tania,
waht a terrible thing to happen...i hope you are keeping your chin up. Please don't let this cloud your view of thai men, in general i think they are far more likely to help you than to hurt you.
Take care....

Posted
06-Jul-2005 18:14
by: Manja

Posts: 14
Registered: 29/05/01

6

Tania, thank you for caring enough about others to relate your tragic experience.

Since you took the taxi through a tourist agency, could you somehow try to report the tourist agency that booked the taxi, or ask them to at least ask them to take some responsibility? Also, would you care to share the name of the agency so others won't blithely book through them again?

Posted
06-Jul-2005 19:09
by: PhuketRichard

Posts: 17
Registered: 01/03/05

7

Manja has a very good point about letting everybody know the name of the agency and where you were in Thailand when this happened. Many of these local agencies specialize at working with transportation companies and drivers for all kinds of rip-offs, scams and violence against tourists. The company that you booked the taxi with obviously does not give a dam about what happened to you or they would have done something on your behalf or at least protect their own profesional selves and the name of their business.

Please let us locals know the name of the agency and there are things that we can do to get a little satisfaction on your behalf and to make sure that they can not continue doing this to other tourists any time they please.

The only way for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing..

Regards From Phuket

Richard

Phuket Pro Dive & Liveaboards
prodive@phuket-scuba-diving.com
www.phuket-scuba-diving.com

Posted
06-Jul-2005 21:09
by: girllrig

Posts: 2,603
Registered: 08/02/02

8

definitely agree with this... i was never raped but it was definitely attempted, and i have problems consistently. taxi drivers here think all farang women travelling alone are doing so because we want to jump right into bed with them. cultural naivete. NEVER take a taxi home alone late at night, unless you have no choice. if you do have to, be very short with the driver, do not engage in any conversation. carry your mobile phone and pretend to use it, have 1155 (tourist police) on speed dial. very visibly make a point of writing down the taxi number on the inside of the door (i have always forgotten this step but according to my thai friends it scares them off), try to dress conservatively. make sure you have your money figured out before you stop so you don't have to linger and count in front of him. if he drives you elsewhere than you want to go, get out and run. "chuey duey" is "help" in thai.

Posted
06-Jul-2005 21:10
by: girllrig

Posts: 2,603
Registered: 08/02/02

9

also, take the red and blue or yellow and green taxis rather than the private taxis, as the former are controlled by government.

Posted
06-Jul-2005 22:46
by: wyattwang

Posts: 595
Registered: 03/12/03

10

Appreciate this posting. Please take care, Tania.

Travel Journals, Mental Blogs And My Beer Count. Check out my website now!!

Posted
06-Jul-2005 23:36
by: angryasiangrl

Posts: 55
Registered: 03/11/04

11

what an awful experience. tania, thanks so much for telling your story and coming on here to warn the rest of us.

can someone tell me what an unregistered taxi looks like. Just a plain car? Are the colored ones you flag down on the streets always registered? Does this also occur with registered taxis as well, or the risk much higher with unregistered.

I've travelled solo around Thailand quite a bit and knew to avoid tuk tuks but never thought about the taxi.

Posted
07-Jul-2005 00:11
by: PhuketRichard

Posts: 17
Registered: 01/03/05

12

In Phuket we do not yet have many meter taxis and all of the ones we do have are legaly registered. All of them have a picture of the driver and his number somewhere in plain site by the dash or visor. A dead give-away is the yellow licence plates which are the only ones that can be on a vehicle used for public transportation. Most visitors do not know that even their visa run mini vans and touring cars are not legal and do not have insurence that covers paying pasengers.

Take care as the licence to be a legal taxi car is issued to the registered driver who has a taxi drivers licence and not the owner of the car. It is not uncommon for the driver to give or rent the car to a second person to use and the photo in the front of the car may not match the person who is driving. Get out of the car and start trekking. If the driver does not put the meter on when you start driving then make a deal of writing down his name and number from the licence and if he still refuses then get out and start trekking.

This is not really a big problem yet here in Phuket as the Tok Tok mafia jerkoffs have more power then the Provincial Governer and the number of legal and farely priced taxis have been deliberatly kept at a minimum.

Please tell us the name and location of the tour company so we and the other LP posters who work in tourism in Thailand do not send our customers to these criminals.

Regards From Phuket

Richard

l

Phuket Pro Dive & Liveaboards
prodive@phuket-scuba-diving.com
www.phuket-scuba-diving.com

Posted
07-Jul-2005 01:19
by: girllrig

Posts: 2,603
Registered: 08/02/02

13

the non-government taxis in bangkok are any taxis which are not either red-and-blue or yellow-and-green- usually they are one solid color. they are not regulated as they are private cars, so avoid those.

Posted
07-Jul-2005 01:22
by: taniagirl

Posts: 5
Registered: 06/07/05

14

thanks for all your kind words everyone. i am doing fine and have a wonderfully supportive family. to be honest with you this all happened a few years ago but believe it or not it has taken me this long to realize that it wasn't my fault, and that i have nothing to be ashamed of and that my experience could actually help others. it has taken me this long to beable to share what happened to me and when i saw lonley planets warning on the thailand page i thought i should write in so that people know to take it seriously.

there are some great points made in the replies. the tourist agency i hired the driver from was in phuket town and called Diamond Tourist Office. the name of the driver was Somchai.

i wish i had of been able to share my story sooner than this. it's really incredible how such an experience can mix up your head.

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