Farang beggars in Bangkok
Farang beggars are a difficult bunch to fathom. There’s a few of them about, and I don’t just mean the hippie oddballs who sleep on the streets of Khaosan. There are real, non-native beggars out there. The most notorious of these is a Dutchman who sits around BTS stations with a sign declaring that he is 6,000 baht away from having enough money to purchase a plane ticket home. He has been 6,000 baht away for a long time now.
I’ve seen this fellow a couple of times and have always made a point to make eye contact and acknowledge his existence. I have never given him money; he makes enough from kind-hearted Thai students.
Whilst he has a sad, puppy-dog look about his person, there is another beggar whose existence I have only recently discovered (it was yesterday, actually). This man is a whole lot scarier than our poor Dutch friend. He looks like a cross between Doctor Emmett Brown from Back to the Future and Christopher Walken in Envy.
I saw him on the walkway between the Victory Monument BTS station and Center One. I’d say he was mid-forties and possibly British. Our eyes met and I was instantly terrified. He even had one of those plastic cups the Thais use. He was crouched down on the floor with a maniacal fire in his eyes, as if he might start barking and growling at any moment. I’m going to keep tabs on this one and see how he gets on.
November 30th, 2006 at 9:05 am
it’s really rare to see the Farang Beggars in Bangkok..
but how can u tell if he’s British or not British
anyway?… I can’t unless I hear their accent….
November 30th, 2006 at 9:19 am
He had a British look about him. I don’t know, maybe it was just gut instinct.
Matt
December 1st, 2006 at 7:54 am
I don’t get them. How could they even come to Thailand in the first place without money? Or they spent it all on ‘girls’.
But anywho there’s this place called an embassy why can’t they just go get help from there?
And that 6,000 guy, I saw him when he first surfaced and the sign was 4,000 I remember. Guess the rise in oil prices affected everyone.
December 2nd, 2006 at 8:14 am
hehe…i like the way you describe things. the truth stretch out its arms, chiding me to know more. i’ll also walk by the VM BTS and see if i could catch a glimpse of this ‘back to the future’ guy.
by the way, i m a regular at your page. (even that kitty too) i googled you after i read your column in guru a few months ago…keep them coming!!!
December 7th, 2006 at 12:30 pm
Hes Dutch and I’m going to kick the shit out of the skank next time I see him, he’s been on it for nearly 2 years now!
March 24th, 2007 at 10:58 am
We have made a short video of the Dutch Beggar in Bangkok, it can be view here:
http://www.thaiso.com/thaiso-tv/dutch-beggar-bangkok.htm
Don’t mean to spam, just thought it was relevant. Thanks.
November 14th, 2007 at 10:16 pm
He’s still at it~!!
http://streetsmartsukhumvit.multiply.com/journal/item/34
This time he tried to loaf around Emporium, but he could manage only ONE DAY there… the strict Empo guards must had kicked him out…