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Bali or Sri Lanka had the most genuinely friendly people of countries I've been to. In Bali they just seemed full of smiles, happy to talk to you and surprisingly for such a touristy-place few people ripping you off like Thailand. In Sri Lanka complete strangers would often converse with you out of genuine curiousity/friendliness and hospitality. I was invited by a bunch of young people to play cricket with them, and another man, when the internet cafe was closed, invited me to his house to use the internet! Another older man invited me for a meal at his home but alas i could not make it.
I've heard the Philippines and Cambodia might qualify too, as well as maybe the rest of Indonesia? Most Filipinos and Indonesians, and Malays to an extent, seem quite genuinely friendly.
As Indonesians i would say the Thais are very friendly and genuinely smiles almost as much as here, some can be quiet individualistic. Filipinos are definitely friendlier people than Thais.
Malaysians are not generally "open" and as friendly people, but yes i find the Malays easier to approach.
As Indonesians i would say the Thais are very friendly and genuinely smiles almost as much as here, some can be quiet individualistic. Filipinos are definitely friendlier people than Thais.
Malaysians are not generally "open" and as friendly people, but yes i find the Malays easier to approach.
I guess my experience with Thais was marred with the bad experience, I certainly have met genuinely friendly Thais...
But yeah quite amazed that nobody in Bali tried to truly have me, I mean you have the touts trying to rip you off, but nothing like in Thailand where a few times people got visibly angry when you were onto them.
Japanese: I remember playing video games with my cousin's girlfriend little brother when i was a little kid. His older sister and him are Japanese. We both played video games and were having a good time. I remember he got a little pissed off though because we kept playing the same game that i really enjoyed, which he was started to get tired of. Now that i think about it i was the little arrogant prick. Ah we also played ping pong.
Chinese: In high school we had several Chinese foreign exchange students. One of really enjoyed basketball and would always played basketball in lunch time with the other kids and i.
Vietnamese. The first time i met my cousin's vietnamese friends at their fathers restaurant his father gave me a big plate of food for free. It was a delicious and i felt really honered. My cousin vietnamese friends are really cool. We enjoy playing Soccer together.
Filipino: Alot of them in my city like the Mexican culture. There is one big hardcore Mexican shopping center that plays classic Mexican music all day and looks like a legit Mexican restaurant inside with displays of our Mexican culture. Alot of filipinos like to work there and there are alot of filipino customers. Several workers there know some Spanish. I feel proud that a country and a people so far away embrace the Mexican culture. In a world were people see Mexico in a negative way, they see us in a positive way. That makes me feel good. It makes me proud of the Philippines and Mexico.
I guess my experience with Thais was marred with the bad experience, I certainly have met genuinely friendly Thais...
But yeah quite amazed that nobody in Bali tried to truly have me, I mean you have the touts trying to rip you off, but nothing like in Thailand where a few times people got visibly angry when you were onto them.
The key to get the Thai's good side is a good smile and respect very simple, and they seem to treat me amazingly nice, and i liked it when i was there... but as a general rule, the more touristy the area you go, the less likely they're going to be friendly with you. The touts can be very nasty i suppose, but i heard from foreigners that Bali can also be very bad especially Kuta.
The key to get the Thai's good side is a good smile and respect very simple, and they seem to treat me amazingly nice, and i liked it when i was there... but as a general rule, the more touristy the area you go, the less likely they're going to be friendly with you. The touts can be very nasty i suppose, but i heard from foreigners that Bali can also be very bad especially Kuta.
For instance, when the tuk tuk driver took me to a dodgy travel agent. When I said I'd think about it, the guy got angry, 'okay, whatever' he said in an irritated tone...one time I was getting a massage and I declined the happy ending...the massage girl got angry and shooed me out of the place saying 'you bad man!' literally pushing me.
For instance, when the tuk tuk driver took me to a dodgy travel agent. When I said I'd think about it, the guy got angry, 'okay, whatever' he said in an irritated tone...one time I was getting a massage and I declined the happy ending...the massage girl got angry and shooed me out of the place saying 'you bad man!' literally pushing me.
Well didn't really spend time in Kuta.
Atleast tuktuk is cheap, the bajaj here can be very nasty too i would say (but atleast they can pass through some of the bad traffic) anyway i didn't really have a bad tuktuk experience, only some who tried to scam me with ridiculous abnormal prices and i just simply refused. And i didn't really go to nasty massage places so yeah i don't really know about that part. Taxis scam is there but not as bad as KL.
I was lost once trying to explore Bangkok on foot and asked a lady in Wat Saket, greeted her with a smile and asked for direction, she offered me a ride to a destination because she said she's going to pass through the area and she also try to make a conversation with me despite her somewhat poor English.
I've had a great experience with a couple in mainland China and most Thais outside tourist areas.
In Shenzhen I asked an information to a young girl and, after a few words, the boyfriend showed up and I were invited to dinner with them in a good restaurant and they did not let me pay a penny.
In Thailand, I toured the Isaan region with some Thai friends and all the people there were incredibly generous and fun-loving and friendly.
Thais in tourist areas like Pattaya or Phuket can be very rude though, and some folks there are just violent criminal. E.g. tuk-tuk drivers in Phuket reportedly threaten and beat customers that object to their extortionate rates, and the same goes for jet-ski renters both in Phuket and Pattaya which often scam customers by making them pay for pre-existent damages to their jet-skis.
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