Adventures with a Tuk Tuk driver

I decided yesterday that I wanted to explore down town Phuket. I didn't any place in particular that I wanted to see, just wanted to wonder around for awhile. The center of town is close enough to walk to but far enough away to not want to walk there. I flagged down a motor bike taxi and pulled out my map to show him where I wanted to go and as soon as I went to show him the map he said "no" and sped off. This was definitely the first time I had seen a taxi refuse and leave before even quoting a price. So I flagged down another taxi and got the same response. I assume they thought I was trying to ask for directions or something. So I looked at the map and chose a place in the middle of town and told the next taxi that place (keeping my map in my pocket) and was off.

I wondered around down town for just a bit then had a Tuk Tuk driving offering to take me to a few different places around town for only 100 baht (about $3). I of course told him no that I was just walking around. He showed me on my map the three places he waned to take me and it pretty much hit every corner of the city. So when he went down to 20baht I couldn't refuse.

He dropped me off at the first place and sat down on a bench to wait for me. It was a souvenir shop with a shit ton of jewelery and random over priced trinkets. I walked through the store very quickly and headed back out. I figured the places he wanted to take me wouldn't be very interesting, but I was getting to look at a good bit of the city without have to walk the whole thing.

When I got back to the Tuk Tuk he seemed surprised that I came out so soon, so I told him that I was a student not a tourist. He seemed to understand and asked me to please stay in the places for at least 10 minutes so that he could get a stamp for bringing me there. This deal ended up working out well for both of us, he took me anywhere I wanted to go around town and occasionally hit a shop where I had to act interested in buying stuff for 10 minutes or so. Definitely not something I care to do again, but it worked out well for getting to see a decent amount of Phuket Town.