:: Deepquest ::

After hanging in Bangkok doing the usual european sports: shopping, food, swim, drink. It decide to see the other side of bangkok. The side that most people talk about: Patpong

Most people who heard of Bangkok, heard of the sex tourism problem of Thailand.

First Bangkok has a incredible numbers of girls, actually most of the people in the streets are girls, most of the people working are women even for the hardest jobs. Patpong are well know for the night market where you fing illegale (but tolerated) copy of sofwares or luxury brands. It’s also well known for the bars in the street, where protistutes are “working”. The place is usually crowed at night, noisy and dirty. All the bars have couple people on the sidewalk trying to fish the tourist! I decided to go not for sex, but for something else.

I entered a bar with loud cheap techno, I seat far from the podium where the girls are dancing like in strip bars. 30 seconds after I saw 2 girls who came next to me dressed in Bikiny and who started to talk with a very poor english ( worst than me!). I rode couple guides about Patpong and the way it works. Girls came for a drink, the waitress arrived few minutes after to take the order. They ordered 2 Coke, why 2 Coke? Well Coke is more expensive that regular alcohol, it’s about 2.5 USD for softdrinks and they usually don’t drink alcohol during “duty”. I started to speak with, they expected something like “how much for boom-boom?” I rather tried to know more about them.

One of the girl arrived 1 month and a half ago here for fast cash, the other was here for 3 months. When you know that the average salary for employed people is around 80 USD, I could understand the idea for them to be there for a while but it doesn’t mean I agree. The girls insisted again trying to be more horny with me, but I stayed like an ice cube. I was looking around in the disco with 80’s lighting style, and this awfull loud techno. There’re was many europeans, americans the big fat ugly ones, that felt superior just because of the money they have in there wallet, some already loaded caressing girls, well not the kind of thing they would dare to do in there own country. The kind of people that I can’t stand at all, they buy sex like buying cigarettes with an awfull sense of superiority.
It was 1 am already, the bar and discos here close at 2 am only. I offered them to pay their “fine”. To be able to out and have other activities than drinking with the girls you have to pay the fine about 15 USD. I paid for them, they went to change clothes from bikini to jean-tshirt they felt better. Then they asked for where I wanted to go. I guess they didn’t understand why I was there, it doesn’t matter yet. I asked for them 100’s a questions:
-how many girls where working here?
80 girls
-Are they forced to work here, can they leave freely?
Both said yes, some of their friends quit weeks ago.

It seems like most bars have the same design, a podium in the middle of the bar where girls are dancing in bikini, with a number on it. A number like a tatoo on a piece of meat.

The waitress arrived right after I finish my drink: “Do you want another one sir?”, I said yes same for the girls. I told them after with a smile that they could leave and go back to there home. I was amazed by the smiles I saw on their faces, a pure and honest smile I guess. One decided to leave I gave here cash, the other one decided to stay a bit, we keept one speaking about the backstage of Patpong. She confirmed that many white boys where really mean various violence such as cigarettes burn etc… Unfortunatly they can’t complain to anyone, neither to the police which is corrupted by the bar owners.
At 2 am the lights where turned one. She said she could go for sex for free with what I already gave her. I once again declined the offer saying she’d go to sleep and rest. I gave again extra $ for the cab and for her because she was living 1h30 away from Bangkok. She was happy with to be able to leave, get cash that she’ll send to her familly for sure, with having to support another ugly european on her. Before she left she touched my breast on the left where the heart is (usualy) saying: “You’re a good man”. Then she went out of the bar.
The next morning when checking the pockets of jjean I saw a paper with her phone numer and email.

It may sound selfish or even pretentious, to take time to write this but I was sure one thing that a small contribution can bring joy and happiness at least for one night.
I don’t judge people going to visit prostitutes, it’s not the point. I hate people who premeditated this, and that feel SO superior because of money they have, and not repecting Womem.
Go shopping it will have the same effect!

If you go in Bangkok, go to Patpong open the cage of a bird in those bars with few US dollars.
This can make a difference and the joy it brings in their heart and your is better than anything.

Believe me.

If you want to lurn more about Life in Bangkok have a look to [url=http://www.stickmanbangkok.com/]Stickman’s guide to Bangkok[/url]