Solo in Thailand #2

On the taxi ride over to Spicy I was introduced to all the girls, and once again was surprised by their strong command of English, even throwing out a few American slang words here and there. I had to laugh, not even 24 hours earlier I was crammed into
a plane full of tourists, and now I was cracking jokes with 3 hot Thai girls, crammed into the backseat of a Bangkok taxi.

Upon arrival to Spicy, I witnessed my first glimpse of a drunk foreigner making a complete ass of himself. He was quickly surrounded by many Thai bouncers, and a few other Thais waiting in the wings. This was a scene I had often heard
about, and I knew it was not going to end well. I quickly bypassed the drama, and headed into the club with the girls.

After paying the entrance fee for our group, I received a particularly warm smile from Bee. Inside Spicy I was amazed at the many young westerners that were having the time of their life. Dancing on barstools and grinding away on the
mini-platforms / stages that make up spicy. As we walked over to a table where Bee's other friends were, I suddenly had the feeling, hmmm… so this is what it must be like for an attractive women back in the States when they enter a
bar / club. I was the recipient of many stares, a few comments, and loads of smiles. How nice to be on the other side of the coin, even if it is an illusion!!!

We all ordered drinks from the bar, and began settling into the club. Bee and I danced for a few songs, then she jumped on stage and began dancing with her friends. It was then, talking to Bee's friend Nok that I learned how Bee
was recently dumped by her boyfriend. He had returned back to Maine, to pursue a masters degree. But much worse was that Bee had also learned her lover had been unfaithful with her close friend. All of this had been hard on Bee, and Nok asked
that I watch out for her heartbroken friend, and treat her well. The dancing continued at Spicy, but soon Bee and I agreed we were ready to go so off in a taxi and some late night food.

While we were eating at a local stand Bee's attitude changed. She seemed agitated, and began talking on her phone. Soon Bee said she had to go meet her friend and asked me to join her. At this point I was a little apprehensive, however
I decided against better judgment and jumped into a taxi with Bee. We headed back towards Nana and exited the taxi in front of a run down apartment complex. Soon I was headed up the stairs and into a small studio, where we were greeted by
Bee's friend Lek. I was amazed at the minimal possessions in the room, a table with two chairs, a small bed, and some photos hanging on the wall.

Lek commented on the fact she recognized me from Spice club earlier in the night, and was very courteous to me. However, things quickly shifted when the girls went into the bathroom together and came out holding a small glass tube / beaker
with a straw coming out of the top. I soon realized this was a homemade water pipe, and the girls were getting ready to partake in burning some meth or what is known as ya-ba in Thailand. I stood up at this point and told Bee and
Lek it was up to them what they wanted to do, but I was not going to be a part of any drug situation in Thailand. Let alone being a farang caught with two freelancers jacked up on ya-ba, this wasn't the thrill I was looking for.
The punishment was beyond anything I wanted to be a part of, and I bolted out the door and onto the street. Soon I heard footsteps, and Bee coming up behind me sobbing, telling me she didn't care about anything anymore, and all the ways
her life had become shit. I told Bee I wished her well, told her that smoking yaba was not the answer, I gave her a hug, and jumped into a taxi back to my hotel.

The next morning, I replayed the night over in my mind, scratching my head and still trying to make sense of this place. I decided I was going to relax around the pool for a while, then just see where the day would take me. After soaking
in the pool, I was ready to move around, so I got on the BTS and cruised around the city, stopping at MBK, and other random places on the way. I marveled at the traffic, beggars, and the well-dressed women of Bangkok. It is quite a scene,
and a lot for a newbie to take in. Before long it was getting later in the evening and I headed back to the hotel to get ready for another night on the town.

I decided to hit a street cafe and pulled up a seat next to a Swede named Kris. After exchanging the normal pleasantries, I learned that Kris had tired of the Swedish lifestyle, the cold, dark winters, and all the government's regulated
hoops one had to jump through and the hardships this was putting on small business in his country. Along with the ever increasing big brother approach his nation was adopting, it had finally taken its toll on him. Kris had had enough, and
the layoffs at his company proved to be a relief. He decided to rent out his flat, take his savings, and head to Thailand. Kris explained this had happened two months ago, and after an extended holiday of sorts, he soon tired of the party
scene and knew he had to get busy doing something. He decided to rent out a condo in lower Sukhumvit and enrolled in a language school getting one on one lessons in Thai, and doing his best to conserve money. He was working hard on coming
up with some business plan that would allow him to make a good living and prolong his stay in Thailand.

After eating, Kris invited me to join him for a few beers. He was to meet up with his neighbors, Noo and Nam, who were sisters that lived in his condo complex. Kris explained that the two girls owned a small pickup truck that they had
converted into a bar and he enjoyed sitting with them practicing his Thai, while drinking beer. It sounded like a perfect plan and soon I was bellying up on the side of the bar / truck drinking Singha beer with my new friends, learning Thai.
The girls were pleasant, and I was amazed at their transportable bar and how efficiently they made everything work, very organized indeed. I remember pausing again, looking around at all the action, the variety of people, along with the vibrancy
of the city, and just laughing. Bangkok was really starting to get a hold on me. When I compared it to major cities in the U.S. such as New York, Chicago, or Boston all wonderful places, but strangely much colder / guarded and insulated than
Bangkok. In my opinion, this city was more alive, warmer / inviting, and much harder to categorize!!!

While having drinks another Swede, Nick, sat down next to us. Nick was just off for a few days from his job as a computer tech for an oil company in Iran. Nick was handsomely rewarded for his work in Iran and after two years had almost
paid off his mortgage on his flat in Sweden. However, the lifestyle in Iran was hell, and he was counting the days down until he could leave. So needless to say he was having his share of fun in the LOS. But was amazed at how many gorgeous
women were working the bars and streets, not to mention the ladyboys who literally scared the piss out of him. We all laughed at his shock.

After a few drinks with the Swedes and the sisters they were ready for action and convinced me I should go with them back to Spice Club. I had explained my previous night, but Kris wanted me to meet his friend, a hot Thai girl who was
the lead singer in the band performing there. It didn't take a whole lot of convincing and soon we were again off to the club. Once inside we watched the group perform and after the show Kris introduced me to Fon. I complimented her on
her singing, and we all headed off to grab a table and some drinks.

Soon Nick brought up the topic about all the working girls he had encountered; Fon and Nam explained how not all Thai girls are like that. Both were good girls and while they both worked in the party / bar scene both explained they would
never go with a man for money, only if they had strong feelings for him. Fon explained it would take a while to get to know one another through dating and spending time with one another's friends. I began talking more with Fon and soon
our group headed out to the dance floor. I was amazed at how not only the other girls were staring at us, but all the waiters and staff that worked Spice club were now gawking at us dancing on the dance floor. I could only assume they were
shocked Fon would be dancing with me, or they had seen me the other night with Bee and figured I was up to no good. After a few dances we headed back to our seats and talked some more. I was soon reaching my limit and decided to call it a
night and headed back to my hotel for some sleep, or so I thought…

After leaving the club, and walking down soi 11, I stopped at 7 Eleven for some drinks, and headed on past the street vendors when I saw Bee and her friends. She immediately jumped up and grabbed me. "I sorry about last night, I
miss you baby, come, sit and eat with us." Soon Bee was yelling at the vendors to serve up some tasty Thai-dishes, along with beer and waters. I tried to decline the offers but Bee and her friends would not have it. So I obliged and watched
how the girls got along. Soon one of Bee's friends dropped by and we chatted about Bee and her "smoking". She knew but insisted it was Bee's life and she could do nothing about it. What really got me, was meeting Bee's
pregnant friend whose boyfriend was an Aussie working in Bangkok. I soon learned the girls had met up to go smoke yaba at another friend's studio close by after they ate. I really felt sad for these girls, but more so for the
innocent child that was a victim of a drug addiction. While Bee and her friends were young, and attractive, they were clueless on the path of destruction they were heading down. It really put me into a depressed mood, and I bid the girls a
good night and continued on to my hotel.

Soon Bee was again following me asking me "why I not like her", and I simply told her I just felt sad for her, and more so for her friend's baby. I wished her well, and again warned her that smoking meth was going to get
her in more trouble than it would get her high. She still pleaded with me to take her back to my room, but I told her I was leaving for Pattaya in the morning. She then helped me with directions on how to get to the bus station, and gave me
her number if I needed anything. She then said with a smile; "You take me with you, we stay with friends, have good time, Pattaya very fun!" I chuckled, gave her a hug and headed off to bed…the last thing I knew I wanted to take
with me to Pattaya would be a girl!

The next day I was on a bus "solo" going to Pattaya…a place where more random, and bizarre adventures awaited me…to be continued…