Two Cultures Collide

I have been reading your column for a couple of months prior to my first visit to Thailand and found it gave me an invaluable insight to the Thai culture.

I need to feed some of my experiences back and pass comment and some of the readers submissions. So many people are writing in calling the bar girls for their cheating ways and typecast the Thai culture on the bar girl experiences that they have had,
however these ladies sell their bodies for money which, harsh as the word may sound is prostitution and prostitutes are usually of a lower order in society and one would not expect exemplary behaviour from such people, so why do people expect
great things from these poor bar girls, and gripe if they don't turn out as wonderful loyal girl friends or wives.

We, the Farang have no right to go to their country and experience their culture and call the Thais just because a few people have come into contact with some BGs expected too much and been let down by behaviour or maybe they don't measure up to
our standards of honesty, however they do possess many good attributes that we could learn from.

It's got to be difficult for relationships to work with people from two cultures and a language barrier thrown in even with equally matched couples.

From most of the readers submissions the Farangs that have been let down by BGs have been fools with deep pockets trying to buy love and such people are easy targets and would be taken to the cleaners in any country, and in my opinion deservedly so. These
people should stay at home although they are really safer in Thailand than most any other country.

I had two weeks in Pattaya, and the people are wonderful and lots of genuine warm smiles, it was the Thai New Years and lots of fun all round.

The first girl I had I gave her 300 to pay the bar fine told her I would collect her in 20 minutes on my motorcycle I had just been in Mikes Shopping Mall and left 3000 baht of clothing in a carrier bag on the floor beside the bar, I returned wondering
if I would ever see my shirts again, not only was she standing waiting with my shirts but also I had given her two 100 baht notes and one 500 baht for the bar fine by mistake so the sweet girl had 400 baht change for me.

My only bad experience was, I was picked up by a freelancer one night while I had slightly too much to drink to know better and this girl rushed love making to go find another customer and was poor and wanted 2000, I gave her 400 baht and we parted company
on poor terms however she was an exception all others were fun to be with and honest and were not out to rip anyone off and I always gave a little more than agreed on.

Go to Thailand, have a good time, enjoy the girls company but don't come back and call the Thai people because you have been a fool with your money and some bar girl has not met your expectations as a long term lover.

Most girls are decent just less financially fortunate than ourselves and because of the nature of their work and such a large turnover of tourists may appear shallow, but could it be that we Farangs who are too deep as they are the ones smiling at us?

Stickman's thoughts:

It's all about money.