Tea And Sympathy

I felt the need to title this piece however Tea and Sympathy has no bearing whatsoever on what I am about relay. I was in BKK in March 2006 for my first ever trip there. I am 44 years old, divorced and in to exercise, running and the like. I use this as an excuse to visit various countries and sort of combine running with sightseeing. I read a little about Thailand and thankfully discovered the Stickman prior to my departure. Now for the self perception bit, I don't see myself as a sex tourist, I think I'm decent looking, I know I'm fit, and I think I'm a decent type of guy (who really knows). I have a good job , very decent income and would probably be considered very well off even in Farangland.

I spent 10 days in Thailand in all. Prior to heading over there I joined an online chat service, I think it was Thailand friends for about $10 a month. Over the course of about 3 weeks pre-trip I managed to obtain about 12 different phone numbers of Thai women who wanted to meet me, and I carefully wrote all the numbers down with a few comments about each person. I packed the sheet with all the names in my camera case and carefully packed it within my luggage before I set off. When I arrived in BKK my luggage arrived but the camera had been stolen. Perhaps this was a sign from the heavens that what I had done was wrong, and I should listen to the message and behave myself. It was funny though I now had no leg up on meeting women in Thailand, and so I thought I had my work cut out for me.

Well it was late on arrival and I was picked up promptly from the airport and transported to my hotel. Check in went smoothly, and the facilities were great for $32 per night, with breakfast included. Unbelievable value for money I thought, and I was right, it was. Over the next couple of days I did my running thing and when it was over I had promised myself that I would spend the remaining week sightseeing. Up to that point I found the Thai people to be friendly and courteous, and I of course did notice that many of the Thai women were really beautiful. Anyway I digress, on the second day I received a call in my hotel room from one of the ladies I had spoken with on Thai friends. She had not heard from me and I guess I had mentioned what hotel I was staying at, so she bit the bullet and decided to contact me. I apologized for not calling her and told her that I had lost her number. She seemed fine with this and told me that she would come to the hotel to see me. I was kind of excited about this and surprised as she was basically on her way and would be there within the hour.

I won't use her real name but let's call her Lok. So anyway this very nice office worker with a university education, and an excellent command of the English language shows up. We got along great and we spent the next week together. She had a brand new car and even offered to loan it to me on the days that she had to work. She has a great job by Thai standards, a beautiful smile and a great wit. I travelled with her and met her family and it was truly wonderful. I am going back to Thailand in a few months to see her again and I'm really looking forward to it. I don't know where it will go but what do either of us have to lose? She has not asked me for any money, but if she did I would happily part with it. <Why?! – Stick>

The other point is I am learning the language out of respect for her, as I believe it conveys a healthy respect for the person and their culture particularly if you want to pursue a longer type of relationship. We email every day and talk on the phone occasionally. Over the course of 10 days I was never ripped off or scammed by anyone. I bargained in the markets but not to an extreme degree, because everything is so cheap. In regards to taxi drivers I avoided the ones who wanted to take me to gogo bars, but I still chatted with them and had a laugh and would often ask them for directions to some place or other and they would happily oblige. When I took taxis I always asked for the meter to be turned on and never had a problem with that.

I think Thailand is a great country with wonderful people, with a great culture and that the people have a sense of self.

Stickman's thoughts:

There we are, proof that you do not need to go to the bars to meet women, even if you are only going to be in Thailand for a short time on holiday.