baby buddhas
crash, bang, wallop!
Back in Bangkok, back to the madness. Back to the big smoke. Back to the freaks, the falongs (foreigners), the lady-boys, and prostitutes. There is just so much to be fascinated and horrified by here in Bangkok. My eyes were blown wide open to the dark side of Bangkok the night before we left for the beach, so my impressions of this city now are a lot different than my first impressions were. Anthony and I were feeling like doing something wild and crazy our last night together so Brian suggested we head down to Pat Pong Street, but to go at our own risk. All I knew was that was the really seedy side of town, and I was joking with Anthony about wanting to see some sleaze, so we went. Well, holy shit, my friends! Seeing sleaze is nothing to joke about here in Thailand. Pat Pong Street is like.... pure sin.... in its ugliest, most evil, life and love-destroying form. It just one very long street packed full of live-sex shows with touts throwing laminated sex show menus in your face every 5 feet and harassing you to come in and see a ping-pong show. I am NOT going to explain what that is. But the whole thing was just absolutely awful! All of the clubs have their doors open so you can steal a glance inside as you walk by, Every place seemed to be exactly the same: beautiful girls (or lady-boys... extremely hard to tell sometimes!) dancing in a cage in lingerie with numbers pinned to them. And then I imagine that upstairs its either a knocking-shop or the sex shows are going on... packed full of Western men acting like assholes. Its just really sickening how glamorized prostitution is here. Maybe that sounds pretty tame, but just the feeling of being there was so vile and depressing.
Okay so like I'm no paragon of morality and virtue, but I was enormously offended and troubled by that experience. I can't really explain why, but I just felt SO threatened by it! Anthony, thank goodness, was also deeply disturbed by all of it... maybe even more so than I was. It was just SO GOOD to know that at least oneguy in the world DOESN'T like that kind of shit, doesn't think that its just part of being a man. It gives me some hope that there are actually some good guys out there who are interested in REAL relationships and value REAL intimacy and affection and not endless sexual variety.
And he didn't even have a good conservative Utah upbringing, haha! Not even close. Yeah I don't know... I just hated being there. It was depressing for me, even just for the few moments we were there on that street. I could just feel both my body image and my trust in men and real, wholesome relationships suffer tremendously. Just not a nice thing to see!
Well anyway, that was that. So we battled our way through the touts' assaults and went to a much tamer area-- a gay street! It would probably be outrageous in my city, but in that area of Bangkok it was like, conservative! And no harassment to subject ourselves to banana eating and ping pong ball expulsion, so we were pleased. So we stayed at the Telephone Bar for a few hours... all of the staff (all male) were an extremely effeminate, high-heel wearing lot. My memory of that street is of a server wearing aqua colored heels and a straw hat and giggling in delight when the wind lifted his hat of his head. hahahahah!!!!
Well from there we ventured on to an outdoor bar where both Anthony and I were offered a game of Connect 4. Playing Connect 4 means you want to have sex with the prostitute (girl or lady-boy) on duty. Remember that in case you ever go to Thailand and think they are just offering you a game to play while you drink. Nope. Its sex you're buying.
Well obviously we both refused and went on to another bar that had a live band... got ridiculously drunk, went to Maccas for some reason we can't figure out now, and then decided to go home at 3:00 because after that only the sex-show places were open. It was a very tame night indeed compared to the shit most people get up to on that side of town. I'm so glad I didn't go out there with someone who was into all of that ri-damn-diculousness.... I would have REFUSED to go into one of those shows. No, thank you! I don't want to know or have to remember that!
What a crazy city!! They just hold nothing back here. It is so excessively permissive, its wild. Although one surprising observation... two straight westerners holding hands did seem to raise some eyebrows. Very strange.
Well I had to wake up just 3 short hours later to pack up and leave for Koh Samet, so it was a pretty rushed goodbye that morning with Anthony. I hate saying goodbye to people! Especially to someone whoe felt like such a good friend, like a brother even. We were getting pretty damn silly together there at the end. I was definitely just like the annoying little baby sister, haha! Well, I have a British brother now and he has promised to send me a huge supply of Heinz baked beans in the post, along with oxtail soup, some blood pudding or something like that, and his mate, Daniel. Hah! He wants me to marry his friend and move to his island. I guess this guy Daniel is going to the USA to snowboard next season, so who knows, eh! Anything can happen!!
Well, whether we inhabit the same beautiful island in the future or not, I do hope that Anthony will be one travel buddy I actually keep in touch with. I just learned SO MUCH from him. He gave me so many invaluable new ideas and insights about life and helped me figure out a lot of things I was struggling with. He was a big part of my trip, to be sure! We travelled together in three countries and his company was never anything but delight! Such a top bloke-- I wish he could have joined our Koh Samet party!
Koh Samet is a paradise island! Absolutely stunningly beautiful. Just the sort of welcome respite I like most from the wild and wicked city!
Anyway so many stories, so little time!
"I have to use the prostitute toilet? Wow I hope I don't get seduced by a lady-boy in there!"
"mumble mumble mumble....."
"WHAT!!! Did you just say-- 'Well if you do, don't scream, its not polite'?"
"(choking on beer) WHAAAAAAAAT!!! NO!!!! But your imagination is FANTASTIC!!! I wish I had said half the time things you think I say!"
hahahahah.... oh dear. Well at least friendship doesn't get lost in translation!
Maybe I will have more fateful encounters at Thai massage school... I start tomorrow!
ahhh!! I'm excited!
Back in Bangkok, back to the madness. Back to the big smoke. Back to the freaks, the falongs (foreigners), the lady-boys, and prostitutes. There is just so much to be fascinated and horrified by here in Bangkok. My eyes were blown wide open to the dark side of Bangkok the night before we left for the beach, so my impressions of this city now are a lot different than my first impressions were. Anthony and I were feeling like doing something wild and crazy our last night together so Brian suggested we head down to Pat Pong Street, but to go at our own risk. All I knew was that was the really seedy side of town, and I was joking with Anthony about wanting to see some sleaze, so we went. Well, holy shit, my friends! Seeing sleaze is nothing to joke about here in Thailand. Pat Pong Street is like.... pure sin.... in its ugliest, most evil, life and love-destroying form. It just one very long street packed full of live-sex shows with touts throwing laminated sex show menus in your face every 5 feet and harassing you to come in and see a ping-pong show. I am NOT going to explain what that is. But the whole thing was just absolutely awful! All of the clubs have their doors open so you can steal a glance inside as you walk by, Every place seemed to be exactly the same: beautiful girls (or lady-boys... extremely hard to tell sometimes!) dancing in a cage in lingerie with numbers pinned to them. And then I imagine that upstairs its either a knocking-shop or the sex shows are going on... packed full of Western men acting like assholes. Its just really sickening how glamorized prostitution is here. Maybe that sounds pretty tame, but just the feeling of being there was so vile and depressing.
Okay so like I'm no paragon of morality and virtue, but I was enormously offended and troubled by that experience. I can't really explain why, but I just felt SO threatened by it! Anthony, thank goodness, was also deeply disturbed by all of it... maybe even more so than I was. It was just SO GOOD to know that at least oneguy in the world DOESN'T like that kind of shit, doesn't think that its just part of being a man. It gives me some hope that there are actually some good guys out there who are interested in REAL relationships and value REAL intimacy and affection and not endless sexual variety.
And he didn't even have a good conservative Utah upbringing, haha! Not even close. Yeah I don't know... I just hated being there. It was depressing for me, even just for the few moments we were there on that street. I could just feel both my body image and my trust in men and real, wholesome relationships suffer tremendously. Just not a nice thing to see!
Well anyway, that was that. So we battled our way through the touts' assaults and went to a much tamer area-- a gay street! It would probably be outrageous in my city, but in that area of Bangkok it was like, conservative! And no harassment to subject ourselves to banana eating and ping pong ball expulsion, so we were pleased. So we stayed at the Telephone Bar for a few hours... all of the staff (all male) were an extremely effeminate, high-heel wearing lot. My memory of that street is of a server wearing aqua colored heels and a straw hat and giggling in delight when the wind lifted his hat of his head. hahahahah!!!!
Well from there we ventured on to an outdoor bar where both Anthony and I were offered a game of Connect 4. Playing Connect 4 means you want to have sex with the prostitute (girl or lady-boy) on duty. Remember that in case you ever go to Thailand and think they are just offering you a game to play while you drink. Nope. Its sex you're buying.
Well obviously we both refused and went on to another bar that had a live band... got ridiculously drunk, went to Maccas for some reason we can't figure out now, and then decided to go home at 3:00 because after that only the sex-show places were open. It was a very tame night indeed compared to the shit most people get up to on that side of town. I'm so glad I didn't go out there with someone who was into all of that ri-damn-diculousness.... I would have REFUSED to go into one of those shows. No, thank you! I don't want to know or have to remember that!
What a crazy city!! They just hold nothing back here. It is so excessively permissive, its wild. Although one surprising observation... two straight westerners holding hands did seem to raise some eyebrows. Very strange.
Well I had to wake up just 3 short hours later to pack up and leave for Koh Samet, so it was a pretty rushed goodbye that morning with Anthony. I hate saying goodbye to people! Especially to someone whoe felt like such a good friend, like a brother even. We were getting pretty damn silly together there at the end. I was definitely just like the annoying little baby sister, haha! Well, I have a British brother now and he has promised to send me a huge supply of Heinz baked beans in the post, along with oxtail soup, some blood pudding or something like that, and his mate, Daniel. Hah! He wants me to marry his friend and move to his island. I guess this guy Daniel is going to the USA to snowboard next season, so who knows, eh! Anything can happen!!
Well, whether we inhabit the same beautiful island in the future or not, I do hope that Anthony will be one travel buddy I actually keep in touch with. I just learned SO MUCH from him. He gave me so many invaluable new ideas and insights about life and helped me figure out a lot of things I was struggling with. He was a big part of my trip, to be sure! We travelled together in three countries and his company was never anything but delight! Such a top bloke-- I wish he could have joined our Koh Samet party!
Koh Samet is a paradise island! Absolutely stunningly beautiful. Just the sort of welcome respite I like most from the wild and wicked city!
Anyway so many stories, so little time!
"I have to use the prostitute toilet? Wow I hope I don't get seduced by a lady-boy in there!"
"mumble mumble mumble....."
"WHAT!!! Did you just say-- 'Well if you do, don't scream, its not polite'?"
"(choking on beer) WHAAAAAAAAT!!! NO!!!! But your imagination is FANTASTIC!!! I wish I had said half the time things you think I say!"
hahahahah.... oh dear. Well at least friendship doesn't get lost in translation!
Maybe I will have more fateful encounters at Thai massage school... I start tomorrow!
ahhh!! I'm excited!