Freelancing Thai girls
Posted by admin on October 28th, 2007 filed in Culture shock, Living here, NightlifeThere’s a grey area on the edge of Thailand’s ‘skin trade’ occupied by perfectly respectable girls who might be uni students or office clerks, or anything but sleazy girls from some place in Isaan. And when they need some extra pocket money they turn to the discos and ‘freelancer’ pubs where they sell themselves occassionally.
We can all understand how a pretty, brown skinned girl from Udon Thani finds her way into a Nana plaza go go bar and justifies this questionable trade by sending home decent amounts of money to her family and giving herself a generous income. We can understand why she would rather do this than work 9 hours a day in a boring factory job for half the money. Bangkok nightlife.
But, when you find yourself in a bar or disco befriending a shy and sweet young girl who is genuinely interested in you, but it soon becomes clear that she is there to earn some money. She may be a student, living at home with her parents, and on the look out for a boyfriend, with a decent education and respectable manners and values. But in this day and age of mobile phones and designer labels she needs more pocket money than her modestly earning parents can dish out. She’s sexually active, attractive, speaks enough English and perhaps dreams of a night of passion with a (preferably young and handsome) foreigner.
Bangkok is full of these such girls, and if you are looking to meet a nice girl this is far better than the bars. Firstly, they aren’t savvy prostitutes out to get every buck from you, they might genuinely be turned on by you, and certainly haven’t slept with a dozen guys in the last month. They generally don’t empty your wallet either. But it can be a moral dilemma. Although they have actively taken the decision to put themselves on the ‘sales rack’ – you are helping them take that step towards full time prostitution. Fortunately many of them wouldn’t dream of making a living like that, they simply want some fun and want to get paid for it.
I’ve met a few girls like this and taken some home. I’ve even become romantically entangled with a one or two who never asked for any money in the end but insisted I was their boyfriend all of a sudden and bombarded me with ‘I love you daring (sic)’ sms messages. Actually, these have been some of the most memorable nights out. Probably because I’m young, can be a bit witty in Thai and not too ugly and crinkly. In almost all cases the girls have been pleased (relieved) when I’ve taken them off from the bar, we’ve gone dancing and drinking together and it’s been a proper evening together.
I guess it’s no different from a liberal young girl heading to a disco for the evening hoping to find a sexy man to go home and have a romp with. If he’s generous and takes you to a good restaurant and buys you a nice dress, then what’s the difference when you give them cash to go shopping with the next morning. For that is exactly what they intend to do. These girls have no sick family buffalo at home to take care of.
In fact, I gave up on occassional visits to go go bars ages ago. They’re just too low down and superficial, aimed at horny tourists. Go go bar girls are mechanical, calculating, disinterested and a turn off. A freelancer girl is fresh, either genuinely interested or not at all, and is most probably gagging for sex or at least will certainly enjoy it as it should be enjoyed, rather than as a ‘job’.
The best place to meet such girls is the Thermae – a famous Bangkok institution that has been running 30 years and inspired several scenes in Bangkok-based novels. For sure it can be a sad place, especially in it’s atmosphere-less new venue on the corner of Sukhumvit soi 11, in the basement. There is no music, just a snaking bar in the centre where plenty of girls, many quite over their prime, or never quite prime, sit like ornaments in an auction – waiting and glancing aroud the room for eye contact. The men are generally saddo old expats who refuse to pay the tourist prices or simply have had enough. Both parties look pretty hard up and the whole spectacle can appear quite pathetic.
Yet, in every visit there (about half a dozen) I’ve found nice young girls who should be in youthful nighclubs rather places like this. Most times they claim it’s their first time (often I believe them) and they’re simply there because they need more pocket money. More than half the girls I’ve gone off with are students or have a job. In almost each case it’s been an excellent night for both of us, sometimes they get so carried away I have to ask for a break. Now that’s how things should be.
Sometimes the Thermae is full of bar girls who are too ugly and old to work the bars. The selection varies, and it does full up after midnight when the bars close. But sometimes you don’t even have to go in, for girls who are too careful to be seen in there will loiter on the street outside. And although it seems sleazy taking a gorl off the street like this, sometimes the best girls are found here.
The Thermae is generally a secret among residents and tourist punters with big wallets seldom find their way there. It’s not pretentious, loud or too sleazy. Girls don’t bother you relentlessly to buy drinks, and the drinks aren’t overpriced.
Another place to meet such girls is at CM2 disco, below the Novotel Hotel in Siam Square, which is notorious for hard-core prostitutes (of all nationalities) and freelancers, as well as girls out for a good time (with a cash bonus if possible) but you never can tell which is which. Besides this disco has the rudest staff I’ve ever seen, drinks are a rip off, the band sucks and the atmosphere can be pretty dull by nightclub standards.
Anyway, in all cases, treat these girls with respect, don’t snap their heart strings, be honest with them and make sure they get a good time too.