Four Stories from the Philippines Thailand and Pattaya
Story 1 A Filipino Adventure Bucket Showers Fighting Roosters and Kidnapping Warnings
I have been married to my Filipino wife now since 2001, and we’re both happy living here in Australia. My wife speaks perfect English. In fact, she says she speaks better English than me. My wife has a master’s degree and studied on a scholarship at Sydney University. So yes, she is the brains in the relationship, and she reminds me of this on most days.
Anyway, a couple of years ago she wanted to go back to the Philippines as she had sold some land and needed to go and sign the papers in front of the buyer and the solicitor. This time she wanted us to stay with some of her cousins in their home about 40 km from Manila airport, as they had a car and could drive us to the appointments.
The House with No Shower
We arrived at Manila airport after our flight from Sydney about 8 hours. Her two cousins were there to pick us up and drive us to their place, about 2 hours due to the heavy traffic. It seemed like forever in a small car with no air conditioning. Luckily, it was evening, so it wasn’t too hot.
Eventually, we arrived at their home in a small suburban area amongst other modest houses. To me, they looked like they were homemade. We walked into the small two-bedroom house, which was like a fortress with gates, etc. We went into the main living area and there was a large karaoke machine and what looked like two park benches with no cushions and a wooden table with lots of old photos on the wall.
It was like a furnace in this small house. So I said, “Is it okay to have a quick shower to freshen up?” The cousins started to laugh. I said, “What? No shower?” They said, “Yes, no shower.”
They showed me into a small cubicle which had a toilet and one tap about a foot above the floor, with a bucket and a cup in it. So what I was supposed to do was fill the bucket then pour the water over me. I said, “Why is there only one tap? Where is the hot tap?” You guessed it no hot water. Oh, and also the toilet didn’t flush, so you had to use the bucket to flush down your business.
I ended up trying to have a shower. When I had finished, my wife said they could hear me groaning and moaning while I had a cold shower. They all thought it was so funny.
The Diesel Air Conditioner
Next, I asked where we would be sleeping. They showed us a small bed in a small room with what looked like old sheets for curtains, but I was so happy to see a window with an air conditioner unit on it. I thought, ‘I can handle this’ until I turned on the air con. It sounded like an old diesel truck had just started up.
By this time, I was just laughing. My wife was fine with it as this is what she was used to.
The Uncle’s Gun and Fighting Rooster
Eventually, her uncle came home with some bags of food. Her uncle’s English wasn’t the best, but we tried to communicate over a few San Miguel beers. He then was excited to show me his gun. It was a large silver-plated revolver, and he asked me if I wanted to go shooting, but I declined.
We woke in the morning to roosters crowing, dogs barking, and motorbikes flying past. The uncle took me into the backyard as he wanted to show me his fighting rooster. It was a lovely looking bird. You wouldn’t believe how savage they can be. He showed me his dogs, but I wasn’t allowed to stroke them in case they bit me.
The Escape to the Shopping Center
Next, it was time for my wife and everyone else, including me, to get in the car and drive to the land which my wife was selling. I said, “Is that the car we are going in?” They said, “Yes.” I said, “How many of us?” They said, “Seven.” I said, “Air conditioned?” They said, “No.” So there was no way I was going to go in an old car with no air con for about 4 hours.
I said, “I don’t really want to go. I’ll make my own way to the new shopping center.” The uncle said, “No, you can’t go out on your own.” I said, “Why?” The rest of the cousins said, “It’s dangerous and you might get kidnapped and held for ransom.”
Shortly afterwards, they left. I then went outside, saw some kid on a scooter, and offered him 100 pesos to take me on the back of his bike to the shopping center. It was nice. The shopping center was air-conditioned. I walked around for half an hour. I didn’t see other Western people just me but I felt safe.
I decided to try and find my way back to the house, but got totally lost. I then bumped into some dodgy looking guys playing cards. They asked me where I was going. I said I was trying to find the house I was staying in. They said, “You are going the wrong way.” I thought, ‘Oh, here we go.’ They then said, “You need to turn right, then first left.”
I said, “You don’t know where I’m staying.” They said, “Yes, we do. You’re staying with Chris and his family. He told us you might be out walking somewhere.” I felt relieved. I thought they were going to mug me or something.
Story 2 Back to the 1980s Burma Bangkok and a Very Different Thailand
My first visit to Bangkok was in 1980. And of course, there have been changes, mainly in transport. I saw the MRT supports going up. There was no rapid transport back then just taxis, tuk tuks, or buses. No 7 Elevens or big shopping malls.
The Bali Experience
On my first real tour abroad, I experienced something very common back in the 1980s not now but a Western man appearing in Asia would be mobbed by Asian college girls all eager for experience. The first day in Bali, I was entertaining half a dozen wide-eyed Indonesian Chinese girls with spicy noodles, and they were egging each other on to get the first kiss. Nothing developed, but it was what it was like back then.
Bangkok in 1980
On the return to Bangkok, I stayed in a small hotel in Samphanthawong while I was getting my Burma visa. And it was all different. The girl who came to collect the tray after I’d had a meal in my room offered more than waitress service. And another time, a middle-aged woman still a real beauty came offering massage. And so good was the additional service that I tipped quite generously. So when I returned after a tour, the massage lady turned up with a girl the age of her daughter, offering double the fun. It became a bit of a fad of mine two at once after that.
Burma Adventures
While battling through arrivals in Burma, I was talking to a couple of backpackers in the Western national dress of grubby T-shirts and grubby grey knee shorts with buckles hanging down. They laughed at my white safari suit as being so unsuitable for the climate. When I got through into the arrivals hall, I was stunned to see a row of gorgeous girls in colorful Burmese dress all waiting to greet me. My contact had brought her friends along.
I could write a bit about the quite interesting town and the people I met, who were either fascinated by an English guy or were sullen and suspicious government agents. And then it was back to Bangkok on a Burma Airways jet a tiny antique aircraft where the cockpit door fell open. The pilot wore local dress and had his feet up on the dash. The stewardess served a sandwich in a brown paper bag tied up with string, and the seat back collapsed. Still, it got me to Don Mueang without crashing.
Story 3 Fang The Woman Who Survived Abuse and Found Love
Life can be so unfair for so many people and at some point for all of us, but what she had to go through was far too much. I’m talking about Fang, a petite, slim, warm-hearted lady with the most beautiful smile I’ve ever seen.
Her Tragic Past
Without going too deep into the background, she survived a Western husband who beat her almost to death while she was pregnant all because he couldn’t perform due to his excessive drinking. I know him, and I know he can’t even go back to his own country because the police would arrest him for a previous abusive case.
He mentally and physically destroyed her. A sweet and gentle woman attacked and strangled by a man nearly twice her size. Despite everything, she still lights up every room she walks into with her smile and joyful spirit. It amazes me how someone who has suffered so much can carry so much warmth and positivity.
I remember how she used to bring food to a Western man who had lost everything and was sleeping on a bench every night with nowhere to go. I once told her, “You don’t even know how you’ll pay for your own food tomorrow,” and she simply said, “He didn’t know if he would eat tonight.” That’s the kind of woman she is.
How We Met
I used to go to a pool every weekend. One day I noticed her swimming alone. She had a perfect figure, that bright smile, long dark hair. When she got out of the pool, I decided to ask her for Telegram, but just then her friend arrived. That made it trickier, but I still walked over and asked. She hesitated, but her friend encouraged her and she gave it to me.
I waited 2 days, then messaged her and invited her out. She said yes. We went dancing. We both loved it. She had a great time, but nothing happened. I tried to kiss her once or twice, but she wouldn’t let me. At the end of the night, I offered to walk her home. She agreed but made it clear that she would sleep in her home and I would sleep in mine. I said, “Of course.”
The Robbery
As we walked through a dark street, I began to feel uneasy. I gently held her arm when I heard the sound of a motorbike approaching. First fast, then slower, then crawling. I looked back and realized they were coming for us. She was on my right and I pulled her to my left, but not quickly enough. The passenger on the back of the motorbike snatched her bag and they disappeared into the night.
She froze in shock. I felt useless. We walked to a better lit area, found two security guards, and tried to call the police. No one came. We got to the station, but it was closed. She had no phone, no house keys, no money. Still, she kept telling me not to worry about her.
I told her to come home with me, sleep at my place, and we would sort everything out in the morning. She hesitated. She didn’t want to. It was nearly 4:00 in the morning. I asked her to trust me. I had two rooms. There was security in the building. Finally, in her shocked state, she agreed.
When we arrived, I showed her the spare room, but she collapsed in mine, hugged me, and cried until she fell asleep. Nothing happened that night. The next day, I helped her call someone to open her home. That’s when we became one.
The Life We Built
She started cooking for me every day. For 6 months, she studied to become a hairdresser so she could support herself and her daughter. She never asked me for money. When I tried to give her some, she refused. From the start, I told her I wasn’t rich and my job assignment was short term. She said she didn’t care. She only wanted love and a family.
After her course, we opened a tiny salon together with some of her savings and a little help from me. She works from early morning to late at night without complaining. A few weeks ago, I spent a night in the hospital. She stayed with me the entire time and then went to work with no sleep.
But my visa is ending and I cannot stay. I will leave the country very soon. I will do everything I can to find another job and return. She deserves a good life. I’ve never loved or been loved like this before. That’s life. This is a story of a woman who just wants to be loved. And the truth is, it is very easy to love her.
Story 4 The Massage That Changed Everything A Love Story from Pattaya to LA
My name is Mark, and I want to tell you how one simple massage in Pattaya changed the course of my entire life.
I was in my early 50s and had just come out of a long and lifeless marriage that had dragged on for 30 years. My wife barely spoke to me anymore, and any warmth or affection between us had long disappeared. No kisses, no hugs, and certainly no aerobics.
Meeting Ning
One evening, she suggested we try a new massage shop. She had her regular girl and I ended up with someone new. I lay on the table face down waiting. A few moments later, I felt a soft hand on my back and a gentle voice say, “Hello, how are you?” Her English was broken but sweet. That massage was the most peaceful hour I’d had in years. She had this calming energy, and by the time it was over, I felt like a different person.
From that point on, I went to see Ning every couple of weeks. Sometimes I’d try my luck and touch her leg, but she would just smile politely and move away. I realized quickly that she was not that kind of girl, and strangely, I respected that.
Finding Out About the Affair
Then, in October, my world fell apart. I found out my wife had been cheating on me with someone I had considered a friend. I was furious and heartbroken. Ning noticed I seemed different and asked what was wrong. I told her, and she just looked at me and said, “I’m sorry for you,” in a soft voice. That small act of kindness meant more than anything at that moment.
The First Date
Eventually, I worked up the courage to ask her out to lunch. She said she lived far away, but I told her I was a driver by trade and it was no problem. So I drove 40 miles and picked her up. We went to a little Chinese restaurant she liked. Although we could hardly understand each other without the help of Google Translate, we laughed through it and somehow made it work. I had not been on a date in over three decades, and it felt like I was learning everything again.
When I went to pay the bill, she had already beaten me to it. That caught me off guard. From that day, I knew she was different.
The Green Card and the $8,000 Surprise
After my divorce was finalized, we got married in 2014. She never asked me for anything, not once. In 2019, we traveled to Guangzhou for her green card interview. I waited outside the American consulate for 2 hours, the only foreigner in the area. When she came out, she was beaming. She handed me a red envelope. Inside was $8,000.
She said she had saved most of the money I had sent her during our year apart and wanted to use it to buy a house. I could not believe it. I had never met anyone so thoughtful. We found a small townhouse in LA near her family and put half the money down. Of course, $8,000 was a drop in the ocean. I had to make up the rest, but it was the thought that counted.
Life Together Now
We are almost done paying it off. She works hard and still manages to deposit money every month to help. She cooks fresh meals every day. I used to live on microwave dinners and takeaway. Now I eat dumplings, fish, vegetables, and real Chinese food. I used to eat at Panda Express, but after tasting her cooking, that fast food stuff is ruined for me.
She even tells me off when I start gaining weight, calling me fat in the most honest yet loving way. I know it’s her way of caring. We have built a quiet life together. Nothing fancy, but honest and real. She is the most generous, selfless woman I’ve ever met. Her name is Chiron, which means precious one, and she truly is that.
I may have lost everything in my divorce, but what I have gained is far more valuable, a second chance, real love, a partner who gives without asking and cares without conditions. She is my everything. And I thank fate every day that I met her on that massage table all those years ago.
