A Thailand Story from an Older Lady

I just want to share my memories and stories. It might be boring for some of your followers as I am a 61-year-old female.

First Arrival in Bangkok

I first started traveling to Southeast Asia in the year 2000. I still remember the fantastic feeling of flying into the old Don Mueang airport alongside a golf course. We filled out our arrival cards and joined the queue through immigration. I remember being intimidated and a bit scared by the small Thai officials dressed in brown uniforms who never smiled once.

We joined the queue for a taxi. I remember they were all green and yellow and had some sort of tank in the boot and PVC seats that you stuck to. You were lucky to get two small bags in the boot. I was like a kid in a sweet shop, nose pressed up against the window, looking at the huge billboards and skyscrapers – and not to mention the traffic and the heat.

Exploring Nana Plaza

Once at the hotel – I’m sure it would have been the Nana Hotel, I can’t quite remember – there was no time to rest after a 15-hour flight. I just wanted to get out and explore. After a shower and change, we headed out into Nana. First stop was Big Dogs or Morning Night.

Now, obviously I was a bit nervous of these bars as they were girly bars and can be intimidating with all these beautiful Thai girls, and here I was – a pale Westerner. We were met by girls as soon as we entered. We all did the wai greeting and exchanged pleasantries. I asked if I could sit at the front just to people-watch and be nosy. The girls made space for us and they couldn’t have made me feel more welcome. I noticed a lot of single guys sitting and chatting to girls or playing pool and having a laugh.

Time to go to the toilet. I asked where it is. They pointed to the back of the room. I was directed with each step I took. The toilet door was a curtain and a squat toilet. When you walk into the bathroom area, you are sharing it with the girls putting on makeup and getting changed, etc. They quickly made room for me. Some bars didn’t have a toilet, so you skipped over the road to the bar that had a toilet.

As the evening went on, we decided to explore Nana Plaza, walking up some very dodgy concrete stairs. We entered the go-go bars, had a few drinks, and made our way around the floors. We eventually came across a katoey bar. Now that was a weird experience – single guys sitting with the ladyboys, the ladyboys would have a coat or something on their laps and the foreign men would have their hands under the coat, etc. I’m not being judgmental, but you can only imagine what they were doing. But if they weren’t hurting anybody, I guess that’s up to them.

Walking out of Nana Plaza, you were always sure to get some food from the numerous food stores that lined the streets. I still remember the smell in the Nana Hotel rooms – stale tobacco smoke. We were only staying for a few nights, so it was bearable.

Elephants on Sukhumvit Road

Next morning, couldn’t wait to get back out amongst it again. The vibe was infectious. Walking back to the hotel, I could see through the pollution an elephant walking down Sukhumvit Road. What a sight! You had to watch where you walked as the sewers were open sewers and some of the pavements were cracked – not to mention the stench. It was all good because the exchange rate was fantastic back then. I couldn’t believe how cheap things were. We were millionaires.

Local Life on Soi 4

After visiting Bangkok a few times, you would see the same locals year after year on Soi 4. Who remembers the little guy who had a tumor growth on the side of his face who would sell watches? Such a sweet guy. The old woman who would sit down with her begging pot and everyone would put money in her pot – she would secrete the notes under her skirt. She was a lovely, immaculately dressed old woman who knew how to work everyone.

There was a time when a young boy with wild hair would run up and down Soi 4 shouting and scaring people. He was obviously under the influence of some substance. It was sad. Anyway, a few years after I first saw him, he was actually living in the middle reservation of Sukhumvit Road under the Sky Train.

Story Two: A First Trip to Thailand

Well, my name is Mike Wilkinson from West Virginia. I’m 53 now. Every winter I spent over $4,000 on heating in my house, and since my kids have now grown up and gone, I realized I had plenty of time to do what I wanted. I figured I could lock up the house and use that money to take a vacation somewhere warm.

I haven’t traveled much except over 20 years ago when I was in the Army stationed in Germany. The guys there always told me stories about their crazy times in Thailand – fun and games and the womenfolk. I had always heard rumors about ladyboys, but I thought that was all nonsense. I couldn’t see why a grown man would want to be a woman. In West Virginia, we don’t have that kind of thing happening. I guess I’m too country or just old-fashioned.

Anyway, I made my plans and I flew in. The first thing I noticed was the humidity – the temperature was fine, it’s hot but it’s fine – but I was sweating more than a working girl in church. I had never seen such a wide variety of people in my life.

The Ladyboy Encounter

I decided to walk to the bars. It was early, around 9:00 p.m. their time, and they told me more ladies would be coming soon. There were already about eight girls with only three customers. A cute lady came and sat down next to me, but something seemed a little off about her. I bought myself a beer and got her a drink.

After a while, a pretty drunk guy walked in – Australian based on his accent. He looked at me and said, “Mate, what are you doing with a ladyboy when there’s all these lovely pretty women hanging around?” I was shocked, and my temper started to boil. I stood up and I told that ladyboy it was time for her to leave my table. He got annoyed until I made it clear I had no tolerance for it.

Then a guy – probably the manager – who spoke broken English came over, saying, “No problem here, no problem here.” He pointed to another girl – Song – who was a real beauty and a real female. After a few drinks, I paid for her to visit my hotel.

The First Night

When we got there, we went to my room. I played some music on my phone and we slowly danced for about three songs. I noticed how smooth and pure her skin was. She looked like she was a third of my size, and I really thought I’d break her in half.

When we got intimate, she gave me a great back rub before our session, and I had forgotten how nice it was to feel the soft touch of a woman. I don’t think she’d ever seen a man with as much hair on his body as I had. My chest and back are covered in hair, and she seemed fascinated by it – even pulling on it to see if it was real, I guess.

She kissed me slowly and passionately, holding my head in her hands. Then she stopped, looked into my eyes, and said, “I love you.” I don’t think a woman in her 20s could have that much passion. I felt myself letting my guard down, wanting her to love me like my very first love. But then I remembered what the guys in the Army used to say: “Live the lie, enjoy the lie, but never, ever believe the lie.”

She stayed the whole night, and we had some really nice sessions. The next morning, she left. I had more days of fun in Pattaya, but none were as memorable as that first experience.

Story Three: A Sister-in-Law Disaster

A little background on me. I’ve been married four times, and each time my wife has gone crazy. I was told I needed a mail-order bride, so I had signed up for a dating website. I had promised myself that one day I’d travel to Thailand to meet some pretty ladies.

I had a few women write to me, but I probably shouldn’t have been looking for serious girlfriends since I had just recently gotten divorced. I have a saying: timing is never perfect in anything.

Meeting Anong

When I posted my photographs, I slightly put my email address in the background of one of them. A woman named Anong from Bangkok picked up on the clue and emailed me directly. I was so excited because I had only sent her a face wink on the dating site. When I flew in, she met me at the airport, and I truly found a life partner. They say even a blind hog can find a nut.

We dated, and next thing you know, I was engaged. She was 31 and I was 47. She had never been married and had no children. She worked as an executive at a big company. She had been engaged at 20, but the night before her wedding, her fiancé slept with her best friend. She canceled the wedding and for 10 years refused to date or be friendly with men. Eventually, she decided to try her luck with foreign men, and that’s how she met me.

I played it really cool during our first meeting, knowing her history with men. I was respectful. After spending the day with me, she went home to her parents’ house at 9:00 p.m. That night, I called a dating service and had a lady come over for aerobics. Then they would leave, and I’d clean up before my sweetheart arrived the next morning.

Meeting Anong’s Sister

When I made my second visit, things had changed dramatically. When we got to my apartment, I asked her what she wanted to do for the days, and she held out protection for me. She said, “I’m ready for love.” From that point on, every time she saw me, she went wild. I started thinking I’d end up in a nursing home needing a body transplant with the way she was wearing me out.

I met her family, including her little sister Marley. Anong told me her sister was jealous that she had found a good man because Marley‘s boyfriend had recently cheated on her.

One day, Anong had to take her mother to the store. She told me to stay at their house and suggested I make jokes to cheer her sister up. I thought it would be fine. That’s what I get for thinking.

The Encounter

Marley offered me a beer while she got one for herself. I started doing voice impressions, making her laugh. Then she pulled out a bottle of some nasty Thai whiskey that Thai people seem to love. I took a shot and nearly threw up, which made her laugh as she took two shots herself. I noticed she was starting to act flirty.

Then out of nowhere, she started talking about how happy Anong was that we had been intimate. I didn’t know what to say, so I just nodded and said, “That’s nice.” Then she told me she hadn’t been with anyone since her boyfriend. I told her not to worry, she was only 20 and had plenty of time.

But then she started getting upset and moving closer to the chair I was sitting in. She took her finger and started twisting my hair around it and then pulled it, making me yelp. She laughed. And before I knew it, she was straddling me in the chair, kissing me passionately. I never saw it coming. The next thing I knew, we were on the floor engaged in aerobics.

I had never been with a woman who was a family member of another woman I was involved with. It was completely out of character for me, but I guess that’s Thai fire and passion consuming me.

After about 15 minutes, we heard voices getting closer to the house. She ran to the bathroom while I threw my clothes on as fast as I could. It turned out to be the neighbors. When Anong and her mom returned, they were all smiles at first, but they could tell something was off. Anong was suspicious for the rest of that trip, and I guess that marked the beginning of the end.

From that day on, Marley kept sending me texts with hearts and kiss emojis. Oh brother. What a story. I’m from a small town back home, and things like this just don’t happen.

Story Four: Plum in 1977

I am from Denmark. My story goes back years to the year 1977 – 46 years ago, to be exact. This was my first trip to Thailand, and I was very much looking forward to it.

Meeting Plum

Although I was 26 at the time, I had yet to have a girlfriend. My second encounter with the locals was a cute girl nicknamed Plum. The hotel taxi driver wanted to help and he knew the right place – a massage parlor called New Bangkok. Here you could date a girl for a day by tipping her 500 baht.

It was only 2:00 p.m., so the massage parlor was closed, but my driver knew the back entrance, so I was let in before most of the girls had settled behind the glass window. After some time, I asked the staff if they could recommend a girl who could speak good English. A smiling, little, sweet girl came forward and took me by the hand. We sat down and had a drink and talked for a while. I agreed with the manager of the massage parlor that I would date Plum for 5 days, which would cost me 2,500 baht.

When we got back to my hotel room, she gave me a nice massage. After a few hours under the covers, we drove out to a Thai restaurant where we sat on mats on the floor and ate Thai food and watched traditional Thai dancing. The evening ended at a nightclub where we watched Thai boxing and danced to a live band. By the time we fell asleep at 2 a.m., she had fully taken care of all my needs.

Plum’s Secret

The next day, Plum wanted to go back to the massage clinic’s doctor where she was scheduled for a checkup once a week. She told me – the first time we had been alone – that she had received an STD from a Chinese guy and was undergoing treatment. I had to protect myself until her treatment was over. Plum suggested that I go along because I had previously been with another girl. While Plum got her jabs, I was examined and declared healthy. I was given a few green pills just in case – never found out what they were, though.

She had convinced me that we should visit her family who lived in Bang Kapi on the outskirts of Bangkok. We brought some food for her mother and some candy for her son.

The Trip to Pattaya

A few days later, we went back to New Bangkok massage where I booked her for another 5 days. We had planned a trip to Pattaya, but she wanted to visit her family first. We went to Pattaya the next afternoon. Our hotel room smelled of DDT – a chemical used to kill cockroaches. The next 4 days went by far too fast.

She told me at one time that she regarded me as more of a friend than a customer, and I believed her because she gave me the girlfriend treatment. By this time, I was in love with Plum.

The Letter from the American

When we came back to Bangkok, Plum showed me a letter from a man in the USA. She wanted me to read the letter for her. She had talked about him a few times and told me that he was eager to marry her. He had only spent 2 weeks here 6 months ago. I understood from the letter that he hadn’t heard from her for a long time – which amused her. She couldn’t read or write English. I suggested that she should write to him about her plans and not keep him in the dark.

He was 20 years older than her, but she was confident that she would love him in time as long as he kept faithful, didn’t drink, and didn’t hit her.

This was our last night together – and a memorable one. When we said goodbye, she gave me her address. I knew that I probably would never see her again. I really missed her.

The Second Meeting

Two days later, just before sunset, a miracle appeared in a narrow soi not far from Patpong. I ran into Plum. She was more beautiful than I remembered, and she was genuinely happy to see me. I followed her to a small outdoor restaurant, and she treated me to noodle soup.

We had a lot to talk about. She told me that she was staying with a man from Sweden at the moment. He had paid twice the amount that I had paid for her. We talked about going to Chiang Mai when I got my money. She was okay with that, but had to go to Pattaya with this guy from Sweden, so she would be free only from next week.

We stood for a long time at the corner before we said our goodbyes. She kept saying that she thought I was back in Denmark by now. I could feel that she was happy to see me as she caressed my hands and arms – again, something she used to do.

The Final Goodbye

The next day was my last day in Thailand and with Plum. On the way to the airport, I gave her my address, although I knew she would not write back. When the car stopped, she looked at me with sad eyes and told me that she had been happy to have me in her house. It’s hard for me to say goodbye. I kiss her and touch her on the cheek. She stays in the car, and I wave goodbye for the last time.

Some may ask why I didn’t ask her to marry me at the time. I have no doubt that she would have considered it. I was living with my parents at the time, and I was going for conscripted army service 2 months later. No way I could take care of her and family.

I wrote to her several times after this trip but got no answer, which wasn’t surprising. As I said earlier, she couldn’t speak English, and the newspapers that she read were of course in Thai. It turns out 2 months later, she had married – not the old American guy – but an Australian who came to Bangkok one week later, asked her, and got her yes a week later.

10 months later, I was in Bangkok knowing nothing of this. I drove to the New Bangkok the next day to find that she had stopped working a long time ago. I drove to her house in Bang Kapi and was met by her two sisters who spoke no English. It took me almost an hour to realize that she had moved to Australia.

After a few days, she called me and we met. It was a bittersweet encounter. She asked if I would take her to the cinema like in the old days. At the movies, she asked, “Can I hold your hand?” We held hands for almost 2 hours, and I waved goodbye from my taxi as I saw her disappear into the crowd for the last time.

It was so long ago. I’m now almost 73. I still have sweet memories of Plum, and I think of her from time to time. I married 8 years later and have a wife and two wonderful children. But I will never forget my Thailand girl, Plum. I hope she had a happy life and wish her all the best wherever she is.