The Ceremonial Send Off Annie of the Gogo Bar

I hadn’t been to Thailand for years, but I finally returned for a week in 2019 with a friend. It was just before the country closed due to COVID-19 a few months later. During our trip, we visited a club, a go-go bar in Pattaya located on Walking Street. My friend quickly bought a few drinks for a girl who had approached him, but I wasn’t attracted to the women there. To me, they all seemed similar, and apart from a polite “hello handsome man,” I didn’t expect much meaningful conversation. While my friend sat with his chosen girl, I decided to sit alone.

Then I noticed her, number 71, the number on her badge. Her name was Annie. She was very tall with long legs, a lovely face, and a flawless figure. Among the 20-odd girls dancing on stage and hanging around, Annie stood out as the best-looking one. She moved with confidence and seemed to be the center of attention, especially for two other men sat close by. These guys were showering her with money and drinks. At one point, the two men paid for rounds of drinks for all the girls by ringing the bell.

Annie would occasionally pass by me, and I think she noticed my interest. However, I wasn’t keen on competing with her wealthy admirers who appeared to be from the Middle East. I’m not a big spender, and I didn’t like the idea of paying big bucks for her attention in that way. I decided to return the following night, Sunday, but when I arrived, the mamasan informed me it was Annie’s day off. I came back on the Monday, and this time Annie seemed genuinely happy to see me. I told her I wanted to bar fine her for long time. She gave me a great big smile and said okay.

Paying for the Night

We settled on 5,000 baht for her fee and 1,500 baht for the bar fine, totaling over €200. It was a lot, but I reasoned it was better to have one amazing experience than two bad ones. I also noticed that many girls now preferred short time, which was quite different from my experiences in Thailand over a decade ago.

Annie went to change, and then something extraordinary happened. As we were leaving the club, all the other girls lined up to bid her farewell. Annie kissed each of them individually, placed her hand on their foreheads as a blessing, and handed each one a 20 baht note. It was like a ceremonial send-off, as if she were leaving for America or getting married. The girls cheered, smiled, and waved at us as we walked out. I felt like a superhero walking out of the club holding my bride while other girls cheered us on. It was an incredible moment, unlike anything I had experienced before.

Annie and I spent some time strolling around, buying snacks, and enjoying each other’s company. Despite her limited English, we managed basic communication, and I felt like I had a real girlfriend by my side. Later, back at the hotel, we shared an intimate moment that was surprisingly natural and passionate. For the first time in years, I felt like my younger self again.

However, the mood quickly shifted after our encounter. Annie panicked. She insisted she needed to leave immediately to buy a morning-after pill from a pharmacy. I was surprised, as I had assumed she would have taken care of that given her profession. Our language barrier made it impossible to discuss the matter further. Despite having paid for the whole night, I let her go, as the thought of an accidental pregnancy was too frightening for me to think about.

A few days later, I left for Pattaya, where I had a good time with another friend. Yet Annie remained a memorable figure in my mind. The ceremony at the club and the rare emotional connection we shared made her stand out as a unique experience. Although she never responded to my messages online or WhatsApp afterwards, I still have a photo of her and cherish the memories of that extraordinary encounter.

Story 2 From Addiction to Tiger Muay Thai A Life Changing Journey

My name is Freddy, and I thought I would tell you my story of my experiences in Thailand.

I am a 49-year-old Australian guy and have been single my whole life. During my 20s and 30s, I worked meaningless jobs and lived for the weekends. All my money was spent at local pubs in Australia, drinking, gambling, smoking, and other bad habits. I never really had any drive to achieve big goals like buying a house, marriage, or kids, etc. I just lived for those moments. The only time I got a girl was when I paid for her time. I had a win at the pub on the horses. I did not need much in my life, but the one thing I could never go without was a very bad habit that I cannot mention here because it’s YouTube.

I had never left Australia. Some of my friends had been to Thailand and told me the usual stories of what it’s like there and that I would never come back if I ever traveled to Thailand. I never had the drive or the money to get to Thailand.

The Turning Point

Around 2007, I had a relationship with an Australian girl and was in love with her, or so I thought, until that ended. The regular love-making was great, and the fact that she actually wanted to be with me was something that I had never experienced before. This girl made me realize what I was missing out of my life. I was heartbroken when our relationship ended. For about 6 months after this failed relationship, I moped around.

One day, I thought to myself, “Why not give Thailand a try?” I just had the money from the horse race win, so I purchased a 10-day flight and hotel package to Phuket. I didn’t have a lot of spending money on that first trip. The hotel I stayed at was on Bangla Road and had a joiner fee if you brought female company, a rookie mistake staying in this hotel. I couldn’t afford much company with the girls, but being an Australian, I love the beaches, bars, and the tropical climate. I thought to myself at the time, “This place has got real potential.” Just like most people who visit Thailand for the first time, upon leaving the kingdom, I promised myself that I would return sooner than later.

The following year, I had saved enough money to really have a blowout in Thailand. So another 10 days in Phuket, and yes, I could finally enjoy as much female company as I could handle. I also enjoyed island tours, fishing, and all the good stuff you can do in Thailand. I really had a brilliant time. I enjoyed the company of the girls but realized none of this was real. It was basically a Disneyland for single guys.

A New Direction

The next few years of my life were spent doing normal things, playing golf at the weekends, drinking, gambling, and smoking, not really achieving much in my life. Around 2013, I was starting to have some serious problems with my teeth, but it’s expensive here in Australia to sort them out. So I thought, why not research Thailand to get the work done? I bet it’s cheaper than here. Research done. I booked another vacation for 20 days, but this time in Bangkok. I’d heard rumors about Pattaya but had obviously never been there. I just thought Pattaya would be similar to Phuket.

I had the work completed on my teeth in Bangkok, then decided to head down to Pattaya to check it out. Wow, what a city. I didn’t know anywhere like this existed. Fantastic bars and girls, nightlife, beaches, and sun, what more could a guy want? I was out partying every single night and absolutely fell in love with the whole lifestyle in Pattaya. When I got back to Australia, I stopped going to the pub and I stopped gambling. I joined a gym and decided better to save my money for Thailand than to blow it in Australia. I got a personal trainer who introduced me to boxing, which I really enjoyed. The workouts were nothing too serious, just push-ups, sit-ups, pad work, and hitting the bag, cardio-type stuff.

Around 2014, I found a well-paying job working the afternoon shift. I kept on going to the gym in the mornings and working nights. I managed to get to Pattaya two times a year with some friends. During a side trip to Hua Hin, I walked past a Thai gym. The sign said lessons and group training were available, and I thought, “Maybe someday I will give that a go.”

The Dark Times

2016 came along, and my job got restructured, and I was sent to a different warehouse on the other side of town. Around this time, I had picked up a bad habit back home in Australia again, nothing I can mention on YouTube, but let’s just say it was something a lot stronger than cigarettes, if you understand what I mean. I decided to clean up my act and booked a trip to Koh Samui. While there, I found a Thai boxing gym and trained there a couple of times, but these guys were full-on pros, and I couldn’t keep up.

I get back home, and the first thing I do was to get into my bad ways again. I’ve never felt so low and disgusted in myself. I had lost friends, and my family was noticing that I was not myself. I had managed to save money during this time, so I researched gyms in Thailand again and found a place called Tiger Muay Thai in Phuket. This place catered for everyone of all fitness and fight levels. So the decision was made. In 2017, I was going to make a big change in my life. The goal was to make the intermediate class there. The plan was three times for a month at a time, and I did not care how much it was going to cost. I had to stop smoking, but I could not control it. I had quit the best-paying job I’d ever had in February, and I was off to Thailand again.

First week I spent in Patong, drinking and playing pool in the Australian bar on Bangla Road. I’m not a bad pool player, and there is a table where the winner stays on. A Thai guy called Aon held the table, and this guy was good. I nearly beat him a couple of times, and the waitresses there were always cheering for me, but I just couldn’t beat him.

Tiger Muay Thai

I then went to Tiger Muay Thai for the first time, which was a half-hour’s taxi ride from Patong, and I paid for a week’s training. On the first two days, I could only manage one session a day, but on the third and fourth days, I did two sessions each day and was pretty happy with myself. Then some Swedish guy kicked me in the ribs, and it hurt me big time. The trainers there test you physically and mentally, and although I wanted to stay, my ribs were hurting very badly. So back to Patong I go. I was thinking to myself, “I failed already.” But with no alcohol and eating very healthy for a week, I felt good, apart from my rib hurting.

Back in Patong, I head to the Australian bar that night, and Aon is holding the pool table once again. I come close to beating him the first game. Then he holds the table against other players for an hour or so, and I get to play him again. I get to the black ball and think to myself, “I’ve got him.” The cheers from all the girls when I sunk it was one of the best feelings I’ve ever had in my life. With a clear head from the week at Tiger Muay Thai, I was feeling good about myself for the first time in a long time. Even the manager, Roger, congratulated me. Man, I feel good.

I get back home and stay off the bad habit. I managed to find an even better paying job. Then, to celebrate, I book another trip to Thailand for August, and for a full month.

Progress

My original plan works out. August comes around, and I spend two nights in Patong. Aon is there in the Australian bar. The waitresses remember me, and I have a good night, but this isn’t a drinking trip. I head to Tiger Muay Thai, and they remember me as well. They welcome me back. “Old man,” they say. One month training, two time beginners’ class a day, some good food, some private lessons, and a few yoga sessions as well. I’m feeling great. Only drinking at weekends in the Australian bar and getting to know them all well now. I don’t get to the intermediate class at Tiger Muay Thai, but I am feeling great.

Back home again, and there’s no urge to get into any habits at all. I’m working hard, and I can’t wait to head back to Phuket and Tiger Muay Thai again in November. My boss tells everyone that we are extremely busy and no more time off until February next year. I think about what he has just said and give him a week’s notice. He backs off and gives me the month off. He is really happy with what I am doing there, and he does not want to lose me.

November comes, and I head back to Thailand. Same routine, two nights Patong, then off to Tiger Muay Thai. The trainers all say, “You back again, old man? Why you come back?” jokingly. I have seriously gotten fitter and stronger in the last 12 months, and they can see the difference in me from when I first started there in February.

On my last day at Tiger Muay Thai, I had still not gotten to the intermediate class and was feeling a little down. Then the head trainer from the beginner’s class came to me. He looked at me and he tells me, “Tomorrow you go to intermediate.” I felt mixed emotions. I finally reached my goal, well, sort of, because I didn’t get to do a session in the intermediate class. He didn’t know it, but this was my last day.

Going to Tiger Muay Thai in 2017 was the best thing I’ve ever done in my life. I got to meet some genuine Thai people and experience their culture. I’ve looked into Buddhism and tried to live off their benefits on how to treat other people and how meditation is a big part of it.

I did a couple of trips in 2018, but no Thai boxing was involved. Then in 2019, I did some sessions at smaller gyms whilst in Phuket, but nothing too serious. I still keep fit and active, training for boxing three to four times a week. I have tried to find a good Thai boxing gym in Australia, but it’s just not the same as in Thailand. I’m still working in the same job and have more money in the bank than I’ve ever had. I did not get back into any bad habits for 3 years, until the pandemic hit. I sincerely love Thailand, and I will be visiting again soon.

Story 3 Love in a Go Go Bar A 10 Year Marriage

My name is Warren. I am from Australia. I have been going to Thailand and Asia for over 20 years. I have probably been there around 40 times or more. I’m nearly 50 years old now. I have been married to my wife for 10 years with two beautiful daughters, seven and nine. They have their mother’s looks, luckily for them. We met in my friend’s bar in Soi Cowboy. I met her when I was about 36. I was always a happy butterfly when I met her. She was very young and had been working for around a year in the bar.

I never had a problem with bar girls coming and going, but we connected with each other, and I decided to take her to Phuket for a week’s holiday. She had never been there before, let alone swam in the sea or been on an aircraft. We became very close. I went back home to work, and she stayed in the bar for a couple of months. I came back to Bangkok and couldn’t wait to see her again. I spoke to her one day and asked if she would like to get out of the bar business for good, to which she replied, “Yes, I would.”

I went to her village in Khon Kaen to meet her family. They are very poor and rely on her for support, and sadly they still do, which really annoys me. Village people in Thailand have no idea on how to budget their money. 6 months after taking her out of the bar, I would ring her every day when back in Australia. I knew she was in the village because I could hear the chickens and dogs, etc., in the background. We would talk a lot, and of course, I would send them some money, about 10,000 baht a month, which was approximately $330 Australian dollars, for the 6 months.

When I returned, I went through the visa process and brought her back to Australia on a holiday visa. This happened twice. After about three years and a mountain of paperwork and around $5,000-plus Australian dollars for visas, I asked her to marry me, and she said yes. She fell pregnant about 2 weeks before the wedding in Australia, but we only found out about a month after the wedding that she was pregnant. We were both scared but excited.

The Wedding in the Village

We went back to Thailand during her pregnancy and got married in the village. I gave her a dowry of 100,000 baht and a new Ford truck. It was a big wedding with about 100 people in attendance, with a live band and dancers and everything. My wife organized the lot. The wedding and entertainment was great and didn’t really cost that much, it was only the dowry that stung me. I returned to Australia for the birth in 2012. We would go to Thailand every year for a one-month holiday and to visit my money-hungry mother-in-law.

In 2014, we had a second child, and I paid for some of my wife’s family to come to Australia for the birth. They all stayed for 6 months, not cheap. My father-in-law was great. He was always fixing things around the house, and he even made a little bit of cash-in-hand work. My money-hungry mother-in-law helped a little with the new arrival of our second child. When they went back to Thailand, I told my wife that I was sick of sending her mother money and we now have children to support. Her mother is like a leech and gives her daughter grief and the silent treatment when my wife tells her that we can’t send her any more money. They decided to buy a tractor with monthly payments but now can’t afford the monthly installments, so my wife still has to send money to her family so that they don’t lose their farm and house. The money issues are never-ending, but at least my wife has a cleaning job now which brings in some extra cash.

It really upsets me that my wife’s family is like a millstone around her neck, always looking for handouts and putting pressure and guilt on her. It’s not fair on us and it upsets her a lot. Anyway, we do have our ups and downs, but somehow we are still strong together, even though she says she has enough money every so often. My wife has to build a house in her village with her own money that she has earned here in Australia. She is a great cook, the best mother, and takes pretty good care of me and the children.

Story 4 The Dental Disaster Mixing Painkillers and Beer

My story might provide some mild entertainment if nothing else.

I was staying on Khao San Road several years ago and decided to get some dental work done. After browsing through several dental surgeries very close to Khao San Road, I settled into the chair a bit after lunchtime, having decided that I needed two bridges done. The work started. The dentist expressed some hesitation about doing two bridges at the same time. I simply wanted the work done and finished in one hit so I could get on with enjoying life and not have to return.

As it turns out, dental injections for pain are administered in two doses, that is, two different injections each time it is required. Pretty sure I had 10 or 12 needles to get both bridges done. About 3 or 4 hours later, I left the surgery with a full set of choppers, no gaps. I was very happy with the work the team did there. I felt fine and unaffected. Walked to my hotel, showered, and found a nice place to have a Thai green curry and a Chang beer. Those are the last clear recollections of the day.

The Dental Treatment

I woke up the next morning on my hotel bed in extreme pain. The pillow was soaked and heavy with blood. The sheets were soaked in blood. All the skin was gone from my elbows, knees, hips, and shoulder blades. My face was black and blue. The only upside at this point was my teeth were okay. I was covered in cuts and abrasions and didn’t have a clue what happened. That morning, I found a large gaping cut to the back of my head and a great circular imprint of someone’s entire set of teeth in the form of a bite on my back.

Keen to try to find out what happened, I started with reception. They told me I walked in at about 4:00 a.m., barefoot with no shirt, and covered in blood. To investigate further, I went to the place I’d had the green Thai curry and beer. The guy there remembered me because he helped me with a Wi-Fi connection so I could chat with friends back in Australia. He remembered giving me my meal and a beer. Then he said after I’d finished the meal and one beer, I staggered off very drunk. He said he watched me falling over and staggering up the road.

This is when I started to suspect what by now must be obvious, beer and heavy doses of dental pain relief don’t mix. At least not if you want a functioning brain. Then I started getting flashbacks of the previous night, such as laying on the road looking at two sets of shiny black shoes and looking up at two huge guys wearing black bouncer-type outfits. Then I remembered being led up the road by two ladyboys, one holding each arm, bleeding. Then a moment of frozen reality as I realized I was in a deserted, very quiet alleyway with my helpers. This contrasted sharply with the noise and hustle of Khao San Road. Next thing, I was being attacked for my wallet. I was fighting to stay upright with one hand on my wallet pocket so they couldn’t take it. Every time I tried to get up, the road was again pressing against my face. It was weird to remember that my last recollection was one good punch which connected well and dropped one of my attackers. Then I ran. That’s it. The next thing I remember was waking up on the bed.

Entirely self-inflicted, yes. But in my defense, and a cautionary tale about mixing beer and dental work, I went from feeling completely okay and unimpaired to loss of awareness during one beer, and I didn’t know what was happening to me. Just as a footnote, I was no stranger to beer drinking. I could easily drink two six-packs of beer (half a slab) just to warm up and be completely sensible.

For your information, I don’t feel any guilt about that punch. Upon reflection, I feel some satisfaction that it landed with such effect. They knew they were taking advantage of a tourist and started the violence. I bear them no malice, I know they need the money. Had there been any bystanders, this could have ended very differently, tourists involved in violence where locals often end up in hospital.

Story 5 The Auntie The Phone and The Escape

I’m Andy from Sweden, and I’m 38 years old. I have been traveling to Thailand since 2005. 2005 was my first time in Thailand, this was when I was studying in university. I had just got into a relationship with a Swedish girl. We did not have anything to do in the summer, so we found very cheap tickets to Bangkok, 350 each with a Ukrainian airline. It was a lovely holiday, and we traveled around two different islands. During this trip, I noticed that many of the foreign guys were driving motorbikes with a Thai girl on the back. I thought the girls looked so wonderful with their long black hair in the wind. I remember thinking to myself, “If my current relationship with my girlfriend breaks up, maybe this is something I’d like to try.” I have always been attracted to Asian ladies. I find them very beautiful.

About two weeks after returning to Sweden, my girlfriend and I broke up. So I got to thinking about going back to visit Thailand. It was now 2010. I had just finished university and finally had enough money saved to once again visit Thailand. This time, a friend came along with me. He stayed for 3 weeks, but I stayed for 4 weeks. Before traveling, we had read up on some of the good areas to have fun, like Khao San Road and Nana Plaza. The first night out, we visited Nana Plaza, but we were very tired from our long-haul flight. We spent the evening drinking with two really nice girls, but that’s all. And at the end of the evening, we gave them a really good tip and said we’d be back to see them again.

I forgot to mention that I’d been speaking to a girl about 3 or 4 years younger than me, but I’ll get back to that later.

Koh Samui and the Massage Lady

We headed down to Koh Samui, a wonderful tropical island, but most of the time we were there, I was thinking about Bangkok and wanted to return as soon as possible. On our first night, walking along the beach, a Thai girl jumped out of nowhere and hugged me. “You like massage?” she said. “No, we need to eat dinner first,” I said. After dinner, we were walking back when the same girl jumped out again and said, “You eat dinner. I me massage you now.” I was a little bit confused but said, “Yes, okay, let’s give it a go.”

An older woman in the massage place looked at me and asked, “You had massage before? You know what massage is, right?” “Yes, yes, no problem,” I said. The girl who was going to give me a massage was very beautiful. She took me into a private room, told me to undress, and went off to get her basket with oils, etc. When she came back, I was laying on the massage table in my underwear. She points at the underwear and says, “No, no, take off.” I did as I was told, when in Rome, as they say. She started to massage my back and worked her hands over most of my body. It was an excellent massage, but you can guess the rest, it wasn’t too long until the aerobics started. However, I was a little bit worried as no price had been discussed beforehand. After the massage was finished, she said, “500 baht for the massage, the rest up to you.” I gave her 2,500 baht, which at the time I thought was fair.

During my time in Koh Samui, I went back to visit the massage lady several times. She seemed always happy to see me again, or at least my money.

Meeting Am

My friend’s holiday came to an end, but I still had a week to go. I decided to meet up with a girl I’d been chatting with previously. She was from Lopburi, about 2 hours’ drive from Bangkok. The girl’s name was Am. She came to Bangkok with an auntie and a neighbor who drove the car. Before she arrived, she called me and said, “You have to buy gifts for my parents.” That’s Thai culture. I rushed into a gift shop and picked up some face cream for her mother and a famous book for her father, but of course, it was translated into Thai.

Am’s auntie asked me if I was a smoker, apparently she didn’t like smokers. I told her I like the occasional cigarette with a beer. She then pointed out that she didn’t like the fact that I was a little overweight. I’m not that big, just a few kilos, but I found it quite rude the way she was pointing at me. In the car on the way back to Am’s town, the auntie wanted to look at my passport and then pictures on my phone. I found her to be very forward and quite rude and disrespectful. The atmosphere in the car was now becoming unfriendly and tense.

When we arrived at Am’s house, I met her parents and her brother. Am told me to hand over the gifts to her parents, which I did, but their faces looked very disappointed, aside from Am’s. However, once her mother spotted the price of the cream, she gave a smile, and Am looked relieved. Am had booked me into a small local hotel. On the way over to the hotel, again the auntie started with her rude questions. She asked me how much money I made in Sweden. She then went on to tell me I should save my money for Am’s family. I played dumb and didn’t tell her anything. Later on, Am and her auntie showed me around the village where they worked. Apparently, the men in her family didn’t work, which is surprising in a reason they’re asking for money.

The Island Disaster

The next day, we decided to visit an island near Pattaya, I can’t remember the name of the island. What surprised me was that I thought Am and I were going alone, but apparently, her brother and friend were coming with us. We arrived in Pattaya and took a ferry ride to the island. We got to the island and then to the hotel. Then there was a lot of conversation between Am, her brother, and the other guy, which of course I didn’t understand. I was then told that the room would be 5,000 baht. I later found out this was a total rip-off by them, as the room we were in was not worth more than 1,000 baht. The room wasn’t that big, a double bed and an armchair, and I wasn’t sure what the arrangement was to be.

Once we checked in, they asked me if I’d like to go to the beach. I said, “Yes, that would be quite nice.” So we head to the beach. We get there, and they say, “Here’s the beach, see you later.” They then take off and leave me on my own for about 3 hours. I think to myself, “This is not going well.” When it was time to sleep, it was really weird because they gave me the bed, Am the chair, and the two guys slept on the floor. I was starting to have a bad feeling about the whole situation and thought, “I’ve got to get away from here.”

The Phone Argument

The next day, we got back to Pattaya, and I finally had some alone time with Am. We walked around a shopping center, had an ice cream, and Am told me she’d like me to buy her a phone. I thought, “No problem, I’ll buy her a cheap phone.” However, Am pointed to a phone that had a price tag of 30,000 baht and said, “I want that one.” I refused to spend that much money on a mobile phone. We ended up having an argument outside the phone shop for about 30 minutes. I told her, “At least if you had pretended you liked me, I would have considered buying the phone.” She then told me that her mother had told her that if I don’t buy her the phone, that means I don’t love her.

At this point, I’d had enough. I went back to the car, grabbed my bag, and told her I was going back to Bangkok alone. She asked me where I would be staying. I said Khao San Road and then told a taxi driver to drive me to Bangkok. When I got back to Bangkok, I met the two girls we’d had drinks with and had a fabulous time with them.

I only spoke to Am once more after this trip. She texted me to ask me if I was still fat. Needless to say, I didn’t reply.