An Indian Engineer Discovers Thailand

I’m now 35 years old unmarried I don’t intend to tie the knot anytime soon and I’m also on the chubby side. My first visit to Thailand was in April 2019. I was then working in IT with a company like Amazon but based out of Hong Kong.

After 2 years of working in Hong Kong and visiting Macau many times I tried to sample the pay for play scene but I was kind of put off by how very professional and to the point they all were. I went to these buildings in Hong Kong and Macau with some friends from India all working in various companies. Most of them were not too adventurous maybe they were scared to venture out into these establishments. So during my first two years there nothing much happened.

So about 4 months after meeting him he broached the subject with me about travel. “Where have you been in the past 2 years?” My reply was “Hong Kong training and Macau.” He said “That’s so sad. Let’s try some new countries.” We have traveled together to four countries now since COVID. After that he recently got married.

When we landed at Suvarnabhumi Airport wow the hot humid temperature of April in Bangkok hit me hard. We had an immediate transfer to a hotel on Sukhumvit and after some breakfast we set about exploring Bangkok.

I had honestly never had this much fun in my life. Everything was so easy so accessible so smooth and the food was so tasty. I could not believe that these tastes existed. Every time I went out either solo or with my friend it was a new experience in tastes and experiences.

I didn’t do much in Bangkok with regards to pay for play. We went to Nana Plaza and enjoyed many of the venues. Some did not allow Indians inside point blank. The doorman would hold up his hands and was like “No Indians.” Okay no problem on to the next go go bar.

Bangkok and Pattaya Bars Reject Him

After 3 days of exploring Bangkok we then decided to head down to Pattaya. When we arrived in Pattaya the sights that greeted us were out of this world. Beautiful girls were everywhere we looked all shouting out at us as we passed their bars. Me and my friend decided to go our separate ways and do our own thing.

Based on the advice from the Korean guy in our Airbnb I headed straight for Walking Street. I ended up being kind of ripped off on my first night. I was led into a Russian bar and ended up spending 12000 baht that evening without any aerobics. But it was a lot of fun in there anyway but I was expecting more and it was very expensive. The next day I couldn’t believe I blew that much money in the Russian bar. Lesson learned as they say.

The next day I went into the Honey Massage parlor opposite McDonald’s. I remember because after the massage I was so exhausted that I had to literally sit there and eat a burger and rest for half an hour to recuperate. The girl I picked out in the massage parlor was about 30 and the aerobics were mind blowing. I guess the 500 baht tip I gave her immediately upon entering the room helped a lot. I had learned my lesson from the last night’s Russian encounter and talked and asked her what I wanted upfront and paid extra too. She asked for 1500 for a second massage but I could not justify spending another 1500 baht right then. But overall it was a great experience and I highly recommend Honey Massage.

Looking back I should have asked her for her Line ID perhaps I could have met her outside the massage parlor and done a better deal. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

I had many other mixed experiences on that trip. I got stood up by a lady from a go go bar in Pattaya and I had actually extended my whole trip booking just for her. She was one of the best experiences I had but in the end she said she had some issues at home and she did not come to my hotel. My guess is she probably had one of her regular sponsors flying into town who were more financially important than myself a two millionaire.

I have been to Pattaya seven times since then about twice a year except during COVID. I am planning my next trip this March. I love Thailand not just for the girls who are always available but many more things attract me to the kingdom like the food the people and the tranquil islands. It’s just a great place to go and I can’t even imagine myself not going back there unless I found myself completely broke one day which is unlikely.

So you might be wondering why they actually refused him entry in the go go bars. In some of the go go bars in Nana Plaza this isn’t something new this is something I remember going back 25 26 years ago. And it’s not only Indian people there are certain races for some reason they just don’t let them into the bars. So they’ll turn up and they could be very respectable guys from the West and they try to go inside the go go bar and like the guy said they just put up their hand and said “No you can’t come in here” and they move on.

I can kind of guess why it is what for some people. I don’t want to get too into it here because I’ll get called all sorts of names but you can work it out for yourself. But it’s just one of the things that happens here in Bangkok and Pattaya actually when you’re traveling.

Other than that the Thais are normally very very friendly especially when you’ve got money in your back pocket.

A KTV Experience in Seoul

This first story happened in Seoul South Korea in the mid 1990s. I am a Korean American. In Korea as well as Japan China Hong Kong Singapore and other Asian countries KTVs are a popular way for men to socialize and monger. (In Korea they are called room salons but I’ll stick to KTV because that’s the term used in other Asian countries.)

In KTVs men can talk sing dance eat snacks and drink. Usually young female partners help to make the evenings very enjoyable. I’ve heard that KTVs are also the preferred mongering venue for high so Thai men. I hear the most beautiful Thai ladies beauty pageant contestants models singers and actresses work in high end Bangkok KTVs.

Sometimes the evening ends at the KTVs. Other times couples go to second venues conveniently so KTVs are connected to lower class hotels where aerobics can be enjoyed without leaving the building.

I think my experience is unusual for your stories because it provides a window into the life of a working girl. My experience wasn’t a full sugar mommy experience but close.

As previously mentioned in the mid ’90s I was on an exchange program in Seoul. A distant male relative of mine around the same age took me to my first KTV. Looking back it must be a very cheap KTV because the girls were just okay looking. Later after I graduated from business school I returned to Seoul for work and visited higher end KTVs for business where I saw and interacted with very attractive young Korean ladies.

The girl I paired up with during my first KTV night had a pleasant face but nothing special with a slender sexy body. I was in my mid 20s so we were roughly the same age. We spent the night together in her room with some action. I didn’t tip her because I didn’t know the system at the time.

The Korean-American Student and His Generous KTV Host

While I had money I had just finished a summer internship that paid me well I was living in a cheap university dormitory. My friends and I lived cheap. My KTV girl assumed I was a poor graduate student so she took me under her wing. She paid for nice lunches and dinners which was a welcome change from the cheap food I was eating with friends (dorm cafeteria quality food canned tuna with crackers Cup Ramen). She even invited me over to her room.

On her work nights she would let me into her room. Beer and snacks were prepared for me while she went to the KTVs to work. Looking back she might have been servicing customers while I was watching TV drinking beer and eating snacks in her room but I was oblivious to the nature of her work at the time. After work she would come back for some aerobics.

One time she asked me “Why do we always have to do aerobics?” I was dumbfounded. “With you’re a KTV girl” that thought bubbled in my head. Fortunately I didn’t answer.

Eventually the term was over and I had to return to the States. She never said directly but I think she was hoping I would propose to her and take her with me back to America. I have never considered that because she worked at a KTV and she physically didn’t make my heart flutter. I never gave her false hope. Still I had a good time and have fond memories with her especially because she paid for everything on dates and there was always a sure thing that ended with a bang.

Little did I know that a quarter of a century later I would also become a sugar daddy to a Vietnamese KTV girl that truly rocked my world but ended with a surprising yet tragic twist.

Yeah that’s something I used to hate actually was the KTVs especially in somewhere like China. Because what would happen our Chinese counterparts (I was in the hotel industry many people who watch this channel regularly know my past) and I traveled all over Asia. And what would happen when we had a kind of joint night out where it would be the locals and a few of the expat managers they’d always take us to a KTV and I hated it.

There was nothing wrong with the KTV and the drinks and the food but being the expat they always insisted (and you couldn’t get out of it) that you had to sing a song you know with the words on screen. And I really didn’t like it. I can’t sing. I feel extremely uncomfortable about it. And I think there was only I can’t remember which even song it was I think there was only one song in the day that I could actually kind of croon out. But you know honestly speaking as soon as I was told we were going to a KTV that was my night kind of blitzed already. And I still don’t go to them to this day. I don’t have to now and thank heavens I don’t think I’ll ever step foot into another KTV.

Okay like we’re going to go into our third story. This is a little bit depressing this story so I’ve ended it with a very short story after this one. It’s a true story of a guy’s experiences all over the world actually and I’ll just read the story and you can make up your own conclusion. And if you’ve got anything to say on this story at the end please do leave them in the comments below and I’ll try to answer each and every one of those comments.

Why He Remembers the KTV Experience

Losing His Virginity and Faith in Thailand

Unlike many of you listening to this story I never had any plan or desire to move to Thailand. I was 25 years old when I decided to move to Bangkok with a longing to see the world and the world I saw indeed. My 10 years in Thailand took me to the highest and the lowest parts of my life so far.

I was already a qualified teacher by the time I reached Bangkok so I was able to find a good paying job at an international school. Truth be told Thailand was not my first choice. For a few years I had thought about and wanted to work in a career but things just never seemed to work out for me.

At this point in my life I was tired of being surrounded by ultra conservative people and a super religious group of family and friends. I was brought up in a very conservative Christian household and to say that my upbringing was rather strict is an understatement. By the time I had moved to Thailand in the summer of 2009 I can honestly say I didn’t really care much about going to church and most importantly I was tired of being judged by others for the way I wanted to live my life. I also felt at 25 I was in a sense to start all over in a place where nobody knew me or my past. I wanted to start over and do things my way.

My first year in Bangkok was probably the most memorable. Not long after my arrival some of my male colleagues gave me some of the best advice I received that year don’t get in a relationship with a Thai girl sure have aerobics with them but don’t date them; don’t wear red shirts or yellow shirts in public; don’t point at others with your feet; don’t talk about the monarchy good or bad just don’t talk about it.

This turned out to be great advice as later that year for those of you who were there during the time you remember all the protests going on and some noisy farangs got caught up in the arrests and even hurt in the troubles. But I’m going off the subject.

Paul Builds a New Life in Thailand

The first year in Thailand was the best for many reasons. Sure the unrest that was going on was terrible but somehow it helped me put so many things in perspective. Basically I came to the realization that there was nothing in my life at that point that I was willing to expire for no religion no God no political party no person or group. For the first time in my life I felt like I could just truly express my thoughts and ideas.

That first year in Thailand was also great because I got to be a tourist everywhere I went. Pattaya was a new experience Phuket was a new experience Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai were also new experiences and I was loving all of it. This was before all the high pricing even bothered me and the terrible air quality in the north during the burning season didn’t seem to bother me one bit. Yes I know I was a newbie and to be honest ignorance indeed is bliss.

I never really got scammed in Thailand. Sure I was overpaying as a foreigner for restaurants and tourist attractions but that is to be expected. But I’m talking about scams like the countless ones told on this channel. Maybe it’s because I am from South America and a lot of this seemed very familiar to me and I was always hyper vigilant. Even on my first and last ping pong show experience I didn’t get ripped off I mean paying a lot for a beer was a ripoff but no hidden fees. It helped that I was there with two Thai friends.

I remember my first year I kept waiting for the weather to change. I clearly remember thinking to myself “What the hell? Why is it still hot? When will the weather turn?” Well it never did. Year round heat and humidity were probably the hardest things to get used to but definitely not the worst of my issues. I really don’t want to waste the viewers’ time telling them about all the things that would bother me because after all everything is a matter of perspective and what bothered me at that time perhaps wouldn’t even bother most of you.

Along with the great advice I got from colleagues something strange happened the first week I was in Thailand. I remember going out for lunch with another teacher after school one day and during the meal she saw someone she recognized and called him over to say hi. She told him “Hey this is Martin he has just arrived in Thailand.” To which he said “Welcome to Thailand.

One thing I have not mentioned is that prior to moving to Thailand I had just ended a 2 year relationship with someone I thought would spend the rest of my life with. So in all honesty I was really not interested in dating or even going out with girls. I was really interested in traveling around Thailand and the world.

Meeting a Freelancer in Bangkok

It wasn’t until well into my second year in the kingdom when I started to venture into the massage shops around Bangkok. I know this sounds weird and I feel silly as I write it but a big part of the reason I had not visited them sooner is that I felt guilty. I think anyone who was brought up in an ultra conservative environment could relate to feeling this guilt and shame that others place on you for having premarital aerobics. But fortunately still I was always afraid I would meet parents or worse colleagues going in and out of a soapy massage parlor. Luckily that never happened.

So yes my first intimate experience with a female was in a Thai massage parlor. There were no fireworks or sparks flying about but as in to revert this was also the first step into letting myself go. I have to say that by the time I left Thailand in 2019 I had tried it all soapy massage girls oil massages freelancers bar girls Russian girls African girls and because my attitude by this time was “I’ll try anything once” yes I tried that smelly fruit (durian) and a ladyboy of course. The last two definitely not for me but each to his own.

So now having lost my religion and my inhibitions we move on to the lowest point in my Thailand experience.

After taxes rent and utilities I was able to have about 50000 baht to spend and instead of saving a lot of that money like a responsible adult I was instead spending most of it on travel. By the end of year four I had traveled to most of Southeast Asia India Sri Lanka Dubai and I had started to travel to Europe more and more England Spain Germany Norway Italy and France.

And France is where I now wish I had never gone. France where I met the most beautiful girl I had ever seen. France where somehow I ended up spending countless hours with a beautiful Japanese girl named Aaka. She was in an international studio from Tokyo doing her Master’s in Paris. We actually met because of mutual friends otherwise I don’t think I would have had the courage to even speak to her. We ended up going out to eat one day after our mutual friend connected us via WhatsApp. It was an instant connection. We talked and talked like we had been friends for years.

Even though what ended up happening more than two years later these two weeks in France were without doubt the best two weeks of my life. I cannot express to you how much fun it was to spend time with her. Needless to say after I left France that summer we continued to talk and eventually we decided to officially start dating. I managed to go back to France during my Christmas break from school and we picked up right where we left off. I went back to Bangkok and I was already planning my trip to see her again.

A Relationship Grows Across Japan and Thailand

Fast forward a few months later and she was done with her Master’s so she planned to move back to Japan. This was great for me because now she would be a lot closer to me and it wouldn’t be such a long trip to go and see her. I felt things were moving right along.

Now after 2 years I started to float the idea of getting married. She seemed happy I had brought this up and of course I was also glad she didn’t seem opposed to the idea. But during that same trip in fact the last dinner we had before I flew back to Bangkok I asked her “What do you think your dad would say if I asked him permission to marry you?

I wish you could have seen her face. She said nothing but her face said everything. She looked down and remained silent. To be honest I knew what the answer was but I chose not to press her and have her say it with her own mouth. I was so in love that I chose to ignore that and hope for the best.

I returned to Bangkok and everything seemed normal. As I was planning my next trip to Japan she told me “Next time you come you can meet my family.” So I thought “Great this is a good sign. If she wants me to meet her mom and dad this is great.

Fast forward a few months and I was in Tokyo meeting her family. To be honest again things were going much better than I expected. She said her grandma really liked me as well as her mother. Her father didn’t seem as warm and receptive but I just told myself he was going to be a dad protecting his little girl. We had a couple of great meals together with her family and once again I find myself crying at the airport hugging her tight and wishing I didn’t have to say goodbye again.

I returned to Bangkok thinking things would go back to normal and they did for about a month or so. But soon enough she was very slow in replying to my messages and 2 months later she had completely cut off all communication with me. I had no idea what had happened. I mean I was blocked on social media my number was blocked I had no way of contacting her except by email but she was also not replying to those.

Depression After the Relationship Ends

I was so confused and hurt. I had no idea what had happened. After the best 2½ years of my life how could things just end so suddenly? I know it sounds stupid but I really felt like she had died and I was mourning her loss.

But just in case you thought that was the worst part of this story it wasn’t. About 7 months after I had lost all contact with her I got a message on Facebook from her sister that read “I’m so sorry to tell you this Aaka got married today. I’m so sorry.

I couldn’t believe it. Is this real? Was this really her sister? How could she do this to me? I clicked through her sister’s profile to double check and yes this was indeed her sister whom I’d met several times before. I was so shocked and sad and angry outraged. All I could reply back was “Why?” This was never answered of course.

I was so sure in my mind that she was being forced by her father to marry this man. I was so sure that what we had was true and real. I was so sure that all the time we spent together was not an act. I know it was real. This could only be her not wanting to go against her father’s wishes.

That conversation of me asking her “What would your father say if I asked her to marry you?” and her reaction came to mind again. And it was then and there when I finally admitted that she knew all along that this was never going to happen. That as much as she wanted to be with me her traditional Japanese father would never allow it.

By this time I’d already knew this about Japanese and Korean culture they don’t necessarily want their women to marry outside the race. It’s not impossible but it’s rare from my experience. But I wanted to believe I was going to be the exception and the success story.

Lessons from Travel, Money and Heartbreak

All this just pushed me further and further into my depression. I was never a drinker so I never drowned my sorrows with a bottle but what worked? I would lay in bed late at night wondering and thinking about how to end it all. Most of you have heard of the Pattaya Flying Club and I would often say to myself “What if I start a Bangkok chapter?

For almost 2 years after this incident not a day would go by without me thinking of checking out forever. Now I must say that at this point a lot of my past had caught up with me and by that I mean a lot of my past trauma had come back home to roost. So I’m not going to blame all my mental health issues on her but it most definitely didn’t help.

They say time heals all wounds but not mine. Mine remained very much open for a long time because I allowed them to be. It wasn’t until my last 2 years in Thailand that I was feeling normal again.

After being passed over for a promotion at work that I really wanted I decided it was time to leave Thailand. I remember thinking “I don’t want to leave this place because I hate it here. I want to leave on my own terms.” So halfway through my 10th year there I decided to call it quits and chase a bigger paycheck in mainland China.

It was so hard leaving Thailand after a decade. Like I said Thailand had given me the worst and the best years of my life thus far. But I got on that plane Beijing bound and decided not to look back in anger. After all I still loved all my Thai and foreign friends there.

Now I get to travel back to Thailand as often as I can usually during the Chinese New Year and my two week Christmas break. It is great to go back to Thailand and have that “I am a tourist” feeling again. Every time I’m back there especially in Bangkok it feels like home.

Paul’s Advice After a Difficult Thailand Chapter

Finally if you are still listening or watching I want to give you some advice.

One Don’t regret spending so much money on traveling around the world but I do regret not actively saving money especially in some sort of retirement account. I was young and retirement seemed so far away but not so far away anymore. So start planning for retirement as soon as possible.

Two Do try everything once. I never like the foreigners who were too scared to eat and try new foods. Why are you even living abroad?

Three Speaking of foreigners stay away from jaded farangs. It’s okay to complain and vent your frustrations in everyday life but if all you do is moan about how horrible Thailand is then maybe as many has suggested many times get a hobby or something. Your time in Thailand truly is what you make it.

Four Always trust your gut. Your first instinct is usually right. I’ve learned this the hard way.

A Thailand Hospital Emergency Without Insurance

Well I guess my story starts in February 2024 when I was very keen to escape the miserable weather in the UK and traveled to Pattaya for a month of warmer weather and convenient company. It was not my first time in the city it was my fourth having spent 2 weeks in a new hotel on Soi 7 for my first time in 2021 and having a longer term girlfriend during my stay.

I am now 70 years young. Never married. Live in my own bungalow by the sea in the UK. But I’m not a big drinker of alcohol. I have had mobility issues and I’m registered disabled. When organizing my flights and holiday insurance wheelchairs were requested as my right knee is not as good as it used to be. But even gaining a spot on the NHS waiting list for a replacement knee seems to be fraught with difficulty.

So after a few minor delays I landed at Bangkok Airport and got a taxi to Pattaya getting to my hotel on Third Road at 200 in the morning. So far so good.

I had a great time over the next two weeks. My movement was better due to the warmer weather and the company of the women made me very happy. Only one thing spoiled this period when I slipped on my bedroom floor after a shower and fell on my right hand side probably hurting my knee again. I shrugged it off.

Over the last 2 weeks of my holiday my physical condition worsened and I employed a middle aged woman to help look after me eventually sending her out to bring food as I could hardly walk. My days seemed to be spent on the balcony smoking far too many cigarettes. At the same time I used my emergency inhaler too much in hindsight as I was feeling short of breath exceeding the recommended dose by rather a lot.

The time came I had to head back to the airport. When I got there the airline refused me permission to fly as my breathing was not optimal. And although I had booked wheelchair assistance they wanted me to go to the airport medical facility who then sent me to a local hospital to sort me out. How frustrating!

A Bangkok Hospital and the Travel Insurance Dispute

It is my travel insurance companies seem to be looking to find a way to refuse my claim. The hospital feel I need someone to accompany me back to Heathrow and I am stuck in Bangkok with limited communication having been here for one week. What is worse my GP surgery are taking time to reply to the claim management company thus lengthening the process. I wish that they would get on with it. I am supposed to attend the funeral of a good friend in the UK next week however that seems more and more unlikely.

The moral of this story is if you’re coming to Thailand on your own make sure your insurance company know all physical issues regardless of the potential premium increases. Make sure your Thai and UK phone numbers have sufficient credit if things go wrong communications are paramount. And you have enough savings in reserve to pay for emergency healthcare and repatriation if insurance companies try to escape their liabilities.