My First Thailand Travels And 1980s Bangkok Memories
Old Thailand And Burma Memories
First visit to Bangkok was in 1980, and of course there had been many changes mainly 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.
I better explain that I had planned mainly to visit Burma as I’d been writing to a pen pal and had been fascinated by the place, especially the old capital Pagan, which was just what a temple buff liked. Bangkok was just a short stopover to do the usual sites Grand Palace, Wat Pho, etc. all new to me.
Bali In The Nineteen Eighties
I also included a visit to a pen friend in another temple buff stream Java and Bali. Like all Indonesian Muslims, she wanted to go to Bali, just the two of us. But she giggled, You must not do anything. I assured her that I didn’t push my luck until I saw a green light. So during our time in Bali, it was all very proper, and we didn’t even eat breakfast together.
On my first real tour abroad, I experienced something very common back in the eighties not now but a Western dude appearing in Asia would be mobbed by Asian college girls all eager for some experience. The first day in Bali, where my lady wandered off on her own thing, I was entertaining half a dozen wide eyed Indonesian Chinese with spicy noodles, and they were egging each other on to get the first kiss. Well, it didn’t go further than saying what it was like back then, and nothing developed.
Bangkok A Different Time
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 had a meal in my room offered more than a waitress service. And another time, a middle aged woman but still a cracker came offering massage. And so good was the additional service that I tipped quite generously.
So when I returned after a tour around the old city walls and Golden Mount, 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 to try two at once after that.
Burma Adventures
Now Burma then was a socialist republic and under the same military dictatorship that it is at the moment, and I am sure under Chinese control because it went capitalist and Western friendly just when that happened in China under Deng. But that was when I was married to my Burma girl and we were visiting during the winter and enjoying the advances in infrastructure.
Back in the 1980s, the Burma visa restrictions were tight mere days and I planned to make it work by two visits separated by a few days in Bangkok to get another visa. While battling through arrivals at Myanmar’s capital, I was talking to a couple of backpackers in the Western national dress of grubby gray t shirt and grubby gray knee shorts with buckles hanging down. They laughed at my white specially made safari suit with bone pocket buttons and my tie in a Scottish tartan from Heathrow Duty Free as being so unsuitable for the climate. Though I had an idea that looking smart made customs more agreeable. It didn’t noticeably.
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. They all came to the backpacker hostel they avoided the state run hotels where we occupied a table. And I noted my two backpackers at a nearby table watching me entertain these stunners with gratifying envy.
After visiting several tourist spots, they ferried me down river on a 1910 built river steamer to their hometown, where I was entertained in the home of the best English speaker and probably best looking of the lot. No hanky panky, though we had clicked at once.
And then it was back to Bangkok on a Burma Airways jet a tiny antique Russian aircraft where the cockpit door fell open and the pilot wore traditional dress and had his feet up on the dashboard. The stewardess served a sandwich in brown paper tied up with string, and the seat back collapsed. Still, it got me to Don Mueang Airport without crashing.
The Soapy Massage And Patpong
I stayed at a different hotel where the clearly gay roomboy offered to send a girl along or a boy if I preferred. But while my head was still full of my Burmese beauties, I couldn’t stand the pressure and cut through the alley past the barber shop that was in my second story and my first soapy massage, which is gone now like most of those big soapies. I had never known anything like it and miss it greatly.
Of course, I later on visited Patpong, and while the go go bars upstairs were good with dancers that had forgotten to put their bikinis on as distinct from the rip off upstairs ping pong venues I was often at a more conventional bar at the other end of Soi 1, and I made a pig of myself with three girls, so as not to offend any of them. I did have a look at Nana Plaza, but for some reason, I still thought Patpong was better in those days.
The Burmese Beauty
So on the next trip to Burma in another terrifying antique Russian jet, my Burma beauty just met me on her own. And over lunch, she set out the plan to take me to Pagan where we could stay in a private hotel. If you want to sleep together with me, she said as calmly as if she was suggesting a trip to the central market to buy a pair of shoes.
The trip though the night was murder. I sat on an upturned bucket in a pickup truck. As I mentioned before, Pagan Village was occupied with hostels and eateries then, and we had separate cabins, but she popped along after everyone was snoring, and the day was all good. There was not a tourist about back then, and you could walk in anywhere and take all the photos you liked. Now, they tell me, it’s pay through the nose for not being allowed to do anything.
Reflections On A Bygone Era
Not too much of a story, but how different it was back then. The girls were not so hard as later, but they hadn’t got the technique that the bar girls had later. Why, half of them didn’t even know what kissing was.
I was back in Bangkok in 1982, and there is less of a story as it was my first submitted tale. I had to turn down a Thai girl because I’d already got committed to the Burmese one.
Navy Sailor Thailand Journey
People often relate how they come to learn about Thailand and when their first visit was. Most times it has been discovered by hearing stories from friends or associates who have been there in the past or are a longtime visitor to the Land of Smiles, listening eagerly to tales of the wild times partying, visiting the adult entertainment districts, and finding themselves in situations they could only happen in Thailand good and bad.
When growing up in the mid 60s, there were only books and magazines in order to learn about an exotic destination. You could purchase a guidebook that detailed the local history, customs, and had travel tips. You read it and then took it with you on your trip.
I was an avid periodical reader as they were free in our school library, and new issues of the magazines came out each month. Many of the magazines had a world view, and it introduced me to what was going on worldwide. My favorite magazine was National Geographic as the stories and pictures were amazing, and I would always imagine that I was in that picture or story.
During that time, music was a big part of everybody’s day listening to radio, spinning records with friends, or watching the Ed Sullivan Show on a Sunday night. I got hooked on surf music. Not so much for the quality of the music, but it was the thought of being at a sunny beach scene surfing and living it. Even though you would be considered a surf bum, I thought that it would be a good way to live. It sure beat the farm chores that I faced year round for the rest of my life.
The Stories That Seemed Unbelievable
In the mid 1970s, I was one year after having to register for the draft and was never called up. Many of my older friends had been inducted and served in the US military. Most of them had been stationed in Southeast Asia and had done R&R in Bangkok and Pattaya while in Vietnam or on visiting ships.
The tales that were told by the guys who had been there were quite unbelievable and couldn’t possibly be true as we would listen in amazement and disbelief. A few Polaroids were often shared to prove the stories were true, and a few were quite racy. Traveling to foreign ports on a ship, partying with wild women, drinking while on liberty seemed incredible. The opportunity to be involved in an occasional bar fight or scuffle with other nations’ service members or with a group of angry locals tossed in sounded like a great time as well.
I had learned mostly about Thailand through the magazine High Times. It had articles and pictures from around the world, which was like reading National Geographic magazine for the underground party culture.
Joining The Navy To See The World
How does a young farm kid from the banks of the Mississippi River get into an exotic world location? I had to escape the cornfields to see and experience those places I had read and heard so much about. Well, by joining the US Navy to see the world. My father was in the Navy and saw heavy action in a minesweeper in the South Pacific during World War II. He was initially reluctant. Eventually, he supported my joining the Navy.
I joined the US Navy at 17 not so much to serve and protect my country or to learn a skilled trade that could benefit me after my time in the Navy. I was joining up with the hope that I could visit ports of call in the Western Pacific as a sailor and experience the situations that I had heard so many times from many individuals that I knew. My goal was to get to a ship headed to the Western Pacific and specifically Thailand to find out for myself.
Hawaii The Dream Life
My first shore duty station was in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, doing support and maintenance on the nuclear submarine fleet. I lived with a group of other sailors off base, and a couple of them were fleet sailors salty squids or sea dogs in slang terms guys who had considerable time at sea and had been around. We were all aged 18 to 25 and away from home, living the dream. Aerobics, alcohol, and rock and roll lifestyle that had some daily Navy work tossed in to keep the world safe.
Almost every night at the houses was a full on party. We had a huge stereo blasting, cases of beer consumed daily. We had some of the best liquor in the world. Hawaii is famous for its rum. We had tons.
Local girls from many Asian groups joined us for the party. Many of them were of mixed ancestry, which is very common in Hawaii. I was exposed to many Asian Pacific island cultures. I was culturally shocked at first but learned to be humble and respectful of the various cultures surrounding me. It was the best way to avoid a kicking by the locals and become close friends.
This is when I discovered my attraction to Asian girls and women. It was heaven but it wasn’t Thailand. I still needed to get there.
Finally A Ship Headed West
Two of my roommates were already on a ship that had been to the Western Pacific in the previous year and were going again. They told me about an opening for my Navy skill on their ship that had recently been vacated, and they urged me to get information about getting orders there. The ship was a Navy destroyer also known as a tin can. A small, agile ship loaded with weaponry, with a crew of 24 officers and 330 crew members. A sleek and fast vessel.
I was successful in getting the orders cut. And now, after two and a half years of waiting, my cruise date was set. This was early 1979.
We were part of a carrier task force that included other combat ships and a couple of submarines. It was scheduled for a Western Pacific cruise a WestPac 2 months after I arrived on board. Japan, Korea, Philippines, Singapore were all ports of call before Pattaya and Bangkok.
We were scheduled to go to Australia, but a little incident in Iran occurred on November 4th, 1979 that had us turning around en route to Australia. This was the beginning of the Iran hostage crisis, and we ended up being on station in the Indian Ocean for 101 days in support of the situation. No Australia for us this time. We got lucky and were able to return back to Pattaya and Singapore before heading back to Hawaii. Not a bad break.
Life On A Navy Destroyer
I always chuckle a bit when I listen to stories about Thailand where a person describes their brutal 10 hour flight to Bangkok, suffering jet lag and feeling the heat and humidity in Thailand for the first time, or sleeping all day after a night of partying in Thailand.
Our cruise took 220 days to get to Thailand with our little detour to the Indian Ocean during the Iran crisis tossed in. We worked in hot engine rooms where temperatures could reach 130 degrees Fahrenheit when steaming near the equator. 6 hours on, 6 hours off every day non stop until you pulled in at your next port of call.
It wasn’t a two week holiday or longer for us to enjoy our visit. It was five or six days tops in each port for us sailors. We had to always work the next day at 700 a.m. No sleeping in at all. You had to answer the bell without fail. This was a hardcore existence both for work and partying. It was well worth it to all of us.
The Thai Girls A Cut Above
The Thai girls held premium status as companions. They were almost shy but in an inviting way. They were not brash and potentially dangerous like other bar girls in other ports such as Subic Bay, Philippines, Japan, or Korea. Those girls could be sharks and we were the minnows you had to be on your guard most of the time. They could clean out your wallet when buying them drinks or playing poker or pool, or they could easily brandish a fist or a knife if they were offended in some way or you were caught being a butterfly.
Not so in Thailand. The Thai girls were so welcoming and warm in those days. They dedicated themselves to making sure that you were well cared for and looked after. They were there for you in all situations. Your every need was met food, lodging, partying at bars and they would arrange the drinks as we couldn’t risk it. What would now be called a holiday girlfriend.
Oh yes, the aerobics. It was magical and lived up to the stories that were told to us by others who had been there.
Returning To Thailand In Twenty Twenty Two
I went back to Thailand in 2022 just after COVID, and I’ve made many trips since. It has changed so much. It had grown a bit during the Vietnam conflict when I first visited in 1979. It was still a mellow place to be compared to now. Even though there are many changes and challenges in the Thai scene, I still enjoy much time there. Precious memories have been created all the way from my sailor youth to the present times.
My next visit is in March 2026. It will be for 2 months this time. I can’t retire there fully, but we’ll make long visits throughout the year as now I have the time to do so.
Online Dating Disappointment
This story is from a friend who has been to Thailand a couple of times already and overall had a great experience. Most of the trips were the typical short term encounters fun, uncomplicated, and exactly what he was looking for at the time.
After a while though, he started thinking maybe he should try something different. Instead of just short stays and brief connections, he wondered what it might be like to meet a more traditional Thai woman and actually try to get to know her a bit. With that in mind, he signed up for Thai Friendly mostly out of curiosity.
What surprised him right away was just how much attention he got. He told me his inbox absolutely blew up with messages. Even he admitted that he’s pretty average looking at best. So the volume of interest caught him off guard and made him feel like a kid in a candy store for a moment.
Eventually he realized he needed to narrow things down. He focused on one woman who seemed more wholesome than most and appeared to have at least a basic grasp of English. They chatted for a bit and decided to meet in person. She lived in Ayutthaya. So he planned a weekend trip around it and decided to take the old train from Bangkok up there, thinking it would make the whole thing feel more authentic and fun.
That’s when reality started to set in.
The Disappointment
When he finally met her, she wasn’t quite what he had expected. Her pictures weren’t outright fake, but they were clearly taken from her best angles and probably touched up a bit. In person, she looked noticeably different. She was also heavier than most Thai women he’d met before. Not obese, but definitely not thin either especially compared to what he had become used to seeing.
Still, she was very kind, friendly, and genuinely excited to meet him. There was no awkwardness or bad attitude, and she really tried to make the weekend enjoyable. They spent a couple of days together, and in many ways, she acted almost like a personal tour guide. They went on an elephant ride, visited several temples, walked around the historical sites, ate some really good local food.
One interesting thing he mentioned and something often mentioned was that she frequently brought her best friend along. Apparently, the friend joined them more than once during the trip. Ironically, he found himself more attracted to the friend than to the woman he had actually come to see, but he just laughed it off and kept things polite.
They did spend one night together, but he said he wasn’t attracted enough to really pursue anything physical. On top of that, the language barrier turned out to be a bigger issue than he expected. She spoke very little English, so almost every conversation had to go through a translation app on their phones. At first, it was manageable, but after a while, it became exhausting and made it hard to feel any real connection.
By the end of the trip, he didn’t feel angry or disappointed just a bit underwhelmed. It wasn’t a disaster, and it wasn’t a success either. More than anything, it felt like a learning experience. It reinforced a lot of common advice about expectations, communication, and the realities of trying to build something deeper in that environment.
Normally, this kind of story might not seem worth telling, but it still has a useful lesson. It’s not dramatic or extreme just a straightforward example with a simple lesson at the end.
Bangkok Trip Gone Wrong
After listening to travel stories for several years, I finally made the trip to Thailand at the beginning of 2025. This isn’t a typical tourist tale. It’s more of a ‘how everything went wrong’ story about a failed adventure.
I’m in my 50s and have traveled around Europe before, but this was my first time in Asia. Before I get into the details, here’s one piece of advice always carry a copy of your passport, your hotel address, your international health insurance contact information, and two credit cards. You’ll understand why this matters very soon.
After landing at Bangkok, I followed the usual advice. Went down to the lowest floor, exchanged some money, bought a SIM card, and took a taxi into Bangkok. The driver was friendly, used the meter, and still made good money because we got stuck in rush hour on the way to my hotel in the Sukhumvit area.
I checked in, tried the rooftop pool, and grabbed something to eat at Terminal 21. So far, everything was perfect. I even treated myself to a massage after the long flight an excellent idea, a really relaxing experience.
Disaster Strikes
During the next few days, I did all the classic first timer activities the Royal Palace, temple tours, Chatuchak Market, the floating market, the train market, and so on. I also walked through Soi Cowboy. I was way too early for anything interesting to happen.
Then, after a few days of living the dream, disaster struck. I didn’t notice a gap in the courtyard of an old temple site and fell badly, injuring both legs. In any Western country, a dangerous spot like that would have been marked with tape or at least a warning sign.
An ambulance took me to a local hospital on a stretcher. Before any doctor appeared, the accountant showed up to collect a deposit for treatment. That’s when a working credit card with a high limit becomes a lifesaver.
The medical care itself was excellent. I had a private room and the nurses were wonderful, though I barely noticed them because of the painkillers and my condition. The doctor looked at the X rays and diagnosed ligament injuries. Unfortunately, he was completely wrong.
After 2 weeks in the Bangkok hospital, I was declared fit to fly. My travel health insurance arranged a business class flight home accompanied by a traveling nurse a very competent woman who managed to get me back to my home country on crutches.
My mistake was not insisting on an MRI in Bangkok. It took nearly 6 weeks before the full extent of the knee damage was finally discovered and the necessary surgeries were done..
