The Freelancer by the Wall A Perfect Night in Phuket

This would be my second visit to Phuket. On my first visit I had a girlfriend with me from Bangkok. She was familiar with Phuket so we saw the highlights and partied. This time I was by myself and had the opportunity to have some fun alone.

I did not get too bang into it until midnight but still felt like I had time to sort things out. After hitting a couple of clubs I was familiar with I had been partying with some girls however they were all pushy grabby and clamoring for drinks. Most of them were blasted on tequila or Red Bull and vodka.

When I asked about one girl the mamasan seemed concerned since I was in Kata and wanted a premium plus a 1000 baht drink fee. I declined thinking “It’s 345 a.m. the bar is closing and you want a 1000 baht drink fee? No thank you.

It was late by then and the options were slim. While walking out I decided to check out the freelancers a rare approach for me for several reasons. As usual there were dozens lined up but nothing really caught my eye in the varied assortment of girls.

Off to the right back by the wall away from the others was a short petite darker skinned girl in just a tank top cut off jeans and white trainers. She looked like she was waiting for a bus not a customer. She wasn’t reaching out or yelling at passing men. She had long shiny hair exceptionally light eye makeup bright eyes and a wide smile. She was a natural cutie. She looked to be in her late 30s or early 40s.

When I approached her I asked her about her situation. She replied that she had a room and offered short time. Her English was good and she spoke with ease. I told her that I was not a short time kind of guy and that I had a nice villa in Kata just a few minutes away and was very scheduled. I made sure she knew about this as it might be a dealbreaker. I mentioned that I would cover her transportation the following day. It was not a problem. She readily agreed but I sensed a glimmer of hesitation.

The Tuk Tuk Ride to Kata

We then got on a tuk tuk back to Kata. She told me her name was Tar aged 42 and that she came from a farming family. She supplemented her income by coming to Phuket tried the bar scene but was uncomfortable with the alcohol use so turned to freelancing instead. Tar had a very pleasant way about her. As we spoke she was casual and comfortable.

That night at the villa was wonderful. She had a sensuality about her while engaged in aerobics a gentleness without hurry. The following morning she admitted to being reluctant to my offer but added that she had a wonderful time. She mentioned that she goes on to Bangla Road about 1000 p.m. and that I should look for her if I wanted.

I did go back the next night and found her chatting with a couple of other freelancers. She immediately saw me seemed pleased that I had returned and said “Let’s go.” We were off for a few racks of pool at a nearby spot. After that we headed to Kata.

Throughout both nights it was an easy relaxed time. One thing I noticed was that she had no online presence and did not constantly look at her phone either sending or receiving messages on WhatsApp or Line which can be very distracting and rude in certain situations. The whole time she was present and not wandering in and out of online. No selfies no pictures of food or her location no pictures on her Instagram feed which is quite common now amongst bar girls. Tar also did not drink which was refreshing. I don’t normally drink so it can be a drag to be with a drunk bar girl in many situations.

The villa I had booked had a private infinity pool that looked out over Kata Beach. We had more time that night and went skinny dipping and fooling around in the pool for a while. The aerobics were fantastic once again. She had an incredibly soft and easy approach that was appreciated. She reminded me of a mellow hippie chick from back in the day.

The next day I was going back to Bangkok. We slept in a while and took our time getting out of bed. We said our goodbyes and I thanked her for a genuinely nice time. She departed and we did not exchange information.

A Night in Phuket That Exceeded Expectations

Overall this was one of the best experiences I have had in Thailand even going back to my first visit to the islands in the late ’70s. It wasn’t planned but exceeded any expectations. It felt like what you would imagine in a distant daydream when anticipating traveling to Thailand for the first time.

Story #2 Pie The First Thai Girl A Happy Ending Story

This is one of my many stories in Asia and it involves my first encounter with a Thai girl.

It was early 2003 and I was out of my country for the first time. I lived in a Southeast Asian country and needed to take a language exam to study in the USA. Due to scheduling issues I took a flight to Bangkok and stayed in a cheap apartment courtesy of my father’s friend a Thai businessperson. The lady had multiple businesses and one of them was a condominium building with a gym. I would visit the gym to improve my fitness. At the time I was very skinny and decided I could use my free time to get fit.

It was at this gym that I met an older Thai girl I called Pie. I was 20 and she was 4 years older than me hence Pie. She had a kind personality was a foot shorter than me had an Angelina Jolie look alike face and was naturally well endowed. She worked at the same expensive tower either as a massage therapist or a beautician my memory fails me on the exact details. It was not the place to bar fine someone back for aerobics.

Up to this point I had not had any romance with any girls due to my family and financial situations. I had solely focused on education and part time work. Although some girls were interested in me I held myself back to focus on self improvement. Pie was not my first love but she was the first one I decided to pursue.

We hit it off very well and it felt genuine. She knew I didn’t have much money so I’m quite sure she wasn’t trying to get any out of me. We would visit various places around Bangkok as much as our small budget allowed. Once we tried aerobics but didn’t go too far. It was then that I found out she had a Thai boyfriend. She was torn between her boyfriend and me.

I promised her that I wouldn’t forget her once I got to the USA and would come back for her. My stay in Thailand was short about 5 weeks or so. A few months later I arrived in the USA for school. As you can imagine long distance communication didn’t last long between Pie and me as I was starting out on my own in the USA. Within a year I decided not to bother her too much knowing she chose her Thai boyfriend over me.

Pie Moves On With Her Life

Fast forward a few years. After breaking up with a girlfriend I was in a better financial situation and reached out to stay connected with Pie. By this point she was still with her Thai boyfriend and did not respond much to me. I ended up chatting mostly with her Chinese friend whom I had also met briefly. I started a long distance relationship with a Chinese girl who was also a few years older than me.

Pie on the other hand had moved to Dubai to work as a beautician at a hotel. Given what I had heard about Dubai I found it dubious. Her romance with her Thai boyfriend ended while she worked that job as he left her for a younger Thai girl according to her. By this time I was deeper into my relationship with the Chinese friend so she could not ask me to rekindle our relationship and personally I did not want to because I was her second choice. She was in a sad situation having aerobics with men in her apartment who came from Bangladesh to work in Dubai but were not romantically attracted to her.

Fast forward a few years later and Pie told me she went back to Thailand and was becoming more spiritual as she was now over 30 and couldn’t find anything but disappointment in her romantic life. She was obviously single and even got to the point of sending me chilly infused pictures to get my attention. At this moment I was single again but chose not to pursue her since she had chosen someone else over me initially and her age was past its prime. Bear in mind she was still very fit. She had not let time take its toll on her beauty.

Around 2014 she met a guy from Europe while they both worked at a real estate company in Thailand. The man had a daughter from a previous marriage and asked Pie to marry him and come to Europe. She was incredibly happy with this opportunity and accepted. She developed a good relationship with his teenage daughter and they regularly update their travels together on Facebook. I am happy for her that she was able to get the family life she wanted even though her age prevented her from conceiving her own children without elevated risks.

Life takes turns where we least expect at least so far has been my experience. This was a happy ending story as far as I have witnessed.

Story #3 The Dirt Road Adventure Running into Drug Smugglers

40 years ago in my mid 20s I took some paid leave. It was autumn and getting cold in Germany so I decided to escape the oncoming winter and took off to Thailand. My plan was to stay for a year and learn the difficult language. This was my third trip to the Land of Smiles.

I landed in Bangkok and stayed there for a few days. I knew some people in Isan Province so I took a bus there. A Norwegian guy with a Thai wife operated a cheap guesthouse and a local lady nicknamed Knock was a frequent visitor. After about 3 weeks having spoken to her numerous times I asked the Norwegian guy if it was a good idea to buy a motorbike. Since I could not buy it in my name I would have bought it in hers I was aware of the risk. She could just take it from me and I would have no legal recourse.

In Peter’s weekly stories Isan girls are often painted as scammers and gold diggers but not all Isan women are that way. After a year I gave Knock the bike. We agreed on a price. She paid on the spot and we parted as friends.

After doing some day tours in the area I took off to Chiang Mai. Then I headed north with no goal in mind. I drove on Highway 107 as it was getting dark. In the area I saw a foreigner walking. “Where to stranger?” I asked him. “I’m off to the local bar if you know what I mean” he said. “That’s not for me” I replied. “I just need some food and a place to sleep.” He said “That place is the only one around here where you can get food at this time of the day. I’ll show you where to stay the night afterwards.

Okay hop on and let’s go.” He got on the back of the bike and we drove for about 2 km to the said house of ill repute. The papasan welcomed us and the girls all smiled and giggled and cooked us some food. We stayed and chatted. Jim was from the USA and he had recently divorced from his Thai wife. He asked me where I wanted to go on my paper map no Google Maps in those days.

There was a road. Jim told me that some princess had come for the ground breaking party and they had a big festival but ran out of money so the road was never finished. Blue eyed as I was I couldn’t believe it. As a German if there is a road on the map it surely must be there right? I thought Jim was making it up. We ended the conversation with a bet if I made it to Chiang Rai within 24 hours taking that route got a postal stamp as proof and came back I would win the bet.

Leaving the Guesthouse for the Mountain Roads

I stayed for a while and one morning I took off. I took Highway 107 south to 1150 east. Pretty soon I met Thai workers with heavy equipment. They were building the local road. I thought they had to move some dirt with a caterpillar so I could pass. They smiled and laughed but in hindsight I think they were wondering “What is this crazy farang doing in the middle of nowhere?

15 km on I had to stop because of a giant puddle on the dirt road. I poked it with a stick about 30 cm of water. I took about 50 meters distance to the pool sped up and fell headfirst into the mud. It was sticky as glue. It took all of my muscle to get the bike out of the dirt before it drowned. I drove on wet and caked in mud.

The dirt road went from bad to worse for hours because I could only drive in second gear. I was nearly out of gas when I reached a paved road near Highway Number 1 leading to Chiang Rai after 70 km of wilderness with no people no houses no evidence that I wasn’t the only human being on the planet.

There was a fork and I didn’t know which way to take. I couldn’t afford a mistake due to being low on fuel. The signboard was written in Thai only. There were some factory girls at a bus stop factory because they all wore the same T shirt with a company logo. My Thai was very limited so I didn’t know how to say “Can you read this for me?” I could only say “Can you read?” and pointed to the street sign. In Thai they all assured me “Yes we can read” but didn’t get that I wanted them to read the sign for me.

I had to take a chance. I decided to go right which was logical and soon I hit Highway Number 4 to Chiang Rai. It was early evening when I rode into town. By chance I drove into a private alley with tall trees leading to an old mansion. A guy came out looked me up and down then at my bike and back to me covered in dirt from head to toe. He said to me “I have a room with a bathtub.” I replied “I’m buying. I don’t need to see it first.

I cleaned up and slept early. The next morning I went to the post office but the guy was unwilling to stamp a piece of paper for me. Sometimes Thais can be as stubborn as Germans. I insisted courteous but stern and after about 20 minutes I left with the evidence in hand.

The Wrong Turn Onto a Dirt Road

I wanted to take the 108 back to Fang but missed it. Soon I was on a dirt road again. Stubborn as I was I didn’t turn back but pushed on. After about 2 hours the dirt road turned into a shallow river. To the right was a big house. I turned to it for information. It looked like a reform school for teenagers. The headmaster came out but communication was difficult. It seemed like he didn’t even speak Thai maybe they were all tribal people. But then they were humans. So a bit up the shallow river there could be the road I was looking for.

I pressed on driving in first gear through 15 cm of water. Yes stupid I know. Hours went by. Suddenly behind a bend a group of six men appeared with donkeys. The animals were loaded with big packets. You can guess what it was right?

The leader of the group looked startled. He approached me with a menacing face. Clearly he was not Thai hill tribe not likely more Chinese. We communicated with hand gestures little English no Thai. With his bad English he got the message across “Have you seen anything?” I stole a look at the loaded donkeys and assured him I was totally blind and hadn’t seen anything. He made a sign with his thumb across the throat and laughed unmistakably telling me that I’d said the right thing and better stick to it.

All the while the other five men stood behind the donkeys so I couldn’t see what was in their hands. What were they holding? Machetes? Rifles? To this day I don’t know. As soon as they came they were gone. I shivered like a leaf.

At this point I would have liked to turn back but it definitely wasn’t a good idea to follow those guys. No chance. I drove on with an almost empty fuel tank. Another 2 hours and I was on an empty road. 15 km walking back tears came to my eyes in desperation. I drove on.

And if you think it can’t get worse the end of the world in the form of a big brown earth wall was steep. I cursed and cried. What had I done? How could I be this stupid getting myself into this situation as if the experience yesterday at the mud puddle wasn’t warning enough? I sat down as if to die there.

A Stranger Helps at the Roadside Wall

Some sixth sense made me turn and look up that wall. There he stood a foreigner. “Hey buddy what are you doing down there?” My answer “I was just going to ask what the f*** you are doing up there.” We laughed. I explained my situation. He took half an hour to lug that bike up the end of the earth wall. It turned out to be the shoulder of the road I had missed earlier.

Just as we started my fuel ran out. As luck would have it the road was downhill so I could roll until the next village and get gas. I made it back to Fang and I won the bet. Jim the American was a gentleman about it and paid up. He didn’t even want to see the stamp I wrestled from the stubborn postal employee.

Story #4 The Bar Girl Who Became an Expert Liar

I never thought I would be one to submit one of these stories but I think it is important to share as others may be tempted to make a similar judgment call.

A little about me I’m a 51 year old and have been going to Thailand for 7 years ever since the divorce like so many of us do. I have traveled to Chiang Mai Chiang Rai Bangkok Phuket Hua Hin and you know the world capital of lies and lust Pattaya. I have studied the Thai language on and off since that time and can speak enough to have a simple conversation if someone doesn’t speak English. I thought if I learned Thai I might understand Thailand more. That has not happened yet. If I think I know something I probably don’t.

I work remotely so I can typically go to Thailand for 6 months out of the year and mainly center myself in Pattaya for all the typical reasons a man goes there.

Towards the end of my last trip I got tired of being a butterfly and lonely and thought I might try to find a living girlfriend. The last month I was there I did. I met her on Soi Buakhao from a bar I had taken several ladies from in the past. It was such a high turnover the faces are always new. She was 20 and so cute. Could not speak any English beyond yes no okay thank you.

She was drunk the first time I met her so I did not take her. There is nothing worse than getting a lady home she melts off the motorcycle and lies in the parking lot and you have to get the security guards to help you get her up off the ground. I will file that next to the night I took a blind lady from Soi Diana another night of “what the heck was I thinking?” I make so many spur of the moment bad decisions.

A few days later I went back to bar fine her. We had a fun time. She is very warm and fun and so new to the scene. Next weekend I take her out for two days. Then after that she starts coming over after she gets off work at the bar for free. Her one month contract at the bar ends and she moves in with me. So my last few weeks in Pattaya were just her and she never asked for money.

The Warning Signs Become Clear

She got sick last week and had a fever and a cough so I took care of her. She plans to go back to Buriram when I leave Thailand. The night before I fly out she goes to Bangkok with me and bids farewell at the airport.

This is where I should have left Thailand behind in my mind and in my heart until next time. She seemed so redeemable not to fall into the Pattaya nightlife. I knew it was a risk but my emotions blocked any kind of logical thoughts. My mistake a long distance relationship with a bar girl.

When she gets back to Buriram she love bombs me posting pictures of us together on social media and her endless love for me and can’t wait until I come back in 6 months’ time. She calls me twice a day. I met her family grandma mom daughter who is five and that she had when she was just 15. The Thai man who is the father is long gone. I guess they broke up when he was with her best friend too. She speaks very little of her father and says he is always drunk.

So we make it official on social media and say we are together. She calls me every morning and night either from home or from where she is working at a factory. Life is good for just 2 months. Chat all the time constant communication. I am smitten to get this much attention. Most girls forget me for the most part when I leave and never level this amount of public affection towards me.

I know this is the most foolish thing to do but I send her a couple of thousand baht here and there. I never crossed the $1000 line in total. I make good money and always have plenty to travel the world and buy anything I want. I would like to think I really did buy a refrigerator for a family in Isan.

This is where things really get derailed and unravel. She loses her job at the factory. I feel bad for her so I send her 10000 baht so she would not be stressed looking for work. Now during this time she also starts taking medication for mental illness anxiety and depression and maybe she is bipolar. She also has a past suicide attempt in her history after her baby’s dad left her.

Taking Stock of the Warning Signs

So let’s take inventory She is young met in a bar elementary school education has mental illnesses had a baby at 15 and her family is poor. Another story is her mom owes 3 million baht for bills related to her chronically drunk father who does not work. No red flags here right? What could go wrong? I am really rethinking if this is a burden I want to carry. I don’t know what good things she could bring to my life other than eye candy and fun in aerobics.

The other thing that really starts during this time my inner voice and gut feeling saying something is way off. She says she gets a new job in a restaurant and cannot use her phone and is no longer available at regular times. And if she does call the background noise has changed. She’s not at home anymore. I ask if she has gone back to the bar and she says no she would never do that again.

I do some internet research and find her on TikTok with loads of new pictures dressed up super sexy. My sweet bar girl has gone back to her calling and returned to Pattaya.

If I have been with bar girls before I kind of know what to expect. I have had ones that work on Soi 6 come stay with me after they get off work for free. They are transparent. No one is pretending. The house of cards is not built with lies. But this girl is an expert liar and may have been the whole time and I fell for it. I think it was because she was so inexperienced and I was lonely. I really wanted to kick myself for buying in.

We video chatted and she admitted her deceit. I know I cannot trust a word that comes out of her mouth and her peers seem to be really coaching her hard. She’s going to be a pro in no time. Being poor and undereducated with limited options I’m not going to be mad at her. Their lives are a fight for survival. I would like to think what we had in the beginning was real. As time goes by I hope to wonder less and become oblivious.

I have now dedicated myself to no contact and moving on. In November I will be back in the lies and lust capital of the world Pattaya. If I see her who knows? But I have seen through this illusion and I’m trying to forgive myself for being foolish.

Story #5 The Pregnant Girl Who Changed Everything

I am a 54 year old guy not wealthy but also not poor coming from Central Europe and a native German speaker. I have visited Thailand for 25 years mostly with my former family my wife and a newly born son from my home country. We used to stay for 3 months in winter with a tourist visa for 2 months and then extend for a third month at the immigration office.

After my first visit I got addicted to Thailand not to the girls but to the climate food nature and the warm hearts of the Thai people. At that time I also visited many bars just out of interest. We had much fun with the ladies at the bars because they were very open minded told us many stories without hiding or lying. My family and I came every winter for long stays visiting the whole of southern Thailand. We mostly stayed for 3 to 8 days in one location. It was a very cheap time even when staying in good hotels.

After many years I divorced my wife and started visiting Thailand alone. I was not the kind of guy looking for bar girls or short time fun so I didn’t go to the bar scene. I went to Pattaya once alone and had an experience with a bar girl which was weird so I never returned to Pattaya. It’s not my place. I prefer islands like Samui or Pha Ngan with nice nature and a quiet life.

I was never looking for girls but in Thailand it is very difficult not to get in contact with Thai girls. Once after divorcing from another relationship with a Western woman I looked on dating sites for a serious relationship. Many ladies wrote that they were also looking for serious relationships but I quickly found out they were all fakes and working as freelancers.

When I am alone in Thailand I never go to lady bars because that is not what I’m looking for as I’ve already said. I met some girls from dating apps telling them that I am not looking for aerobics. Some ladies were very weird they asked for money even without aerobics only for spending time but said they were looking for something serious. So I decided to spend my time without ladies.

But one day I met a pregnant Thai girl and we saw each other nearly every day. We kept in contact and on my next visit to Thailand we met again. It was pretty good friendship. She showed me her baby son and never asked for money. She acted as my private tourist guide drove me around with her mother’s car and we had a great time together even without having aerobics. I saw many things that I would never have seen without her. She is nearly 15 years younger than me so I never saw her as a lady for love.

Meeting Her Family in Surat Thani

We visited many of her friends and even spent time with her mother at her home in Surat Thani. At that time I was not clear about my thoughts and feelings also because of my son who is already grown. I spent a lot of time in Thailand just one year before. I am very sporty and open minded having spent a lot of time in Africa so Thailand was very well developed for me even when living a very basic life with Thais and sleeping on the floor with other people.

At this time I canceled my job and spent many months in Thailand with her. Of course I paid for food and we also spent a lot of time with her baby son but she never asked for money. She also told me that her son was from a farang boyfriend who never came back.

After this time when I was back in Europe again we stayed connected without ever having aerobics. She told me she missed me and believed she had fallen in love with me. She said she was now working in her mother’s laundry so she was always with her son. I believed her in everything because I thought I knew her very well for many months even with some red flags. But we video called every day and she was always with her mother and her baby.

The Hospital Visit

After 8 months she asked for money for the first time because her mother had an accident and she needed money very fast more than 60000 baht. At the time I had already canceled my new job and was looking for a flight but I didn’t tell her. I was not sure what to think. So I decided to book a flight quickly and my next answer to her was from Bangkok Airport.

When we met we went directly to the hospital and there I saw her mother. She was not lying to me. They had already sold their car to pay for the doctor but it was just not enough. She only has her mother and her baby no father no siblings. At that time I gave her all my cash in euros and was not worried about it. It sounds weird but I was happy that she was not lying and I could help her mother. She did everything before asking me for money. I had some savings so €5000 didn’t really hurt me.

In this visit to Thailand I only stayed in her home and the hospital because she was very caring about her mother and son and had to work at the small laundry business too. I extended my stay for one more month and gave her another €5000 for buying another car and she did it the very next day. We were able to bring her mother home from the hospital with a new car. I saw the happiness in her mother’s eyes.

Since then I have a new love and a new family in Thailand. I started bringing my own grown son to my new family. This was about 4 years ago and we’re all happy. I have to work in my own home country for a few years and she visited me a few times in Europe too while I spent many months a year in Thailand. I can see that Thai people live completely different from Western people and I can see that in Europe I have never had such a lovely and caring girlfriend.

With another €15000 I improved and enlarged their home so we have privacy and my son and I have a home base when we come to Thailand. We like this place very much because we can go to Krabi and Samui very easily and my son is welcome all the time even when he comes with his friends. He is also like a family member.

Since I met Da my life has changed in a very good way and I’m also happy that my son enjoys this lifestyle. I never thought I would find a lady like Da because I have seen and heard many things about Thai ladies. When she asked for money the first time I considered blocking her immediately because it seemed like every story I’d heard. Maybe if I didn’t have the flexibility at work and the money at that time I would have blocked her because I am not the kind of guy who falls for these types of ladies. I thank God that I didn’t do that.

What the Relationship Taught Him

This was also because of the time we spent together without having aerobics and she showed me a lot of real interesting Thai life. I saved a lot of money with her. When I was on holiday earlier with my son we needed about €5000 per month without the flight. So the money was a good investment and I will not hesitate to spend more money in the future if she needs a car or something else.

I used to think my future would be with a Western woman who would also like Thailand and would spend winters there. I saw no future spending time with Thai girls and paying for everything. But things developed differently than I thought. I cannot imagine being with a Western girl anymore.

I think many bad stories from Thailand come from needy guys and of course Thai people see these guys as ATMs.