Not Your Typical Bar Girl Love Story
I went to Thailand in April this year for two months. This was my first trip to Thailand alone and as a single man, as I was married to a Thai lady for 10 years. This was my 15th trip to the best country on the planet, in my humble opinion, Thailand.
Arrival Lost Hat Wrong Clothes and Nana Plaza
I landed at the airport at 4:30 p.m. from Sydney, Australia, and I felt just like a 16-year-old teenager, and I’m 50 years old. I was so excited I forgot my favorite hat (Sheffield Tiger Speedway) at the immigration desk. I realized this when I was on the Airport Rail Link going to Phaya Thai station. Stupid me. I also forgot to get changed into shorts and a T-shirt at the airport.
I got to my condo I had booked on Sukhumvit Soi 2. My condo had an entrance to Soi 4, where Nana Plaza is. I was tired from my trip, so I just went to 7-Eleven, got some snacks, some Leo beer, and of course some ice. My plan was to go to bed early because I was tired. I stayed there about 10 days, which for me was about eight days too many. I know many people love Bangkok and Nana, but it’s not for me.
Hua Hin The Condo That Struck Gold
Before leaving Australia, I had booked a condo in Hua Hin for my remaining six weeks. The day before leaving Bangkok, I booked a taxi from Bangkok to Hua Hin on the internet. It was only 1,600 baht including tolls, which is a really good price.
The next morning, the taxi turned up 30 minutes early, very unusual for Thais. The trip was good, the driver was nice, and he was a safe driver. We arrived at my condo building and I gave him 1,600 baht plus a 100 baht tip.
I checked into my condo then got taken up to my room. The room was amazing: clean, modern, a full-size fridge, microwave, kettle, a large 55-inch TV, a little balcony, and a washing machine. A separate bedroom with a queen-size bed, separate living room with a door—absolutely amazing. Perfect for me and an occasional friend.
I unpacked and went to get something to eat. I checked out the pool area on my way out. Wow, I’ve struck the jackpot here. The place is called Marvest Condo. I paid 46 Australian dollars per night, which is such a bargain: that is 1,050 Thai baht or 23 pounds 60 pence. It is located near Soi 80. It only takes anywhere from one to two minutes and you are on Soi 80, and it takes anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes, depending on traffic, to walk to the center of town.
Soi Bintabaht A Shadow of Its Former Self
I had lunch and decided to go for a walk to Soi Bintabaht. Wow, so quiet. I was in Hua Hin in 2018 and tourists were everywhere. I went back to my condo, went for a swim, and at about 6 p.m. went for dinner and decided to check out Soi 80.
It was about 7 p.m. As I had never been to Soi 80 before, I was excited and everything was new. I walked up Soi 80 from the 7-Eleven end. I think I made it up to the Red Lion bar and talked to a very beautiful lady. I also had a thirst-quenching Leo with ice, of course, always with ice. I bought her a lady drink. As we were talking, I noticed I was the only farang in the bar. I said to her, “Very quiet, no farangs.” She said, “Not many tourists come since COVID.”
I’m not lying: over the six weeks I was in Hua Hin, 80% of the bars I went into, I was the only farang. It is both a good and a bad situation. Good because you have between five to ten ladies in each bar to invite a new friend back with you. Bad because the girls make no money from the lady drinks, and sometimes you feel bad and you end up buying lady drinks for all of the girls and it gets very expensive.
Anyway, after about 12 Leos, I went back to my condo to sleep.
Soi Bintabaht at Night More Staff Than Customers
The next day I decided I would check out Soi Bintabaht at night. After my dinner, I went to Soi Bintabaht. It was about 7 p.m. when I got there. Wow, what can I say? It was so sad to see so many more staff in the bars than tourists. I think I might have seen maybe 40 to 50 tourists while I was there. Most of the girls at the bars were more interested in their mobile phones rather than getting the few tourists that were walking by. I think I was there maybe one hour. Soi Bintabaht is a shadow of its former self. So sad to see.
I then headed back to Soi 80 as I promised a lady from the Red Lion a game of pool.
The Post COVID Reality Struggling Businesses
Walking around Hua Hin both in the daytime and night, I saw many what had been thriving businesses closed permanently. More staff than customers in the bars and restaurants. I asked a few bar owners and mamasans, “Are you making any money?” They all said, “We’re lucky to break even.”
I know that sounds negative. Don’t get me wrong, I fell in love with Hua Hin. It was my sixth or seventh time. I plan on going back to Hua Hin next year for my winter in Australia—June, July, and August. I hope to see the friends I made in Hua Hin on my next visit and make some more friends.
The bars, restaurants, etc., all want the tourists to go back so they can earn money and not struggle as much.
If you’re going to Thailand and don’t know where to go or have a few spare days, I encourage you all to go to Hua Hin. It’s only about 2.5 to 3 hours by taxi from Bangkok. You can also get the train or the bus from the airport.
