Thailand Dating Before Social Media

I’m not a person that hangs around in bars much, so here is an old story about how I tried to find my Thai princess.

This is a tale about trying to date non-bar girls in Thailand.

This story takes place before the internet, email, or Facebook existed – snail mail only.

Connecting With A Thai Girl Online Before Social Media

Girl one – I can’t remember her name.

The first girl lived in Bangkok, and I met her from an international singles magazine.

The girl was in her mid-20s, and I was mid-30s.

We traded letters back and forth over a six-month period, and we agreed to meet when I arrived in Thailand.

Movie Date With Thai Girl Number 1

I landed and went to my hotel, called her.

Previous experiences of talking to Thai people over the phone had not gone well, so I was a little concerned about the result.

Much to my surprise, she spoke fairly good English and was nice to talk to.

We made a date for the next afternoon at Central to see a movie.

I was really looking forward to meeting her.

She called me a few more times that night and the next day to hear my voice.

We continued to have stimulating conversations that always ended with a positive vibe.

Remember, this was pre-internet days, no Thailand band for research. Back then, I had no idea about Thai culture and habits.

Is My Thai Girl Going To Stand Me Up?

I went to the meeting point at the cinema at the World Trade Center, as it was called back then, and waited.

I was thinking to myself, would she show up? What did she look like? How would we get along? Eventually, a pleasant-looking Thai girl arrived and introduced herself.

She had a nice body, a short haircut, and wore a T-shirt and blue jeans – my favorite ’80s look.

I said hello, shook a hand, but what happened next stunned me and still shakes me to this day.

Four tall Thai boys arrived on the scene – her friends from the University, apparently.

I could have fallen over backward.

Talk about an awkward spot to be put in.

She Brought Her Friends, Without Telling Me

I said, “You want me to pay for all of them too?” which she answered yes.

The movies in Thailand are not expensive, but just the principle.

What was I going to be asked to pay for next? As the saying goes, if it doesn’t feel right, get out, and that’s exactly what I did.

I shook all their hands, bid farewell, saying to her, “I don’t think we are compatible,” and I departed the shopping center as quickly as I could, fearing that her escorts might follow me and beat me up.

If It Doesn’t Feel Right, Get Out

What a horrible position to be put in.

I eventually arrived back at my hotel, expecting a few more phone calls from her to explain the situation, but received nothing.

That was the end of her. After waiting 6 months to meet her, it was over in the blink of an eye.

I guess the lesson there is not to put all your eggs in one basket and plan to meet a few girls.

Now Onto Thai Girl Number 2

Girl two – Pun, yes, her real name, short for something.

On my now yearly trips to Thailand, I traveled to Chiang Mai on the overnight train and stayed at a very small guest house located in the historic city wall.

The female receptionist on the front desk was a short little Thai girl with a very friendly personality.

She was sweet and friendly, but not my taste in women.

Relaxing Time In Chiang Mai

We started to chat every day and quickly became friends.

Each afternoon, Pun and I spent time sitting outside the front door of the guest house, chatting, sometimes accompanied by a friend of hers that played guitar or the passing motorbike taxi.

Chiang Mai was a quiet little town back then, with not a lot happening.

Pun worked at the guest house during the day and at night she worked at the Night Market.

She was very busy.

I usually travel to Thailand in April when it is very hot, but the heat never bothered me at that age.

I asked Pun why the guest house was so quiet, and she said I was the only guest.

They were going to shut the guest house for the hot season after I had left.

Exploring The Country Side With 4 Thai Girls

I had mentioned to Pun I was going to go and explore the countryside soon.

She said she had the day off, and if I got a car, we could go together.

Pun asked if she could bring some friends, and I said no problem.

The next day, myself and four Thai girls loaded into the Suzuki and headed off into the wilderness.

Remember, these were all non-bar girls, just normal Thai women – very polite, charming, not asking for money, and seeming to really enjoy the small things.

Pun seemed to have allergies to everything and could not handle much sun, dirty air, or swimming in natural streams, so it started to limit a bit what we could do.

But she was only a friend, and it was only for one day, so it did not really matter.

Shortly after our Suzuki safari, it was time for me to leave.

I checked out of the guest house, left my backpack at the shop Pun worked at, and looked around the night market before leaving on the overnight sleeper train back to Bangkok.

Saying Goodbye To Girl Number 2

Pun and I had said our goodbyes and thought nothing much of it.

I enjoyed meeting Pun and enjoyed her friendship, but was not attracted to her – not at all.

There was no physical contact at all, and I had never even held her hand. Pun said she would love to come and work in Australia.

I asked her what qualification she had and received the typical Thai answer of, “I can do anything.”

I mentioned to Pun that she might have a problem with her name in Australia.

She said her real name was Aan, and Sarang had told her her name would be unlucky in Australia, and she would get a new name if she ever visited there.

At this stage, I had never even heard of Pai and had never been there.

That had changed by the next trip.

New Bar Girl Friend

I arrived in Chiang Mai with a bar girl as my companion.

When I arrived in Chiang Mai, the guest house was already closed for the hot season, and I had to find another place to stay – no problem there.

I went to the night market to catch up with Pun.

She was friendly to me, but she looked my friend up and down very coldly.

She asked me how we met, and I told her we just met in Pattaya and let it go at that.

I hired another Suzuki, and we did another day trip to another location, but one of the girls declined to come this time.

On the final day, I had the same agreement with Pun that I would leave my bag at her shop until my train departed, and we would meet up at the night market.

When I arrived at her shop, the shop was shut, and there was no sign of Pun to be seen.

With my lack of culture and being insensitive, I had no idea she was majorly annoyed with me.

When I arrived home, I sent her a letter to see if she was okay.

“Send Me Money And I Forgive You!”

Very quickly, I received back an angry letter saying that if I wanted her forgiveness, I would need to send her 3,000 Baht for a sinus operation.

I believed her that the money was for an operation, but I was not sure why I needed her forgiveness, and I had never responded to her.

A few years later, I received an email advising me that she had opened a Thai travel agency in Chiang Mai, and if I was ever up there, I should drop in.

I have never been back to Chiang Mai.

I hope she did well with the business.