Thailand Dowry Memories and Wana

Story 1 The $4 000 Dowry That Never Was

This is from a guy called Anton. He lives in Africa I’m guessing South Africa. “I have been to Thailand five times and I’ve had 10 or so Thai women fly out to visit me here in Africa. I always play to win with these girls, and that’s why I fly them out here to Africa. I’m not playing on their playing field.”

Here’s my story. Anong and her sister fly out to Africa and stay with me for 3 months. I was much more attracted to Anong’s sister, Dang. Anong knew I was road testing quite a lot of different ladies so I’m no angel, to say the least. After realizing Anong was a better choice for me, I stupidly agreed to pay a dowry of $4,000 (that’s about 120,000 baht at today’s current level) for us to get married this year in April.

Anong told me that she also had a guy from South Africa who was also dating her, but he wouldn’t marry her. So I sent Anong US $4,000 and expected to marry her this year in April. Then the coronavirus came along. Anong lies to me and says it would be better if we marry next year in April 2021. Not as far as I know.

Anong was in Thailand. Another Thai girl I flew over here to Africa for several months this year told me that Anong was in Cape Town two weeks ago, and I realized that I’d been conned. The point of my story is: I thought I was a player with these women, but Anong basically conned me. US $4,000 is not a lot of money in the wider scope of things, and I have two more Thai girls coming to visit me in January.

The moral of the story for your viewers is: only pay for what you have in your hand. Never pay for anything in advance.

Story 2 Thailand in the 70s and 80s A Veteran’s Perspective

Nowadays when we think of Thailand, we think of older guys. I’m 67, but maybe some readers will want to share something that is the opposite two generations and 45 plus years ago. During my time in the US Air Force, I had many roommates and co workers stationed at our airfield and would describe what it was like. For some, it was an unusual situation. They would graduate from high school and enlist with six weeks of basic training and be sent to Thailand at just 18 years old.

I was not stationed in Thailand initially. A superior stopped me from going that made me really want to visit Thailand by myself someday. Maybe the Air Force did not make Pattaya, but the Air Force guys were responsible for some of its growth. I’m not sure and only suspect from its style that the Blue Sky Bar on the ocean side of Walking Street was the last Vietnam era bar. No sign of it now.

First Trip in 1978

My first time in Thailand was on a C141 military aircraft flown into Don Mueang Airport in 1978. We were not allowed to leave the terminal area, and the exits to the airport were guarded by Thai military police. I did get a couple of bottles of Singha beer and some newspapers for some Thai ladies I knew back in the US.

As luck would have it, we had an engine fire on the aircraft. Had it happened in Bangkok, the aircraft commander would have declared safety of flight and stayed there. I decided that I was going to go to Thailand with civilian status on my passport, and nobody was going to deny me my visit.

April 1986 A Different Time

I went from Manila to Bangkok in April 1986. Yes, it was different. An acquaintance in the RTAF let me travel as a passenger on RTAF cargo planes back and forth from Chiang Mai. In case a subscriber never described to you the bar in the Nana Hotel around the corner from the coffee shop it was known as the Love Club at that time. I remember some young girls doing Lionel Richie songs on an electric organ. Contractors from the Middle East would latch on to the club girls and take them to Pattaya.

My travel habits from 2012 until COVID kicked in last year went something like this. I like to get a bus to Pattaya from Bangkok. If it is later in the day, I don’t want to feel lost out in the sticks. I will get a room in Jomtien, have a few beers, and ride a blue truck to the Tahitian Queen area of Beach Road Tahitian Queen I think that’s the oldest go go bar in Pattaya. It’s been there forever and a day. Walk around for a few areas and say, “Yeah, here I am. I’m in Pattaya.”

I don’t like staying in Pattaya long term. To me, the sidewalks are filthy. I lose my appetite for eating. Thank heavens for Jenita’s, which I think was by the Diana Hotel. I only spent two nights in Pattaya in 1986. It was enough for me even though Pattaya was a lot smaller.

Exploring Elsewhere

The next time, I get a motorbike taxi to take me to the big Tesco shopping area on the highway near Jomtien. I catch a van full of Thais for 80 baht and go to Bang Chang, where I prefer to stay. Rooms of good value, about a dozen bars for drinking, and with a rented motorbike, I like Pala Beach, swimming, and the cold beers there. After a few days, I catch a plane from there to Udon Thani. Once again, the rooms are good for the money, and there are some great bars. I usually get in a trip to Nong Khai, and then I will go over to the Mekong area.

I have met Chuck and his lovely wife Paige of No Time to Be Sad (that’s a YouTube channel I actually gave them a shout out once as well). He had some wise words for me. He told me that the Thais are going to like you if they want to in these areas, and they don’t have to like you because you are a tourist.

The Philippines and Solo Packing

I like to also head to the Philippines. Half the time my wife goes with me. The reason I am by myself is she wants to travel with 44 kg of bags which I end up carrying and she has to go to the bathroom every 30 minutes, literally. She is from the Philippines and seems to make friends there. I know it sounds like I have a real millstone around my neck, but when she wants to take an hour to get ready, I go to the bars for a little chit chat. And when she wants to go to the night markets, I am more than happy to go to the bus or get a massage.

I have solo packing down to a science a small backpack and a bag for eight days of clothes.

A Different Kind of Thai Woman

Just for some other people’s information, there is a common perception that all Thai women want is money and want to make the most of it while they can. Well, there is a small amount of Thai women 20s to 40s that read, write, and speak English well that like the company of foreign men and do not ask for money. What they tell me without being too harsh is that Thai men do not have a car and personality in or out of marriage. That’s his words, not mine. So, don’t go writing in on that one.

What is kind of funny to me is that so many guys in the UK want to go to Southeast Asia for companionship. In my time in the reserves, I have dropped in over the years to RAF Mildenhall and Lakenheath (if you’re not in the UK, that’s two American air bases that we’ve had here for years in the UK) and have enjoyed day trips to London during the ’70s and ’80s. Guys in the Air Force would reenlist, extend their enlistments, trade their assignments, or do just about anything to get to England and the girls.

Well, I hope you get some entertainment out of my email. I certainly like your YouTube videos and your delivery. Let us hope this week’s vaccine announcement will be the beginning of the end for travel restrictions.

Story 3 Wana Six Years of Heartbreak and Hope

“Hi, Peter. My story begins about 10 years ago. I was just 32 or 33 at the time, and it was just my second time in Pattaya.”

After a broken relationship with a local German woman and a son that I support but just see every second weekend, I found Pattaya the perfect place for me to travel to and relax. I went there for the first time and fell in love with the place and all the beautiful girls. I spent all of my holidays in Pattaya and have also been to Cambodia and the Philippines four or five times a year for the last 10 years.

It’s a real pain in the backside that I can’t travel to Southeast Asia right now, especially after what happened last year. But that’s not the story I want to tell. I am talking about the time when it was still possible to find real gems in the beer bars, if you get my meaning.

Meeting Wana

After spending some time at the beach in Jomtien, where I met some real good friends for the first time two English guys who were sunburnt and worse for wear from drinking but funny and real nice guys who are still good friends we had some good times talking about all the places we’d been and the things we’d seen. I had rented a motorbike, so rolled up and down some of the streets where you can find the beer bars.

After looking around for a place to have a Chang in a glass with ice cubes (yeah, that’s a Thai thing ice cubes in the beer), I came to Soi 8. Going up the soi, I saw a nice girl sitting in one of the bars on the left side of the street. Not dressed like she was working in the bar just jeans and a black t shirt. She caught my eye. I parked the motorbike and took a seat. Ordered a beer and was approached by one of the girls working in the bar. I made it clear that I would like to have a drink with the girl in the jeans and the t shirt. Looking back at it then, I did not know that meeting this girl would bring my world upside down.

That day we had a nice chat, and after a while I asked her to have dinner with me and go for some drinks and that is what happened. After a great night out, she spent the night with me in my hotel. She seemed to be different (if only I had known back then what I know now). The next day we made plans to spend the day together. She asked me to bring her near the place she lives. That was in Soi Diamond, and I needed to park up a street away from her room. She told me that she lived with her mother and sister. She also told me that she didn’t want her mother to see her with a foreigner. That made me a bit suspicious, but it turned out to be the truth as I found out much later.

We exchanged telephone numbers, and I went back to the beach in Jomtien, where she promised to meet me later that day. Hours and beers went by, but Wana didn’t appear. I tried to call her, but her phone was turned off. As you know, a date not turning up in Pattaya is not a big deal, and it was easy to find someone else to take on a date.

The Danish Boyfriend

The first part of my story took place in June. My next trip to Thailand was just 6 or 8 weeks later. On that trip, I was traveling with my son, and we spent some time in Pattaya. That was when I met Wana again. I didn’t know why, but I was happy when I met Wana again in the same bar that I had met her in for the first time. I asked her why she had disappeared and failed to meet up with me as arranged on my last holiday. She told me that she was in a long term relationship with a Danish guy. It must have been a relationship with many ups and downs, as he was obviously a heavy drinker as many long term foreign residents in Pattaya are.

It was on this trip when Wana and I went for some drinks, and she told me about the Danish boyfriend. She also told me that she wanted to break up with him. I don’t know why, but I still felt that Wana was special, and at least she was being honest with me.

That night, we went around several bars, and Wana spoke to some of her friends in some of the other bars. At one of the bars, we were drinking, and a foreign guy turned up and started speaking with Wana. Wana tried to ignore him and told him to go away. To my horror, the guy dropped to his knees and started crying like a baby. He went on to beg her to come home with him. As I was with my 5 year old son (I know people would criticize me for taking my son with me, but the Thai girls are very sweet towards kids). Anyway, I felt so devastated for this guy that I also begged her but I begged her to go with the guy. So, to end this part of the story, Wana did go home with the Danish guy.

More Disappointments

A year after this incident, the story continues. So, a year later, I’m back in Pattaya, but this time with the two English guys I mentioned. We had a drink in Soi Chaiyapoon. I spotted a really nice cute girl opposite the Triangle Bar. It was Wana. Just like the last time, we went for drinks together. She spent the evening with me, left the next day with a promise to meet me later in Jomtien where I was staying. I really like the beach at Jomtien much cleaner than Pattaya Beach. As it happens, it was my birthday, and Wana knew this. Once again, Wana did not turn up. Her phone was switched off. So I sought the company of someone else. After all, it was my birthday.

A Glimmer of Hope

Back in Germany, I get a message from Wana. Weeks later, she apologized for not turning up again and told me that she had broken up with her Danish boyfriend. She also went on to tell me that many of her problems in her life were due to her boyfriend, and now she has broken up with him, things would be different. We made plans to spend a two week holiday together in July with my son, my best friend, and his then future wife. Things went well from then on. Daily calls and messages between Wana and myself. It seemed to be developing into a proper relationship.

The day finally arrived when I was in Thailand. I called Wana and managed to speak with her. We had planned to travel to Koh Chang. To my great disappointment, she told me that she cannot come with me to Koh Chang. After that first phone call, I could not get through to her again as her phone was constantly off.

Although greatly disappointed, here I was in Pattaya with my son. So, Plan B was put into action. I met another black haired beauty who was more than happy to join me for a trip to Koh Chang. We had a fantastic time on Koh Chang with my son and my friends. I had had it with Wana and all the disappointment.

Back Again

After the first week, I was back in Pattaya for the second week of my holiday when out of the blue I get a text from Wana. I am guessing this story is going to be very predictable for your viewers, because yes, I agreed to meet Wana and spent almost a week with her again. I don’t know what it is, but even though I was finally starting to understand Wana’s mentality the ways of Pattaya there was something about her. It was great to have her around again. I can’t say why, but even after all that had happened, she still had the ability to make me happy by just being around. I know how it sounds, but I’m sure that is what love means.

Time marched on, and I had to head back home. We stayed in contact, and for the first time, everything had worked out well at least for a couple of weeks. Anyway, once again, Wana’s phone went dead and she was impossible to reach.

Two Years Later

It took a further 2 years until this story continued. As it turned out, Wana had not deleted my number. And two years on from that week in Pattaya with her, I get a text out of the blue. It was Wana. One of Wana’s friends who knows me was working in a massage parlor in Soi LK Metro. So the next time I am in Pattaya, I walk past the massage parlor that she is working in so that I’m spotted as I want to see what will happen next. The next day, Wana approached me. She had a baby in her arms. She said the baby was not hers but her younger sister’s baby. Who knows?

Peter, I read many comments after you upload videos about relationships. And I’m guessing that once you upload this story, I’m going to be called the biggest idiot of all time because well, here goes. After that last meeting with Wana in Pattaya, Wana and I spent almost six years together. I couldn’t help it. I just loved her, and I wanted to be around her. She was so special to me. She would spend 3 months with me in Germany, then 3 months in Thailand, and so on. During this six year period, we went on many trips all over Europe and of course back to Thailand, which I still love to this day.

We had many ups and downs especially her drinking. She just drank too much for my liking. Wana had Thai girlfriends in Germany. So we started to discuss marriage. I know how stupid that sounds. After several years of living together, I started to travel again but alone. Eventually, Angeles City in the Philippines became my favorite destination.

The End

In the meantime, Wana and I prepared for marriage. She went back to Bangkok to have all the necessary paperwork prepared. I went to Angeles City with my two friends in August. After I got back, it took a month. And when she asked me for sinsod (if you’re not familiar with that term sinsod is a dowry) and she asked for some other strange things that happened, which made me break up with her or maybe the truth is that she wanted to break up with me. I stopped all contact with Wana, blocked her on social media, and didn’t answer any of her messages that got through to me.

Almost a year after that, she did find me on Instagram, and I saw her there with a baby her baby in her arms. I was shocked, thinking that it must be my child but it wasn’t. Months after we broke up, she got pregnant. I started to communicate with her again, as I’m not one for holding a grudge or any bad feelings. Wana told me that she does not have a clue as to who the father is. This is something that makes me not only angry but incredibly sad, because I know deep down Wana has a good heart and deserves much more than what life has served up cold. I really thought the years we spent together would have an effect on the mindset of that beautiful, nice, and good hearted girl. I thought she learned how to take responsibility but even after all those years, there’s nothing less.

And as you said many times, these girls are great fun to spend time with on holiday especially if you don’t take them out of their world. I am 43 years old and an attorney working as a head of a department in a company. I guess I am a little bit naive when it comes to love, but I am not as stupid as this story makes me sound.