The Massage Therapist and the Unspoken Message

From Nan’s point of view she diligently toiled away on her farm experimenting with crops and animals before settling upon fish farming. I sent a modest amount of financial help a few times for myself Nan was just an old friend whom I was happy to help out a little. But as soon as Australia opened up and my boss would allow I was back overseas. Since October 2022 I’ve been to Indonesia five times with a sixth soon in November. It’s my old stomping ground so of course I’ve made new friends several in fact.

The lockdowns allowed time to reflect. My experience with Nan was educational too. I’m now more certain as to what I’m looking for in a woman. So as for now there are several Indonesian women in my life plus Nan. I’ve changed as a man almost 25 years of being faithful while I observed my unfaithful wife and then grabbing Nan for another relationship to add to the situation. It wasn’t sudden I believe I’ve evolved for the better and I’m still evolving.

When Nan contacted me in early August or was it me? I forgot she outlined her next plan. She was going back to her old workplace in Bangkok but she needed help with the initial expenses. This was only the second time she had asked me for help and I happily obliged the previous occasion was covered in episode 175 of your videos. She sent an itemized list which I pushed up to around 10000 baht to cover her rent food and utilities for the first month. Absolutely no hesitation I fired up the Wise app. I considered this a good turn for an old friend.

I should say that Nan works as a massage therapist for a well established upmarket chain with branches in the top malls and five star hotels obviously strictly no funny business there. The owner has a cluster of rooms in an apartment complex on the MRT line which are rented out to his employees two per room in bunks plus utilities. I sent another 5000 baht as Nan had been unaware that the first couple of weeks was unpaid refreshing and training.

I’m just trying to help Nan get away from that back breaking farm earn a decent living and have a solid path forward in her life for herself and her kids as a friend and nothing more. No expectations. As I said in episode 175 she’s an amazing find actually a good girl with a good heart and a level head.

Our contacts became more frequent and she sent photos of her new room her training progress and such. I made a crazy decision to jump on a plane at the end of September just 10 nights in Bangkok. There was no joy from Nan she was more upset about the hard massage work. Yes it is hard work if it’s a real Thai massage on a high massage table it kills your thumbs and arms and back. If you are short like Nan then you’re often off balance on one leg. These massage shops I should stress do ensure a real quality experience forget the old ladies doing soft hand squeezes and glides over your feet. Although if you do want extra gentle then of course the girls are happy to do so.

Nan’s Massage Work and a Complicated Return

Nan pulls in at least 1500 baht per shift and once she was tipped 1500 tips are usually only a few hundred baht. All told she earns decent money for Thailand.

Curiously Nan took a few days off work right before I arrived she wanted to visit her farm in Surin. Nan only gets one day off a week so that meant there’d be no time off for a while I was there. She’d surely pulled in too many favors for any more time off.

I arrived exhausted early Saturday morning. I sent a message to Nan which got no reply never mind. Later that evening we exchanged messages. I knew her workplace location so we agreed to meet at the late night staff exit of the hotel/mall complex. We greeted Nan smiled a little. No embrace or hug as I could sense it was not welcome. I offered to carry her bag as a man should do in Asia and she smiled. We chatted a little. Previously I’ve said we use Google Translate often as I know zero Thai and Nan’s English is pretty minimal. I should say that Google is pretty terrible all the phone apps use their translation package in the background so there is no actual alternative. It’s just an inherent problem between the two languages unlike German or French and English which are more similar. You’ll see the problem shortly.

Back at the hotel we went straight to the room. As always the reception looked at her and instantly assessed she’s not a working lady so there was no need to check her in as a joiner. Now I should say that Nan works very long hours. Do I expect her then to engage in energetic aerobics? Of course not I’m not selfish. But our cuddle somehow evolved into a quick aerobic session. Over the 10 nights I was there we had one other aerobic session given her work situation.

We had numerous mishaps during translation problems this time around. We were not tourists I was merely coordinating meeting after work. And if work finished early on a slow night then maybe we’d meet for a quick meal. Once we passed each other within meters and separated by a hedge in dark shadow on Walking Street. Another time both of us attempting to keep it simple she assumed that my “I’m here” meant I was at the hotel and not standing at one of the staff exits of her work.

One night though despite it all I got a clear picture of Nan’s vision of the future. It does not include me. She’s going to save up enough so she can move into her own Bangkok apartment in about 2 years’ time. Her daughter will be ready for university by then. The daughter will come to Bangkok and live with Nan and attend a city university which of course is more expensive than the local university near the Cambodian border of Surin. The son will eventually take over the farm. When the daughter finishes university and obtains city work then Nan will return to the farm and retire as Nan herself calls it indeed a job well done of bringing up her children alone. Now it’s their turn to look after her.

Nan’s Future Plans and the Coldplay Ticket

Obviously I’m not even part of any of that although I’m sure Nan would be flexible to divert to a plan B if the opportunity presented itself.

Towards the end of my stay in Bangkok Nan signaled that it was that time of the month. From one of my Indonesian girlfriends I’ve worked out various ways for a couple to still engage in a little careful aerobics. And Nan too it’s clear she like many women gets the urge at that time of the month. But perhaps due to her Buddhist culture Nan said that she must resist. Amazingly she would tease me incessantly and then suddenly get a grip of herself and switch off. The language barrier again prevented resolution of that matter.

When it came time to leave it was clear that Nan had her exit worked out. The night before my last day she arrived back from work. She didn’t shower she just packed her bag quickly then a quick embrace and kiss and it was over. She opened and closed the door herself and was suddenly gone no long goodbyes with tears.

That morning we discussed when I might return. I had said February maybe for a Coldplay concert. That didn’t get her interest. Instead she counted the months on her fingers. She did that a couple of times that morning while looking off into the distance and muttering “months.” It was strange at the time but coupled with her teasing this past while it is only now as I write this I understand her message. I’m just a mere male and a bit slow in the uptake sometimes. She’s getting me on cycle as most women want their man to be.

I haven’t actually said when in February and here is a complication. The previous episode had a sad twist at the end. This time around it’s different. I’ve said that when Nan and I drifted apart I acquired several Indonesian girlfriends. Each has their own amazing story. I have tickets to Coldplay in November and February. Juggling girlfriends and dealing with Asian jealousy is not easy. The battle over November in Jakarta is yet another story for another time made complicated by another one of my Indonesian ladies being a Coldplay fanatic like me. February has not yet been decided as I’m being more cautious. However in the scramble for tickets in Bangkok in February I had to put a name on the tickets and of course I selected Nan’s. But she doesn’t give two hoots about whoever this Coldplay is.

There’s every chance that come February I’ll get to the entrance gate of the Bangkok Stadium hand my lady her ticket and she’ll look up at me and say “Who’s Nan?”

Story 2 A Canadian’s First Trip Ladyboys Soapies and Patong Nights

I first visited Thailand in October 2016 and I was hooked. I went with a couple of girls I hadn’t traveled with before as it was a bit daunting to go that far away. I’m from Canada and I did not know what I was getting myself into. We had a great time and I met my one friend in Bangkok as she had arrived a day earlier than I had but we stayed across a hall from each other in the Majestic Grand Hotel near Nana I believe it has been rebranded to another name now. It was a nice hotel a bit pricey at the time but very well located. Another friend of mine had recommended it as he had stayed there before.

I arrived after a long flight with a couple of connections and flying economy so I was pretty wiped out and jet lagged but at the same time pretty excited. I knew my friend was across the way so I knocked on her door and she answered but I only wanted to say hi due to my present state. She was a bit ahead of me and was heading out so I slept for a bit. We had agreed to go out later that day. I woke up and she was not around.

So me being me I had done my homework and texted a girl I had found on Thai Friendly and she was soon in my room in no time. Also me being the adventurous guy that I am this girl was a ladyboy and she was wonderful and we had a really nice time that afternoon. She soon left and fortunately just in time as my friend came knocking soon after and we headed out to explore and get something to eat.

If I recall correctly we went and explored Chinatown via tuk tuk and I still remember all the exhaust fumes on the road making me feel a bit worse for wear. So we did some looking around and had some great food and then back to the hotel. My friend left the next day for the next meet up destination and me being me I invited two more ladyboys up to my room and also checked out a soapy massage for the first time. That was a fun experience but I still think that soapies are a bit overrated for what you get in return lying on an air mattress being washed down while an air conditioner is on full blast is not comfortable. But I did like the heart shaped bed. I laughed at the girl when she asked for a tip at the end. “Didn’t I pay you enough?” I said.

The next day I flew out of Don Mueang Airport and landed in Krabi and then took the bus to Ao Nang where I just happened to meet my friend on the street so that was nice. Our other friend arrived the next day and we all stayed at the same hotel as I recall. We went out on a few day trips on boats to various islands and it was great to enjoy the water and beaches and do a bit of snorkeling. I still remember those water mites that you cannot see but you can sure feel them as they bite you. I think the answer to that is lathering up in sunscreen they didn’t bother you then.

We stayed there a few days and had some good times but then we all went our separate ways after that. My friends went to Chiang Mai and one went further to Chiang Rai. I went to Phuket and more specifically to Patong.

The Krabi Driver Mistake

As a sidebar I left the hotel in Ao Nang and waited for the blue bus that was to take me to the airport but not knowing the concepts of Thai time it did not appear on time. When I saw a baht bus appear at the pickup spot I thought that was to be my ride. It wasn’t. The truck took me into Krabi town and then everyone got out. Sometime later a motorbike driver grabbed my bag put it between his legs on the scooter then told me to get on the back. I did so but I knew we were still quite a distance to the airport so I sucked it up and off we went. It was a terrifying scooter ride. Once we got there the scooter driver told me the price and I said “No that’s not the price.” He angrily repeated the price.

“Okay okay” I said I paid the 350 baht I think and went into the airport quickly to put that behind me. From this day on I don’t cheap out with the buses and such but always get a taxi now safer and more relaxing and the cost really isn’t that big of a deal.

Patong was definitely an eye opener. Ao Nang was nice but very laid back comparatively. Bangla Road was really hopping. I went into one of the beer bar complexes off Bangla Road on my first night and that was when I met Pom. She was sitting outside a bar and was wearing this tube top that really made it hard not to check out her chest it was something else. I was a bit shy so I did a few walk bys before committing. She and I really hit it off and had a few drinks and then we went off to the local hotel and had a great time together. I was smitten. She asked me to come back the next night and I did but I already saw that she had a customer so I moved on and went elsewhere and had fun.

I did go back the next night and she was free. She asked me why I didn’t come back the night before and I told her that she was busy I didn’t want to ruin that guy’s night. But she told me I should have because she could have let one of the other girls look after him. We hung out longer this night and she told me to come back two evenings from then and she would make my night worthwhile especially since I had told her it would be my last night in Patong.

I did meet up with her that night at her bar. As soon as I got there she said “Okay let’s go it’s my night off.” So we ended up going up and down Bangla Road and she took me to a live music bar and started dancing for me and really grinding on me really good that night. Pretty hard to forget that especially since I got a few envious looks.

Pattaya was wonderful and I was like a kid in a candy store. I checked out bars on Walking Street and Soi 6 and really enjoyed all of the restaurants and random encounters I had with massage girls as well. I have been to Thailand 8 times now since that first trip sometimes gone twice per year and even I went three times within 12 months. It really does get a hold of you with all of the nice people great food beautiful scenery wonderful culture and of course all the girls. I do love being a two millionaire.

Story 3 The Sick Duck That Was Actually a Dog

My friend Mike had gone to Thailand before I ever had and we had shared many stories about my trips to Amsterdam and the FKK clubs in Germany as well as a trip to Poland which was a lot of fun and very interesting. However he asked me “Why haven’t you been to Thailand yet?” So that got me to thinking. He shared many stories and pictures from his past trips and it looked like he had a lot of fun going solo and how easily it was to have a good time.

So I planned a trip and it just so happened that he would be in Pattaya for a few days while I was there as well. After a long flight to Bangkok and then a late night car ride to Pattaya I quickly checked into my hotel and was wired for some fun. Mike texted me and we were going to meet on Walking Street which was not far from the hotel I got a room there on his advice. I got something to eat quickly and then kept walking down the street. Soon enough we both saw each other and it was like long lost brothers being reunited. I still laugh about it as we were so happy to see each other and to start having a good time. He also had a bunch of buddies in tow.

We hit the go go bars and soon enough had our hands full with a few girls that were real beauties at Fahrenheit on Walking Street. Mike knew what I liked and quickly introduced me to Tick. She was something else in the looks department and she knew how to have fun bottle service and all that. We had a good time partying with the girls. Mike was a bit upset because I had the babe and he kept referring to his girl as a dwarf but he still had his fun with her.

I ended up taking a taxi back to the hotel with Tick but she was quite drunk and threw up almost as soon as we got back. So that was that and I sent her home. Lesson learned.

Mike and I met the next day and hit Soi 6 before dinner and then heading back to Walking Street where we checked out a few more go go and beer bars before heading back to Fahrenheit to see the girls again. However Tick was not there and the manager said she wasn’t coming in despite what Tick had told me. So we moved on to a beer bar complex on Walking Street and played some games with the girls there.

Mike was quite taken by one of the girls and immediately bar fined her. But then he had this funny look on his face. I asked him what was wrong. He said “Look I thought I got the cutest girl at the bar but as soon as I bar fined her look who comes out of nowhere.” And behind the bar was another real cutie. I just laughed. “That’s your luck Mike.” He was so cheesed off that we soon left. Once he got the girl back to his room he paid her and sent her on her way back to the bar without any action.

The Sick Duck Mistranslation

The next day we again met in the afternoon and ended up visiting one of the soapies off Second Road. That was fun and we both laughed at each other on the way there as I really do not like riding on the back of a scooter whereas Mike was very used to it from his youth in India. He drove by me on his scooter taxi and was laughing at me with my discomfort.

Meanwhile I had got back in touch with Tick and she was leaving me voice messages about why she had disappeared. When we had first met she had told me that she had a pet duck at home that she needed to take care of. I thought that having a pet duck in any culture was interesting so I went along with it. She told me that her family raises some pedigree ducks and that she really loved hers and that was also her reason for splitting the night we had seen each other last as she wanted to feed him.

So her voice messages were quite distraught and she said that she had mistakenly fed her duck spoiled milk and it was now quite sick. A duck and milk? I thought “Oh well I hope your duck gets better” but I was moving on.

The next day I ended up in Hua Hin to check things out there. Hua Hin was a bit quiet but pleasant and relaxing so I enjoyed my time there. But already I wanted to see if Tick could make the trip. She said yes but wanted cash up front which I could not do. And as soon as she was showing me the invoices for her veterinary visits I asked by text “How’s your duck?” She said “Duck? What duck?” I was confused. “Your duck that is sick that you told me about?” She texted me back and said “I was saying ‘dog.'” Oh I nearly fell off my chair and laughed at the circumstances. But still felt bad for the dog duck. I did not see her ever again but will always remember that story with a smile.

Story 4 The Massage Girl Who Turned Into Mr Hyde

On a previous visit I had met a massage girl named Pung who I had developed a bit of a friendship with and I became a repeat customer on future visits. It soon accumulated in a 5 day trip to Koh Chang which was great and a really beautiful place to stay. I’m not one for riding scooters the last time I had ridden a dirt bike was when I was 30 and I had no interest in learning how to do that again and I’m more comfortable driving a car. However Pung insisted that we rent a scooter while on Koh Chang which then allowed us to visit the island thoroughly although there really is one road that mostly circumnavigates the island.

It was not fun for me being on a scooter with this tiny girl but we made the most of it as there are some steep slopes and hairpin turns on that road.

At one particular turn that was quite steep she suggested that I get off and walk down while she did her best to navigate it. I was more than happy to do so. We toured the island and at one point she took care of me after I caught a bit of food poisoning or some 24 hour bug she ran me a bubble bath and went out to get some food for us to enjoy while we rested and watched a movie. Quite nice.

This was February 2020 and obviously we knew what was happening then. The trip home was through some very empty airports. I continued to stay in touch with Pung because she was now housebound in her home and she said that she had no one to talk to. So we texted and regularly chatted via the Line app. This was quite nice as I was now also working from home and people were not being very social anymore so it was nice to talk to someone regularly. We did this for a whole time until I was able to return to Thailand in October 2022 when things were getting back to normal again. Pung and I decided to go on a trip to Chiang Mai and to go further up into the hill villages and check them out.

It was quite fascinating to see these villages built into the terraced hillsides and also to see the agricultural production in that area as I was quite surprised to see orchards of tangerine trees and all manner of produce at elevations that I would not have expected. We found that a bit boring so we returned to Chiang Mai a day earlier than expected. We booked a room and met some ladies at a massage place and after a meal next door went back and had a few drinks with these nice ladies. Pung wanted to go dancing and she was quite drunk at this point but was well behaved so we found a close by nightclub and went there. However it was a bit quiet and then an acoustic band took the stage instead of a DJ and that was not what Pung was looking for. So we decided to leave.

As we left she said “Let’s go back and see the massage ladies.” I said “Okay but I’m hungry so let’s get something to eat first.” I don’t know what happened but she went from Dr. Jekyll to Mr. Hyde in the blink of an eyelid. She started yelling at me and waving her arms around like a madwoman. I was trying to understand and reason with her but she started calling me names and said she was done with me and to take her back to the hotel so she could grab her things. All the way back as we walked to the hotel she was yelling at me and calling me “number one BS guy” over and over. It was quite embarrassing for me but I knew not to react and to get rid of her as soon as possible.

The Family Explanation for Pung’s Outburst

She kept yelling this over and over and finally we got back to the hotel. She quickly packed her bags and demanded her money which to my surprise was much less than I was going to give her in the first place. So fortunately I did have the money on hand and gave it to her and then watched her leave the hotel still yelling at the top of her lungs that I was Mr. BS guy. I locked the door and was very relieved to have got rid of her.

The next morning I woke up and because I’m not a jerk I texted her to let her know that I was going to the airport soon. I did not receive a reply. I got to the airport and texted her again no reply. I did not want to abandon her in Chiang Mai because it is a long way to Pattaya. Just before boarding she texted me “I’m in Pattaya already. Goodbye.” I don’t know how she got back so soon but I was off the hook and deleted her text.

I did end up in Pattaya and a couple of days later as I walked down Soi Diana I saw a scooter and girl on it quickly approaching and it stood out even from a distance that it was her. I pulled my cap down lower over my head and was ready to jump out of the way but her eyes were set straight ahead and she went on her way. I knew that she worked in a massage place on Soi Honey so I avoided that soi for the rest of my trip and never saw her again.

However I did know her cousin and met up with her a few times that trip and never heard anything about it. On a future trip I did ask about Pung when I saw the cousin and she said she was fine as I was curious and I knew that her family had not had the best of things during the previous couple of years. I did ask her if she knew what happened between Pung and I in Chiang Mai and she told me the story that she had been told and it was definitely not what had happened. But I did not bother with the details as there was no need to set things straight. However I did tell the cousin that Pung had been quite drunk and the look on her face changed straight away. “Oh I’m so sorry” she said.

She’s a bad drunk she goes crazy on alcohol. I never go out with her if she drinks. She tried to start fights with other Thai girls on Walking Street the last time I went out with her.” So no more.

Wow oh well. Sometimes you really do get to know someone when they are drunk. But at least I have made a good friendship with the cousin now who takes me out and about on her scooter and takes me to nice sightseeing spots and restaurants on Pratumnak Hill and the Khao Talo areas of Pattaya which is quite nice as one needs a break from central Pattaya every once in a while.

A Final Lesson About Drinking in Thailand

It’s always amazed me how much Thai girls can drink and I’m talking young girls. Even regular Thai girls you go into a Thai nightclub (I used to go into nightclubs obviously 30 years ago here but obviously not now) and even back then you’d see groups of Thai girls they can be like 21 22 quite young girls and they’d have a bottle of Black Label in the middle of the table and mixers. In the UK if girls go out to nightclubs they have a bottle of some wine something a lady’s drink a proper lady’s drink. But here they tend to buy bottles of hardcore booze Black Label and they drink from that young girls and they can drink such a vast amount. It’s always amazed me.