Thailand Rig Worker Family Success
I first came to Thailand when I was 32 and I am 51 now and have been living here for 14 years. I never planned to move to Thailand. I had three friends who were going out to Thailand and I had recently split up with my girlfriend of 11 years. I decided to join them.
The plan was Nana for one night and then down to Samui. We had a good friend who had a condo on Soi 6. He met us at the airport and we proceeded to Soi 4 and then to his condo on Soi 6. I could not believe my eyes from the taxi going down to Soi 4. We dumped our bags and went straight back onto Soi 4. First stop was Big Dogs and then Spanky’s. Within 2 hours I was in the hotel with a smoking hot go go girl that’s it I was hooked.
We partied until 400 a.m. then straight back to my friend’s condo grabbed our bags and off to the airport for a 615 a.m. flight. We were all still a bit drunk but got through security with no issues. We flew with Bangkok Airways and there was a flight at 600 a.m. and 615 a.m. We boarded the flight and someone came to us and said “You’re in our seat.” We had boarded the wrong aircraft and we were quickly ushered out to the 615 flight. One hour of good sleep and we were on Samui.
The place looked like a picture postcard even the airport. We had friends on the island Kate and Mike. Kate was Scottish and her boyfriend Mike was Thai. They had booked us into bungalows close to the Big Buddha. It was the quiet side of the island but very nice.
Our friends were staying in Chaweng the party area of Samui. Where we stayed had a couple of beer bars but not many. The Mermaid where we were staying also had a bar where we went on the first night. The staff were good and it was a nice place to chill. Two of us were drinkers and the other two were soft drinks only. One of our friends who was in Chaweng asked if we required company. Two of us said yes and the other two declined. It was pot luck but I went for it anyway.
The girls who arrived were very beautiful but did not like the bar. They decided to return to Chaweng but said they would be back later maybe they were losing out on lady drinks who knows. Two of us decided to leave the hotel bar and have a look into the girly bars. We did not expect the other two ladies to return due to it being a quiet location. The choice was not great but there were a few diamonds in the rough. My friend grabbed the best one in the bar and I was stuck speaking to the cashier. She was pretty and spoke reasonable English. At that time I could not speak Thai.
The First Night Working in Thailand
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When the bar closed the cashier asked if I needed a run home on her motorbike. She took me to my accommodation and to my dismay who did I see the two girls from earlier. They may have had no luck in Chaweng. I told the cashier to do a U turn and get us out of there which she did but we had been seen. I told her to take us somewhere for the night. The first night on Samui was in her room. The two other girls she shared with moved next door so we had some fun on a mattress on the floor in the front room.
After that it became a regular thing with the cashier. She was a cashier but obviously went with customers too. I would go to Chaweng in the afternoon to meet friends drink and chill out then drive back to Maenam drunk and the cashier would take me home for some more fun. I started to notice things entering my bungalow toothbrush spare pants and washbag. I had been with a girl for 11 years in Scotland with a few playaways. I had only 3 weeks on Samui and wanted to play about and sample more of the available company which I did.
It was 2 years later on Samui the cashier drove past me on her bike. She did a U turn and we spoke for some time. She eventually moved to Sweden doing massage and probably other activities. The cashier never asked me for money but I would give her 1000 baht every day for her company. I remember it was 68 baht to a pound so about £13 in total.
I decided to move to Chaweng the drunken drives home had been risky and Chaweng was the party zone. I dated a lot of girls but was getting bored with the same conversations. I needed someone who I could have a laugh with and not just bedroom business.
We used to drink in a regular bar and restaurant on Beach Road as we did not get pestered for lady drinks. Later we would venture around to Soi Green Mango or Soi Reggae where the action was. One of the girls in the regular bar asked me if she could come with me to Soi Green Mango. She was friendly fun and could speak good English I believe she had a farang boyfriend before. She worked until 200 a.m. every night but Soi Green Mango was 24 hours. She would come up with a couple of friends from the regular bar. But in those days the drinks were so cheap we didn’t even care for a late night drink. It was the Jimi Hendrix bar and I am still good friends with the DJ there.
The lady from the regular bar would run me home every night make sure I got in safely and then leave I would not have been fit for afters anyway. Then it happened I got Delhi belly. 2 days in bed one on electrolytes. At 220 a.m. every morning this girl would visit me. She was a 6 out of 10 looks wise but her banter and conversation was 10 out of 10.
Building a Family Life in Thailand
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I went home but kept in contact with her. Her job in the restaurant paid well it was the busiest in Chaweng. Their tips would be shared throughout all the restaurant staff and would be more than their monthly salaries. I worked on the rigs in Scotland so had regular holidays. So every two months I would visit Samui. I would play about but eventually asked the lady from the regular bar to stay the night with me. She refused. The female Thai manager in the bar said she was keen but the girls from the regular bar should not go with customers as it had caused issues in the past.
She had a week’s holiday and decided to go home. I thought this was the ideal opportunity to spend some free time with her. She lived in Chonburi and allowed me to visit during her time off. She lived in a small village and the people were great. I shared a room with her and it was very nice. By this time I had decided to move to Thailand. I asked her to resign her job and she did. I would send her money equal to the salary that she had received previously in the bar. I did extra training and examinations to upgrade my work position on arrival in Thailand.
During one of my trips I received a message on LinkedIn “We have a position in Thailand.” It was for 4 weeks and only 1 hour from my girlfriend’s house. It lasted 17 weeks. I worked six days a week and made a decent salary. My original company were calling me asking me to come back. I had already picked up a new position in Africa and had to tell my current company I would be resigning.
By this time we were married. The position in Africa was only 4 months and I ended up there for 10 years on a month on month off rotation. I stayed in the Thai family home during my time off. I visited Bangkok for 2 or 3 days then to the village. In the house there were 12 in laws not including myself but only one toilet. I liked it although toilet access was limited. There was a field behind the house so it was kind of okay.
I saved and saved but never worried about spending money on enjoying ourselves and we would party hard in Bangkok and in the village. I was lucky to spend £10 a day including beer smokes and food. We bought two rai of land which obviously I put in her name and built a house. You know foreigners can’t buy land. If I had not lived in her family house rent free for 9 years with the family I would have been unable to build the house we live in now. I now have a nice house.
I have two young nephews who live with us we brought them up since they were babies as their mother and father were not looking after them properly. My stepdaughter is in her fourth year at university and we are happily married and support each other. I’m now 51 and my wife is 42.
Advice for Building a Happy Thai Family
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My big tip is don’t marry a young girl. Firstly what would you talk about? Avoid the party areas as there is too much temptation. Learn the language. If you can understand Thai family life try to integrate. Don’t raise your voice or fist. Remember you are in their country and you are their guest.
Story 2 Young Dumb and Full of Mistakes
I’d like to share a story from my first visit to Thailand back in 2016 right after turning 20. A friend who had been there earlier convinced me that Thailand was a must visit. We bought aircraft tickets within an hour of discussing it over drinks. Fast forward 3 months and we found ourselves in Bangkok full of excitement. However our lack of experience led to some amusing adventures.
We had just landed in Bangkok excited as we could be. We dropped our luggage at our Airbnb and ran out of the condo in search of some fun. With no experience once we jumped in a taxi the first thing we told the driver was to take us somewhere to party. And to no surprise the taxi driver‘s response was “Huh?” We made hand motions like drinks and dancing as best as we could while seated to which the driver then said “Oh boom boom” making hand gestures for aerobics with the biggest smile on our faces. My friend and I looked at each other and said “Boom boom” with perfect synchronization almost as if it was rehearsed.
Once the taxi stopped we stepped out at the end of Soi Cowboy. I remember seeing the excitement in my friend’s eyes and I could only imagine we looked like kids at a candy shop. Anyway we paid the driver and walked through the soi not understanding the bar rules and fines. We had a few drinks at the bars and talked with the girls. I’m sure the girls didn’t mind the young good looking Canadians buying them drinks. And after thinking we got along with them we asked them if they’d like to party at a nearby nightclub to which we got the response “Bar fine.
Not knowing much about the culture we decided to try our luck elsewhere. And after three bars and multiple “bar fine” responses we were somewhat frustrated and getting drunk. Now deciding to go for a walk we encountered another taxi driver and the first thing he said was “Boom boom.” It almost felt like we had been injected with Red Bull and suddenly felt a big boost of energy.
After getting out of the taxi we were standing in front of a nightclub and found ourselves walking into a sea of people dancing and enjoying the scene thinking to ourselves “This is the type of place we want to hang out and party.” We ordered a few drinks. I noticed a couple of pool tables so I approached the people playing asking if I could join in. Two Thai guys were playing and I started talking to them as I like to socialize. The conversation was very basic “Where you from?” “How long you staying in Thailand?” you know the sort of thing. Funny we found out that the same 10 questions get asked over and over every time we spoke to Thais. It was almost like a rehearsed script.
Anyway the guys finished playing and it was my turn. At this time I had a pretty good buzz I must have had at least six to seven drinks since the beginning of the night and my confidence was quite inflated. I played a game with one of the guys and won pretty quickly putting the black ball in and winning. The crowd around the table started cheering and boosting my confidence as well as my ego even more. Then the guy that just lost to me said “Want to play one more?” I said “Sure.” And as we were setting the balls up again he told me “100 baht.” I was confused because I thought the pool table was free. I asked and he said “No loser pay 100 baht.” I was like “Sure thing” thinking I’ll get this guy to buy me a drink.
The First Night Out in Bangkok
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We set the balls up. I had to break as I won the last game. I’m not joking the entire game was over within 2 minutes. Once it was the guy’s turn he cleared the entire table without giving me a second shot. Realizing I got hustled not scammed I decided to join my friends on the dance floor. By this time my friend was dancing with a girl. I ordered a couple more drinks slammed them back. At this point I was really buzzed almost to the point of being too drunk.
I saw my friend kissing and making out with this girl. I thought “I’d better go and find myself one too.” I danced with a few talked with a couple even though the music was loud and with a language barrier I seemed to have no luck as I didn’t want to pay for play. Being young and very naive at the time I didn’t know that the majority of the girls in the club were there to make money and probably worked in bars and go go clubs. They would come to the club looking for extra customers after their bars had closed. I pretty much treated them like I would a normal girl in my own country which is why I wasn’t having much luck. Of course I know better now.
At this point I was really drunk and I knew not to have any more drinks. As I was walking back from the toilet to the dance floor this girl sitting at the bar winked at me. Our eyes caught so I approached her and tried to speak to her even though I could not even hear her because of the loud music. It was at this point when my friend and his date approached us and said “Let’s go back to our Airbnb.” What great timing I thought to myself.
As we were walking out my friend said “Wait I need my jacket from the coat check.” We found this odd but whatever. Of course at this point we realized the service was not complimentary and my friend had to cough up another 200 baht. Anyway he paid and we walked out. At this point I’m thinking about keeping myself together to perform at the Airbnb.
As we were walking out the cab drivers were yelling out jokes or perhaps insults in Thai and laughing. Being so drunk I couldn’t care less. But I didn’t want to find a I wanted to find a 7 Eleven to get some water. We walked no more than 10 meters where my friend and his date were walking ahead. They jumped a smallish puddle. My friend cleared it but his date landed right in the middle causing a big splash on my shoes and the girl I was with.
I remember this part very clearly. Regardless of my drunken state I looked at my brand new white trainers that I had just bought before the trip and was quite disappointed at how dirty they had gotten you know the things young people care about. Upon looking at my shoes I looked at the girl’s feet too to see if she’d gotten dirty and to my shock her feet were almost as big as mine. I wear size 12 US and I’m considered Bigfoot amongst my friends back home.
Discovering a Ladyboy Encounter in Bangkok
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Upon seeing her feet I sobered up on the spot. Realizing that other than the attempt of trying to talk to her at the club I’d never actually spoken to her. I looked up and said “What is your name?” And she was like gibbering something very quietly. Then I asked “How old are you?” and got the same gibbering. Realizing what was happening I stopped and told my buddy “I think I’ve picked up a ladyboy.
We stopped and asked her if she was in fact a ladyboy and she denied it. At this point I said “How come you not talk when I ask you something?” She pulled out her phone and typed something in Thai and showed it to my friend. He translated it and said “She just sick and cannot talk.” I called it BS and told the ladyboy I cannot take her back as I am straight and I’m not into sword fighting. She continued following us for another block or so and I made it very clear that I’m not interested.
At this point her feminine expression changed to a very masculine mad looking person and she yelled out in probably the deepest voice I’ve ever heard a Thai person speak “You have to pay! I need to pay club entrance again” and you know the type of thing to get some money. At this point not wanting to cause trouble on our first night in Thailand I gave her 200 baht to leave me alone. She started demanding more and more money and at this point I told my friend that I will meet him back at the Airbnb and I went for a quick four block sprint.
I’m sharing this story because I want people to know it’s not wise to get too drunk as you could easily put yourself in a bad situation. Despite the surprising turn of events our trip to Thailand was unforgettable and if you’re interested I have more stories to share in the future.
Well obviously I wrote straight back to the guy to let him know that I’ll be reading out his story but I also said “Yeah send them in I’m always interested in new stories.” But yeah a little bit of a warning there you have to be careful and a little bit sober if you’re picking up new girlfriends as it were when you’re here. The ladyboys really do look like ladies it’s not like in Europe. I won’t be derogatory but let’s just say in Thailand here some of them are very very beautiful. They actually look like real real women.
Story 3 Bangkok 1970
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Okay let me share a tale from the Bangkok of 1970.
Picture a time when Nana Plaza and Soi Cowboy hadn’t claimed their spaces. The go go bars were tucked away on Petchaburi Road. Pattaya a quaint fishing village boasted Beach Road as its main thoroughfare adorned with palm and coconut trees and dotted with humble beach houses.
One Saturday night in the heart of Bangkok two buddies from my high school days and I found ourselves in a go go bar along Petchaburi Road. Funds were tight just enough for a round of Singhas. Seated at a table we observed the stage performances and the lively dance floor amidst the crowd. One girl stood out radiating an exceptional cuteness I hadn’t witnessed before. She was our age with a beautiful body and a beautiful face.
This enchanting girl finished dancing with a young American GI before making her way to our table. Her name was Pun and her warmth and friendliness made the night memorable. As we conversed with her a skinny tall kid with blonde hair managed some awkward Thai phrases. Surprisingly I found myself asking Pun about leaving the bar. To my surprise she suggested we head to her house where her roommates awaited.
With a playful gesture I confessed my lack of funds by turning my pockets inside out. Pun embarrassed brushed my hand away assuring me not to worry. She approached the bar manager a man in those pre mamasan days and after a nod of approval the unthinkable happened we left the bar guided by Pun down a side soi behind the go go club. The journey led us through fields sparse houses and eventually to Pun’s home.
Laughter filled the air as we joined her two attractive roommates. Drinks flowed and my friends disappeared into separate rooms. After a while I found myself on the living room couch with Pun and the details that followed need not be told here but it was every young man’s dream fulfilled in that one night.
The Night Pun Changed My View of Thailand
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As the night unfolded we shared more laughter and drinks but eventually the time came to leave. Though slightly faded the memories of that night have never left me. Pun’s extraordinary kindness and the unexpected warmth of that encounter left an indelible mark.
That night altered my perspective on Thailand. It transformed into a paradise where love and sweetness filled the air and for some unexplainable reason it felt real. Pun turned the world into a magical and charming place. In her selfless pursuit of making me happy without any exceptions Pun unwillingly changed me for the better leaving an enduring imprint of a night that defined the beauty of human connection.
