The Bar Girl Who Played the Game

It was June 2022 last year. We are three Asian Canadian friends in our early 30s who have known each other since high school. It was our second time in the Philippines. We had a five day trip to Manila five years prior and we were clueless about the whole bar scene during our first trip.

A cab driver told us about a city north of Manila with many pretty ladies working in bars. We arrived and rented an Airbnb. We were lucky to have a great host who explained everything about the bar scene the bar fines and how it all worked. So we weren’t clueless when we ventured out but we were a little naive.

The First Night

We went to a bar with at least 30 girls on stage. My friends and I thought we’d died and gone to man heaven.

My friend is quite a shy guy so let’s call him John for the sake of this story. He has not had a girlfriend since high school. Even though he’s a good looking guy he never put any effort into finding a girl in Canada. Dating apps like Tinder have made Western girls very stuck up and difficult. We also had very high standards that very few girls met.

The girls in the bar often commented that he looked like a famous Thai actor and they seemed to be infatuated by him. I know this because I’m also not a bad looking guy but he got all the attention.

I took charge and talked to one of the mamasans to pull over one of the girls that my friend liked. Even I admit she was the best looking girl in the bar. She was a 10. You would think ‘Why does a girl so beautiful need to do this sort of work? Isn’t there anybody she’s met who’d want to marry her?’

My friend was so happy and seemed like he was in love. When he went out for a smoke break he told me that the girl he had met let’s call her May said that she was new and she does not normally let foreigners bar fine her but he was an exception because she thought he was handsome. Him being so inexperienced he ate it all up.

Long story short at the end of the night all three of us ended up with three new gorgeous female friends. I followed the guideline the host gave me and avoided being ripped off. We asked the girls which club was the best one to go to. We ended up in a place called High Society. We got VIP as we wanted to show off to our new friends. That night was a great time and we ended up back in our Airbnb with all three of us having a good aerobic session with our new friends.

The Next Night Heartbreak

The next morning all new friends had to leave to get ready for their next shift at the bar. My friend was so smitten by May that he wanted to see her again. After a serious discussion I managed to talk some sense into him to pick a different girl for the next night.

We went to another bar and sat down but guess who we saw with another customer? Yes it was May with an African American man who seemed to be six inches taller than us. May saw us and started panicking but tried to hide it so her customer did not suspect a thing. After a few minutes they both left.

May exited the door with her customer and about eight seconds later she ran back and kissed my friend on the lips saying she missed him. My friend was pretty heartbroken as he realized she had lied to him. It did not help that we were making a lot of jokes and teasing him about being ‘damaged goods’ due to the size of the man she was with. It was really insensitive of us. He ended up with no one that night and said he wanted to go home early. So we respected that and did not bother him again.

John blocked May and did not respond to any of her text messages.

The Twist

It was the fifth day by now. John came to me and said he did not care that he was lied to he wanted to bar fine May again. Against my solid warnings he had made up his mind and went to get her. We arrived at the bar but she was nowhere to be found. John decided he would give up and just pick another girl.

The girl he met was all over John. We all ended up at the same nightclub each one of us with a new friend. John’s girl let’s call her Nat FaceTimed her friend and told her that she’d met a really cute guy from Canada and asked if she wanted to meet him. So she handed John the phone.

John’s eyes opened wide as he realized that the friend she was calling was actually May. They both pretended that they had never met to protect her friend. May asked if it would be okay if her friend joined us and we all said ‘sure why not’ trying our best not to burst out laughing.

The evening went on and May joined our party. I joined in the fun and pretended that I also did not know her introducing myself with a straight face. The whole night Nat kept kissing and hugging my friend. You could see the steam coming out of May’s head as she boiled up inside but managed to keep her fake smile on.

The night was coming to an end and we were all about to leave. May came over and gave a big kiss to John. Nat was confused but thought nothing of it thinking it was her friend just messing with her. When this happened me and my friends’ jaws dropped to the floor.

The remainder of the trip my friend bar fined May for seven days straight so she could join us on the remainder of our trip. I am happy to tell you that it was fine and the rest of the trip was great. May was great company. She would often act and never reveal that me and my other friends had been with many others during our trip. She would even take care of them and translate for us.

Story Two Cambodia The Five Dollar Pool Bet

I want to tell you a story about the time I took a six month break from work and traveled to Southeast Asia. At the time I was about 47 years old I’m now 61. I had just finished paying child support and after a very messy divorce was finally free. I had been on antidepressants dealing with everything at home so now that I was finally free I took off.

I also found that after two to three weeks in Southeast Asia my depression had left me and I never took antidepressants ever again.

One of my adventures took me to Siem Reap in Northern Cambodia. I saw Angkor Wat temple and it was magnificent. Anyway after a day of sightseeing my guide dropped me back at my hotel. I decided to go out and check out the nightlife.

After dinner at a restaurant and a few drinks in a beer bar I sought out a sports bar. I found one just along the street and it was an Aussie sports bar. I’m an Aussie so I felt right at home. A young Aussie guy owned the bar and he poured me a beer. We started talking and I asked him if I could play pool.

There were a few freelancers at the pool tables. Being kind they were a bit past their use by dates. But one of the ladies I’ll call her Knock was a very nice person and was very easygoing. We talked for a while. Her English was limited but sufficient. We played pool she won a few games I won a few games.

The Ladyboy Hustle

A ladyboy who had been watching us challenged me to a game of pool. I said okay. Now this was obviously a ladyboy. She would have been maybe 25 years old. Although dressed like a woman she was obviously a man. That’s okay but I kind of felt sorry for her because she wasn’t the best looking and I didn’t imagine her getting much work.

Anyway we played a game of pool. She mentioned something about ‘five’ but it got lost in translation and I just said yes not really knowing what she meant. We played the game of pool and she won. She played well and I think I got hustled. I thought that was strange why would she hustle a stranger for nothing?

Game over. I said to Knock ‘Let’s go elsewhere.’ She suggested a nightclub across the street. We walked out of the sports bar me and Knock and the ladyboy followed us. She kept saying something but I didn’t understand her. Knock said ‘I owe her five dollars.’ I said ‘Get lost.’

The ladyboy got angry and started to push me. I still had no idea why. I pushed the ladyboy off to which she made some threats but we just kept walking.

We paid the entry at the door to the nightclub and the music inside was loud so I suggested we go upstairs and outside on the terrace where it was quieter. We were standing on the edge of the upstairs terrace when I could hear a commotion downstairs. The ladyboy had got some friends and they were all going to confront me. I still didn’t understand their problem.

Anyway security wouldn’t let them come in and they were yelling at the doorman but the doorman shooed them off. We could see them walking away nursing their wounds not physical just wounded pride. We saw them out of sight and I said to Knock ‘We should go to the hotel.’

The Strange Night

We went back to my hotel and I had the strangest aerobic session I’d ever experienced. During the aerobics late night must have gotten to Knock because she fell asleep during the session. I’ve never seen this happen before. Anyway I soon went to sleep too.

Now I’ve learned one thing about traveling and that is no matter how drunk or how lazy always have your bags packed and ready to go before you go to sleep.

After what was probably an hour or two of sleep I heard the receptionist knocking at my door saying that my bus to the capital was waiting outside and I should come quickly. I dashed to the bathroom packed my shaving kit and was ready to go. I was hungover to say the least.

The Toilet Paper Lesson

My story doesn’t end here. I learned a valuable lesson I now carry tissues in my backpack.

At the halfway point the bus stopped for a toilet break at a roadside cafe. By this time I needed to use a toilet. I did and to my horror there was no toilet paper. I was just about ready to admit defeat and let the bus go I couldn’t get back on the bus in the condition I was in.

A light bulb moment hit me and I remembered I had tissues in my daypack which I had had with me in the toilet. What a relief. I cleaned up and managed to get back on the bus late again. The bus was waiting just for me.

Reflecting on the Pool Bet

I got to the capital found a hotel and slept it off. Later that day when I was relaxed clean and refreshed I started to reflect on the night before. I replayed in my head what the ladyboy had said. I realized stupidly that the ‘five’ she mentioned meant a five dollar bet on the game which she won. No wonder she was chasing me up the street. Five dollars to her was a lot of money and she had beaten me fair and square.

I felt bad that I didn’t pay her. I’m not one to welsh on a bet. I also thought about how dangerous it was not to give her the money. If it was just her I might have had a chance but with her friends and me being drunk they could have really taken advantage of me. It was a very dumb mistake. I escaped intact and never got to pay the ladyboy.

If I met her again I would apologize I’d pay her the five dollars and perhaps a little more. I would also know better than to play pool with her again.

As for Knock she didn’t ask me for any money. When I left the hotel in a hurry I made sure to leave the standard rate for short time on the nightstand for her. She was fast asleep when I left the room.

Story Three Pattaya The Engagement Party Revenge

I first went to Thailand in 2007 to prepare. I stayed in Kamala and it was the happiest I had been in many years after a toxic relationship. I always said I’ll retire in Thailand after heading back to the UK. So I made it my goal to do this.

The wife was gone the kids had grown up and I retired four years ago. I got on the aircraft and ended up in Pattaya. I got myself a condo while looking for a long time residence. Life was good. It wasn’t easy trying to make my way through the minefield of Thai red tape.

I’m not young and I didn’t really want to fall in love again. Then one day I met Chai. She worked in a Subway sandwich shop on Soi 8 and man she was stunningly beautiful. I invited her out and she accepted. I will not talk about aerobics as it’s irrelevant to this case but I thought we bonded.

Meeting the Family

Six months into the relationship she asked me to go to her father’s birthday party in Sakon Nakhon and I agreed. So off we went to meet the family. She had four brothers and three sisters all of whom were in relationships with farangs and all spoke perfect English.

During the three days in the village us four farangs really bonded and shared our experiences. But the other three also began warning me of some home truths about the bar girls in Thailand. We shared phone numbers.

Back in Pattaya I found the perfect condo. Much to my love’s distain my sister flew out two weeks later and I told Chai that this was the last of my family. Chai went nuclear on me for no reason whatsoever. The torrent of abuse and the damage to the condo cannot be described. I was in a bad way needing stitches but my older sister God bless her took care of me.

There’s an old saying love is blind.

The next morning I was in Bangkok Hospital and then Chai walked in. She did not know what had happened to make her that way and asked for a second chance. I asked for peace and calm while my sister was here. I got my lawyers to sign my condo over to my sister for one Baht. I have a lifetime tenancy. I did not tell Chai.

The Red Flag

My sister left and now the story begins. Two months later all is good. I’m laying in bed watching TV. Chai dresses to go to work she’s still working. She comes to me and kisses me and says ‘I love you’ and off she goes. I proceed with my daily chores cleaning the condo.

In the evening when she comes home everything is routine. She has a shower. But this day she has different underwear on from those she left with in the morning. This is a super red flag. I said nothing about it. The evening was a restless one just laying beside her. I had every situation in my mind trying to brush it off but I couldn’t. The feeling of betrayal and deception was overwhelming.

So I called her sister’s partner for a gathering not saying what it’s about and we agreed to meet up with no female company. I told them of my concerns and one told me it was true. She had been cheating on me since before the birthday party and it was not his place to tell me until now.

Stunned I asked him why. He said it wasn’t his business. But the outcome was that the Swiss guy told him his wife was playing around as well and lo and behold all of our partners were cheating. So we said we’ll make a plan. We had all sorts of crazy ideas but we said to stop and get our heads together.

The Private Detective

In Pattaya there are a few private detective agencies at reasonable rates. So we agreed on a fishing trip a guys’ weekend knowing that they will be spying on our behalf. Two days later we returned home with hugs and stories for our partners and all was well.

And then I got the question ‘Why don’t we get married?’ Knowing this takes time to arrange I agreed. She was so happy we had to buy a ring. But I said ‘At the end of the month when more money comes in.’

In between the detective got back to us. Our fears came true two were already married and all of them were cheating with multiple sponsors. ‘It’s good to find an honest detective’ he said. ‘How sorry he was but this is Thailand.’ We got all his evidence and paperwork.

The Plan

Two weeks later she and her family arranged an engagement party. The four of us were still planning also. I said ‘It’s tradition in the UK for the groom not to be with the bride for a week before the party for good luck for both of us.’ The sucker fell for it.

All that week I cleaned and scrubbed the condo. I put all her clothes into the laundry. There was nothing in the condo even her tube of toothpaste was packed. And so off to the party we go.

I arrived by myself and everyone was there. I did not organize any of this did not plan the party. My three conspirators are all in on it as well. The plan is in motion. We’re having a wonderful time with very good food and the usual loud music.

I was expected to give a speech. So I began straight away. I said ‘I would never marry this woman’ pointing at her at the same time. This caused shock and disbelief to the whole room. I pulled out the photos held them off and said ‘What type of a woman is she?’

To this my three comrades did the same. Now the focal point was on all four of us not just on myself. We now beat a hasty retreat piled into the car and got out of Dodge.

The Aftermath

We expected the wrath and it came. We stayed in a hotel for a week before returning. The condo was wrecked. Her family had visited. I had told reception nobody was to get into my condo. I’d also told security but this is Thailand again.

The police were looking for us. I went in and was locked up for four hours while her family came to the police station. At the same time my lawyer was notified and he came in. The family wanted compensation for the loss of face I had shamed them. I said ‘I only put shame on the daughter.’

My lawyer produced copies of the photos and the transcribed documents from the private detective. The police took my side. They wanted money for the party which I had nothing to do with. I said to the officers ‘I don’t speak Thai how can I arrange a party?’

I then asked the police to arrest the family for destroying my condo. They said that’s a civil matter. But my lawyers produced paperwork to state the condo is not mine but a woman’s in the UK. And my lawyer proceeded to pull out a CCTV hard drive.

The father and brother were arrested. They had no money and got 10 months in jail.

I told my sister to sell the condo which we did. I moved to another part of Thailand never to be seen in Pattaya again.