Had a fab night out in Bangkok, followed signs for a bar called 'gazebo' found the entrance down an alleyway. The door had two big warning signs 'NO FOOD' 'NO GUNS'.. Our handbags were then searched by police with torches, wondered what sort of club we'd found... Turned out to be a a really lovely roof-top shisha bar, with funky mexican style decoration, pretty lights and live band with an amazing saxaphone player. Wanted to go to a club to dance after and were hassled into one that had free entry.. Thought we'd try it but were surrounded by skanky English men dirty dancing with Thai women, the more I looked around the more repulsive I realised it was there. Watched a program about Thai women who in an attempt to help their family survive, come to Bangkok and sell themseles to men for the evening to afford to send money home to their children. It's so sad, felt so so sorry for the women having to just be around those pervy leering SKANKS let alone have sex with them. Left that club as soon as we could and found a nice club with nice people to dance with, but our eyes were definitely opened to some of the downsides of life for people in Thailand.
On Saturday we got on the sky train to chatuchak Market and had a lovely time looking around the 10,000 stalls selling anything from gorgeous vintage clothes to puppys. Such a fab market, bought a lovely new vintage dress for 70Baht which is only about £1.10!! Would pay about £30 for it in the uk!
Saturday night we caught a sleeper train up to chiang mai. The lady that I was sat next to clearly had some sort of contagious illness as none of the train staff would go near her without a face mask, and she kept coughing into scarves. And I was stuck there wondering what on earth she must have and trying my hardest not to breathe in. A man came and turned our seats into beds, we unfortunately had upper berths as we didn't reserve our tickets enough in advance.. Tiny narrow little bed, constantly felt I was going to roll over and go clattering into the aisle.But it was a funny little adventure. Pulled my little curtain across and thought I'd have a lovely long sleep from 9pm.. Woke up at 10pm pleased that I'd slept through the night, unill I looked at my watch. EURGH. woke again at 11, and 12, and 1 and 2 and again at 3 at which point I was convinced the train was careering down a rocky mountain to hell. There were so many bangs and crashes, and the train was bouncing and shaking all over the place at ridiculous speed. I have no idea what was happening, it definitely didn't sound healthy at all.. but eventually got back to sleep after the noise went on for long enough that I convinced myself it must just be an incredibly bumpy track. Woke up and our beds were turned back into seats.. Peaked out of the window to see no ground but hundreds of metres of air and the distant rainforest below us.. Arrfgg vertigo...!! Seemed we were on some ridiculously high bridge moving at an equally ridiulously slow speed. Stopped right in the middle for what seemed like forever and then started bloody reversing!!! Heard a Thai girl explain to someone that the train was too heavy to go up the hill so was going backwards somewhere... You'd think they wouldn't go by guess work on whether or not the train will be too heavy when over 5 run a day!! We stopped at a really lovely pretty little train station in the middle of the rainforest, decorated with flowers and plants, and waited for another train to come along and push us up the hill....
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Oh Holz, you're making me nervous. Glad you're having a great time though. (BTW 'The lady I was sat next to...SITTING! SITTING!) :-) xxx
ReplyDeleteThe fact that women come from the country to the city is not new. What's even worse (if this trade can have moral comparisons)is the trade in daughters - some as young as 14. Girls are sent to the city where they are auctioned for the night. Their value falls after they have been with a man for the first time. Often these girls never go home (because they can't, feel shame or wish not return to the relevant poverty of the country) and so then provide the next generation of bar hostess filling the red light zones of Soi21, Docks and Pat pong. The auctions are exclusively Asian with no westerners aloud to view or participate.
ReplyDeleteThai's have a complex view of those who work in the bars. As a race they are very materialistic and do idolize those with money and wealth. Bar girls often earn much more than average person and have a larger disposable income. However the occupation of bar girl is looked down up.
I worked as a DJ in the mid 80's in a bar in Soi Cowboy (Soi 21). I got to know a good few of the girls and bar managers. I should imagine like most things its probably much more violent and nasty now. Although there was a gun carrying culture then - risk of losing face would mean you would never see one drawn. Although I was in bar one night when a grenade was rolled through the door..
Have a good time
Nick
rude realities of life. :(
ReplyDeletescary train ride! well...no matter how comfy the train berths i never manage to sleep in a train.