The end of a single life? (1)

My name is Theo, a bachelor of 49 years old, with 25% Thai, 25% Javanese and 50% Dutch blood flowing through it. I got my height from my father, my mother took good care of my Asian appearance, dark skin color and my preference for Indonesian food.

Because of my second divorce, I had to buy off my insurance policies that arrange my early retirement. My supplementary pension is low because I have regularly changed employers and have been self-employed for a while. I start calculating and come to the conclusion that when I eventually retire, I will have to get by on a much lower amount.

Looking around at countries where it is still good to stay with that lower amount, I come across Thailand. Cheap, hardly cold, sometimes very warm, tropical rains, beautiful nature, friendly people, beautiful women, many relatives, it all sounds too good to be true, so first take a closer look at how people actually experience the country.

Beware of beautiful ladies

On the internet I find the images and stories of migrants who preceded me and the nightlife in Bangkok and Pattaya. The migrants warn about relations with bar ladies and other ladies from Thailand. I ask my uncle and mother for the details of our family in Thailand, they also immediately warn me about all those beautiful ladies. My mother hears that I want to move there and suddenly Thailand is bad and not good. Strange my uncle told me something completely different, explained to me how to order something extra hot and what the beautiful locations are in Thailand. After I told my mother that it will be another 7 years before I will possibly move, she turns the story around, it is a beautiful country and the food is good.

In April I turn 50, which gives me a good reason to go to Thailand, explore the country and see where I will eventually live. My employer approves my 5 week leave request. I book my flight and start looking at all the places I will visit. At least take a look at Chiang Mai, Ao Nang, Bangkok and Pattaya, we'll see the rest there.

Songkran in Chiang Mai

In Chiang Mai I first enjoy the Songkran event. A true party that is celebrated by young and old. In a large department store I buy some Thai-style short jeans because I don't want to look like a tourist. During the day I do excursions, visit markets and stroll through the city. All that walking makes your muscles play up, so I treat myself to a nice foot massage every now and then.

In the evening I go to the bars and discotheques for my daily dose of cocktails. No one who looks at me strange that someone of 50 dances to disco music, wonderful. A lady dances with me and gives the dance an erotic character. The lady often touches my lower body and leaves little to the imagination. She asks if I'm going with her to another venue, because the nightclub is about to close. Oh well, why not and we visit a bar where the windows are shuttered and the door keeps closing. Pool is being played inside and I can play along. The loser pays for the winner's drinks. The lady who invited me is getting more and more intimate and asks me if I want her to come with me. I won't be asked twice, so I'm happy to say yes. Then she comes up with the story that she has to earn something, so if I want to contribute something. The price she mentions will not be high, nevertheless I haggle a bit and the lady eventually spends the night in my hotel. In the end I have seen it in Chiang Mai and I travel by plane to Bangkok and then by bus to Pattaya.

To Pattaya

In Pattaya, completely unexpected for me, they still celebrate Songkran at that time and my 50th birthday is therefore the biggest party I have ever experienced. For my birthday, I'm treating myself to a visit to a Coyote bar. The ladies try to make you drink faster here and ask for lady drinks. A lady immediately sits down next to me, but I don't care. I found my type among the ladies on the bar and she sits next to me after I ask her. Since the lady drinks are quite expensive, I decide to replace them with Tequila shots. Occasionally I change the glasses to make sure that no water is served.

Since I don't want to end my birthday alone, I ask what it costs if she comes along. The price is high, but it turns out that something can still be done. Still expensive, but whoever said A must also say B. Unfortunately, this all ends in a downer and I take the lady back to the bar in the middle of the night, which turns out to be closed in the meantime. The next day I get part of my money back and a thousand excuses with more excuses and a few free drinks after hearing and seeing that it was my birthday the day before. At that moment I immediately assume that this was the first and last time that I get involved with such a lady.

My daily rhythm is a bit different here. During the day I stroll through Pattaya, in the evening I drink a few cocktails and then walk down Beach Road and Walking Street.

I call my family in Thailand and tell them my travel plans to see if I can visit them somewhere in between. My uncle has already informed them that I might visit them. An appointment is made and I travel to Bangkok, since they live not too far from there. In Bangkok I contact them so that a cousin can pick me up. Suddenly I get the message that it is not so convenient after all. Whether I might be able to visit them on the return journey. Later I hear that my cousin became a father again that weekend. In the evening I stroll through the streets of Bangkok and find it just too busy. So I immediately book a flight to Krabi for the next day.

To Krabi

In Ao Nang it is wonderfully quiet after the hustle and bustle of Chiang Mai, Pattaya and Bangkok. During the day I visit the many islands or travel to a non-touristy spot on my rented motorcycle. The owner of my accommodation knows exactly where I need to be and can also tell me how to get there. In the evening I start with a few cocktails at a cocktail bar, while playing backgammon with the bartender. We are both amused by all the people that pass by.

As soon as the place closes, I'm going to dance in the disco again. The discos are a lot quieter here and ladies don't come right up to you. A few hours later, however, this changes and suddenly ladies come to you. The same ritual takes place here as in Chiang Mai. The ladies turn it into an erotic dance, try to get intimate with you and then ask if you want her to come with you. They quote a price that is negotiable. A few ladies actually spent the night in my room and from one of these ladies I learned that there is a short street with beer bars in Ao Nang.

I went there because they asked me to visit her there, but the visit was short-lived, as they only had some board games and no pool table. I extended my stay a few times, because it was great to stay here. The owner of the accommodation advised me that the rainy season would start in May and that visiting the islands would then be virtually impossible. In the meantime I was pretty tired from all that traveling and the many excursions and I just wanted to relax. So I decided to travel back to Pattaya to spend the last few weeks there.

Back to Pattaya

In Pattaya, the daily pattern of strolling and visiting my favorite cocktail bars was extended with a Thai massage and the Bamboo Bar. I had seen something on YouTube about the Bamboo Bar which was close to Walking Street and decided to check it out. The Bamboo Bar is not a beer bar, the music is a mix of Thai and some older English songs. Most of the visitors are men who are clearly older than me, which ultimately made me feel very young.

The ladies are visibly having fun and singing along loudly with the Thai songs. My dancing to Thai music was appreciated and ladies regularly joined me or danced with me. However, they do not make indecent proposals, with a few exceptions. If you want something from these ladies then you will have to start it yourself. The ladies are sometimes also picky. If you don't like her, they will point you to another table or mention a high price. By the way, you have to be careful with making an indecent proposal here, because there are also ladies who just want to go out for a night and those ladies do not really appreciate such proposals.

If the lady who came to dance with me was my type, I asked her if she wanted to go to Insomnia (one of the discos) at my expense. If she asked if we were also going to my residence, I was clear about that and indicated that I didn't know that yet. The most important thing was to have fun. Most ladies were fine with this and didn't even mention money. Before we actually arrived at Insomnia, a cocktail was first consumed at my favorite cocktail bar at the beginning of Walking Street. Then for that evening my partner and myself had a lot of fun in Insomnia. As soon as one of us got tired of Insomnia, we left the disco. Then came the question if they could come to my room. Since the price was usually low, many a lady ended up staying in my room. The last lady I met at the Bamboo Bar immediately started talking about money. Since she looked good and the amount was low, I accepted. I then spent the last 4 days and nights together with her and we went to see the tourist spots of Pattaya together. Because of her I had a tickle in my stomach and saying goodbye was hard for me. We would keep in touch through Line.

You can read how this ends in the next part.