You Want Lady?

I knew prior to coming to Thailand, that it had a thriving sex industry. On my last night in Malaysia, I was sitting with some local guys, and I asked them what people do for fun in conservative Kota Bharu. They hesitated. I could see that they were trying to decide how much to tell me. So, just for fun, I said “cross the border into Thailand?” We had a good laugh, and while they admitted that some people do that, they didn’t go into detail.

But I wasn’t expecting to come in full contact with this thriving industry in the southern city, Hat Yai. I thought I could cruise along quietly and get myself prepared for Bangkok. But no, every night the guy who works at the guesthouse offers to call up a girl for me. “You want lady?” “No.” “Thai lady, very pretty.”

As I walk thru the street markets, past all this stuff that I can’t imagine anyone wanting, a vendor would stop me, pointing out his products. I’d say I’m not interested. Then the question “You want lady?” If I don’t understand the first time, he’ll add a hand gesture - fingers intertwined with the palms banging together a few times.

I can hardly walk the streets, minding my own business, without some guy out of no where asking, “You want lady?” In some ways, I equate the prostitution problem in Thailand with the Batik problem in parts of Indonesia. Because for some time, so many people went Indonesia to buy batik, they ramped up production of batik, and it became a source of income for many people. Then they had more batik than buyers. So now it is high pressure sales. Similarly, lots of tourists go to Thailand to have sex. I can’t count the time I’ve heard guys talking about how hot Thai women are. I even met an Italian guy who was going to Bangkok specifically so he can have sex with 14 year old girls. I didn’t think anyone would admit this out loud. But there it was.

There are guys offering transportation on motor bikes. I think they are licensed because they wear numbered red vests. They ask “Where you go?” I say “I’m just going over there.” “You need transport?” “No.” “You want lady?” I begin to wonder…Is there one large brothel that they take everyone to and get a commission ? Or does each of these guys have their own lady that they’re offering up for sale? I keep on walking.

I was passing by a karaoke bar, and there was a guy and some girls sitting outside. They called me over. I thought they would try to get me to go inside, buy some alcohol and make a fool of myself singing. No. He pointed out two of the girls and told me 1000 baht for 1 hour with them. And the girls were right there smiling and waving. At first I thought he was offering a “massage”, but there was no pretense here.

The massage parlors seem to be trying to put on a respectable face. They all offer foot massages, and it is done in the open where people passing by can see. But I would not at all be surprised if there is a room upstairs where you can get a full massage with happy ending.

I went to a small family restaurant for dinner - a Muslim restaurant, no less. At first the owner/attendant thought I was Malay. The menu was in both Thai and Malaysian, and I was able to fake my way thru ordering in Malaysian. He sat down at the table with me, and we discovered that we don’t have a common language. This should be interesting: a cross cultural exchange thru a language barrier. But after we got thru the name exchange, he asked if I was alone and wanted lady. At this point some other customers came in.

I went to another small restaurant and had my Thai/English dictionary with me. I had decided that I needed to at least learn the alphabet and a few words. One of the ladies there saw the dictionary and got excited. “Oooh, you learn Thai?” “Yes, I would like to learn to read Thai.” She told me how to say the Thai word for tomato, because I was looking blankly at a bottle of ketchup. So they told me to come back later in the night. They sell alcohol. This will be great! I’ll get to learn a few Thai words. So I went back later. But that’s not what they had in mind, at all. That lady was only interested in going back to my room.

Then there is the security guard who, I think guards the gold shop next to the guesthouse at night, but sleeps in the lobby of the guest house every night. He doesn’t speak English, but by looks and gestures, I think he too wants to come up to my room.

In general, it seems that if someone is friendly, they either want to have sex with you, or they have a lady they want to offer to you. To be fair, I did encounter this on a smaller scale in Kuala Lumpur and Jakarta. But this is only Hat Yai. I can hardly imagine what Bangkok will be like!