Phuket province is like a naturally beautiful woman who wears cheap, tacky clothes and too much make-up. Talcum-powder sand beaches and jade waters are punctuated with paragliders and jet-skis. Limestone cliffs and rolling hills are slashed by neon strip-lighting and towering hotels. Never have I seen an entire place that has evolved itself so entirely into catering to the desires of the planet's dominant species - the white man. Bare-knuckle boxing matches, some starring children as young as five, are easy to find. Illegal dog-fighting is rife. And the sex trade... well, it's something else. And all to keep the beer-swilling boys from Britain, Australia and America happy. You can't swing a tuk-tuk driver without hitting a fat old man with a young Thai girl/boy/ladyboy. I was walking down the street yesterday and came across a girl in a doorway in tears. She can't have been more than seventeen. I asked her if she was alright. As she looked up, I noticed a large red welt on her cheek. She told me she was hungry. So I bought her a sandwich and a coffee. Her name was Nina. She had been in a bar with an extremely drunk British man (this is 2 o'clock in the afternoon) who had offered money to have sex with her down an alleyway. He was so drunk he couldn't get an erection; to save his macho pride he punched her in the face and ran off so he didn't have to pay her. I sat with her for a while, and as I got up to leave Nina (still crying a little) stroked my thigh and simply said '500 baht?' After what had just happened to her she was still intent on earning her pay. A very sad and sobering experience, and one that makes me feel guilty for seeing the ping-pong show in Bangkok. I have contributed my pound to this industry and I feel terrible about it.
Even here though it's not hard to catch a glimpse of the real Thailand. Fantastic noodle shacks serving Phad Thai and steamed garlic shrimp are tucked away in between the Starbucks and the McDonalds. Little 'Soi' streets packed with old ladies shelling peas, cleaning fish and catching up on the gossip are visible in between the strips of go-go bars and mock-British pubs. A couple more days here until Denise arrives and then we're (finally, thankfully) off to see what else this beautiful country has to offer.
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3 comments:
Hey Babes, Thanks for the text ... old phone not new one! Still nursing the ribs at home so Debs has my work moby.
Any stray, wounded soul and you're a big softy....thank god for people like you! Where would we be without you.
Missin you loadz, take care hon x
meeting nina was good for you.thought the john i knew had gone when you left canada.your last post brought him back to life.your great. your you.you don't have to be screeming to be fab.your john and u r fab.
Oiy you! I'm pregnant! Mention me! x x xjoanne
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