My Uncle Lek and his wife take my grandma and I to a really nice hotel in Pattaya beach. I’ve been really wanting to see the acclaimed shores of Thailand before I leave. There are gentle blue waves crashing on the sandy beaches and hills all around. We eat at this one restaurant where the entire back is open to the sea. We drove around, eating a ton of food as usual, and seeing the nearby attractions. I notice that there are many more falangs here than in Bangkok. Americans and Europeans lined the beaches and streets. Later that night, I walk with my aunt and uncle around the Pattaya main road. Its seriously like Cancun spring break. There are obnoxious and drunk Americans and some Russians.
Every few hundred feet, I see these pretty girls standing in club dresses with watches on and a clutch. At first I think the groups of girls are waiting for a ride to the bar. I then start realizing that they are prostitutes standing waiting to be picked up. Sure enough, you see some big white guys patronizing the girls. I’ve seen prostitutes before in modest amounts around the world and in LA, but there were so many in Thailand. This was just one beach and on one street. It makes me think about “Half the Sky”, the novel I refer to oftenly. Sex tourism is a large issue exacerbated also by local use of prostitutes. Sometimes women are sold into brothels, beaten and raped until they service clients ‘willingly’. These girls are sometimes sold from poor families, snatched from streets, and often come from impoverished countries or situations. I also think about the cycle of patriarchy. If men didn’t request for cheap paid sex, then the brutal brothel industries wouldn’t flourish in the touristy areas. When we walked back into the hotel, it was quite obvious that many of the young falangs were bringing back prostitutes to their hotel room as one is trying to check in a scantily clad girl with the reception desk.
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