Yes as Bear wrote, a pity I didn't have a real back-up for Ying. But I wanted to get a better feeling for Thai girls and for maybe living there. Here is Part 2:
TUESDAY
I awake early (8h00), and leave fast, check out. Also give a box of chocolates to Princess who looks very happy. On the way i take fresh fruit juice in the restaurant (they don't have that in the evening!). When I get out, I see the man of the hotel come running at me in distress, waving with my credit card! (...) Very kind. I take the skytrain to Akami bus station, and an air-conditioned bus to Pattaya. - NOT the fast bus, as it turned out...
Arriving in Pattaya, the conductor asks "where", I say centre, he doesn't seem to understand. A friendly woman tells me that I'm almost there and she gets out here, if I come along she will show me. Sounds good to me, but she walks me to her home! She gives me some coffee, then she brings me on her motorcycle to the APEX hotel which I want to try first. They have exactly one room free for one night, perfect. She looks over my shoulder when I show my passport, and walks with me to see the room! She insists to bring me to the windsurf place on Jomtien beach where I want to go next after I have lunch. I don't want to be rude so I accept, and she leaves to do something else for one hour.
Then she tours me around, brings me to a better surf spot than the one I had in mind. As my stomach is still full, we look at the shooting of a movie on the beach. Then I make clear that our ways really part. She doesn't accept money for petrol. I thank her very much and we exchange email addresses. She asks me to write larger, as she "is getting old" (Not THAT old I think(?!)).
The surf club is very nice, with very easy surf boards. I also let a swimmer have his first try in his life. He manages to sail one second. In the end I sailed 1h20, but no problem. I even get free rice wine! Guy of the club suggests I go to a certain bar in the evening where he will be too, and I promise to come. Go back to hotel (very easy with public transport), and sleep 2 hours. The phone rings, it's the woman I met, if I like to eat with her, I say thanks but sorry, I already have plans. I eat a pizza on the way, go to the place mentioned (Monkey bar), there is a fashion show, but not very interesting and I don't see the surf club guy. Shortly after, I stroll to South Pattaya, there is what officially is a Karaoke bar (with bar girls? Not very clear), but it has fantastic life music (hard rock).
After that I spent 2 hours at a discotheque (too loud music but I had ear protection!). A girl of the discotheque, very sexy, was approached by a guy who clearly wanted to take her home. She shakes her head, and strokes him over the head (not "Thai-like" I learned later from info sites!). He looks very disappointed, tries a few more times. She puts on a Christmas hat (it's the 25th) and looks very cute indeed, I give her a kiss gesture which she returns. At one moment she's suddenly disappeared, and the disappointed guy looks around, then leaves.
Walking back I'm "hello"-ed by hookers, then spoken to by gays who think maybe I'm more interested in men, then by a girl who responds to my rejection with "I'm as good as a girl". Ladyboy!
WEDNESDAY
When I awake in the morning I just go for a swim near the hotel.
Cola from stand near boulevard, some women there, one with an English-Thai phrase book, it seems she's "hunting" for a Farang. She notices my bare ring finger, and one woman aims at her saying "here is a lady"! I smile but she's not my type.
I take a swim, then stroll along boulevard, girls watching me. One girl in particular may be a prostitute, she is clothed in red and watches me intensely. Then a Farang on motorcycle calls her. She jumps up and runs to him. He puts his arm around her, reaching upto her breasts. Inspects her ID card. They talk a little more, then she jumps on his bike and they ride off. In the hotel I take an all-you-can-eat brunch, really good. I check Internet (nothing). Take transport to bus station, this time I get a "real"aircon bus. In fact the bus is falling apart and the aircon doesn't work, but it's much faster indeed (hardly more than 2 hours).
I check my email to see if finally Rak started to write, but nothing... I am a little bit angry at her now. Hotel, check in ("thanks for chocolates, very nice. But I had to pay for your breakfast in cash, please pay me back!"). Go to shops, and reserve a traditional Thai massage for 20h00. Back to restaurant, it's rather quiet. I see Rak and approach her. "Hello" + little smile, "how was your trip"? Then off she goes, after I told her very shortly. I get back to her and ask what she did in the evening. "read book". "Thick book" I say and make a large gesture (not really nice of me). I go to a table and ask for a Thai soup. She passes by, I ask her what is a nice, typical Thai soup. She shows me European soups... I look for myself, and order a Thai soup (on afterthought, I should have selected one of Rak's suggestions). She stays on a distance, and I leave it like that for the moment, as things had really not gone well. I tell the others that i'm leaving for a massage. One of the girls says she has learned for that, but she prefers to work in the restaurant.
I go back to my hotel and pack my luggage. I also find the man who had been so stressed to return me my credit card and gave him a big tip. Said good-bye to Princess, she seems to be interested in me now, wants to give me her email but suddenly doesn't dare because the owner arrives and she's not allowed (?!); asks me to translate something on paper in Dutch, I do, then she asks me again to translate something, finally I understand and ad my email! Bye bye.
Then to the massage place: I change to pyjama's, must lie on a bed, a girl gives me massage for one hour. Mainly my legs, also back and neck. It feels like a combination of physiotherapy and osteopathy. She claims she learned it in two weeks! A bit rough with my back, it cracks... But overall felt really good (I had back problems the week after.. coincidence?!).
On the way to the restaurant I pass, as always, a girly bar nearby, and this time I give in to invitations to have a little drink there, as there is also another tourist. One girl there makes a joke offering me an empty chewing gum wrapping, I have to laugh. A little girl in night-gown is walking around near to us on the street with chewing gum, maybe her daughter? Then the girl starts to punch me a little, I punch back. But when I have finished my drink, I pay gracefully and leave all behind.
Back in the restaurant the other girl asks me how the massage was. Rak placed herself exactly behind me, in such a way that she can hear what I say but I can't really talk to her. Then Rak goes away. The other staff make questioning hints, why don't I talk to her, and that I should go to her. But she seems to avoid me. I look a little at MTV, the ex-massage girl remarks that she would like to have such big boobs as the pop singer, she only has small breasts! I say that so big isn't to my taste. Rak remains away, very busy studying the menu.
I notice the funny girl of the other bar with a Farang, they go into a hotel or so...
I move to the table, and order an European dish. Rak moves to the other side. I decide that maybe she feels embarrassed, and I'd better reduce whatever tension she feels. So I say next time she passes by "OK you are my sister!". But NO effect...
I try once more to speak to her as I really need to know what's the matter. I tell her that I need her advice. She says "Oo!" and runs away! Now everyone noticed. This is getting on my nerves. I could just leave, but it wouldn't help to leave like that, just spoil my vacation for sure. Bad news, it's already after 23h00. After a while I notice that she and the other girl are in the pool/snooker area (I never know the difference between those things). I go there too. Rak immediately asks if I want to play? I say with who and she says I can play with the other girl! (dum of me, smart of her!)
I play some games with that girl and ask her to ask Rak why she runs away from me.
After a lot of gestures, the girl comes back to me and says "Don't want talk English". But it can't be that. The girl makes the remark that Rak is the most beautiful of the girls in the restaurant.
I go back to the bar, there is a British man, in fact he turns out to be at the point of marrying a Thai girl in a few days, she is already in her village. He tells me about how his wife never believed he was sincere. I tell him about my problem with talking to and trying to understand Rak. He had noticed that something was going on. We agree that misunderstandings happen easily. In fact, in Thailand people usually don't tell the truth the first time! I have a hunch that part of the problem may lie in a wrong impression of me, so I go to Rak when she washes the dishes and say "I don't sleep with girls". She says "Why not"! But leaves no chance to answer. Smiles when walking away. I have the feeling that the atmosphere has cleared somewhat.
She comes to sing a bit of Karaoke with the other girls, and the Englishman and I join in. He leaves to check out another bar before everything closes.
Shortly thereafter the bar is going to close (not many people tonight), so the owner comes with the bill. I say no, I only pay if Rak presents me the bill. He smiles and goes to Rak. Slightly amused she comes and says "1 million Baht". I: "Expensive.... what do I get for 1 million Baht? Will you marry me for 1 million?" She: Y... No, 10 million! I tell her that's very much, I can't pay so much. 5 million Baht?! She: Yes! (?!) And off she goes again. Clearly the ice is broken.
Shortly thereafter she and two others leave, and I see them off at the bus stop. She: "why don't you go home to sleep?" I say "home is in Switzerland" -everyone smiles- "I can sleep in the air plane". "When do you leave? I say very early, 4h00. "When do you come back?"(!) I say "Depends, if you love me, I come back every month and then I come to live here." (Did I say that?!) She takes a taxi (there is no bus) and smiles when passing by.
I stroll around a littlebit, take a drink in a girly bar. When I say that I fly out in three hours: "in 3 hours you can still do something" -no thanks! I sleep from 2h30- 4h40.
THURSDAY
Awake call + taxi from hotel, I am well on time, so I can get stamps at the post office that is open. But the man makes me pay for stamps and puts the postcards aside, saying "it's OK". I walk away, change my mind, and see people glue stamps on letters and handing them back. So I demand the same, he prints out(!) some stamps and hands them and the cards to me. Now really OK! Air plane on time.
The plane makes stop in Phuket. We should stay in the plane, but the crew changes. Of course we have to get out too. Phuket and the airport look nice. Back in the plane, I sit next to a man from Zurich who just spent 2 weeks in Pattaya. "There is all one may need". "Girls tell stories, and think lying is all right if it's for their family". He looks and talks a bit like the man I saw picking up the girl in red in Pattaya. So I ask him if he rented a motorcycle when he was there. "Yes, only 250 Baht per day, took an Easy Rider model". I don't ask further.
The air plane heads straight for Karachi-Delhi line, but changes course just before. We fly high over Karachi. Then zigzags back just as on the way to Thailand.
Land on time. Train back home, quite cold. END. It was 1 week, but felt like 2. I would not have liked to miss it!
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