Now I know that there have been many jokes about me coming home with a young Thai girl in tow, or possibly two even, not least from James and Kirsty who are picking them out for me!
It is, however , a big deal here. For all those that have been to Thailand, they will know that you see old, even ancient men with a relatively young woman in tow. In restaurants, bars ,hotels, there are couples who appear totally mismatched until you realise that the girl has basically been bought. I am still in two minds as to whether I am shocked and disgraced or just envious!
It is, seemingly, just a basic business arrangement. One that, on the surface, appears to be good for both sides. The man, gets a younger companion. Presumably to look after him, cooking cleaning and I guess sex too. The girl/woman gets to be looked after and, apparently in a lot of cases, her family is part of the deal. This means that they are taken out of the poverty trap and have a reasonable standard of living.
I am not talking here of the straight forward hookers available for the male tourists everywhere you go. The arrangements I am seeing are more long term, with men setting up homes here with a bride, even if the man is not always permanently here. From their point of view they are taking on responsibilies (at least some if not major ones) in return for companionship and whatever.
Is it all any more seedy than some wives in loveless marriages in the UK who are stuck in an arrangement for want of anything better. Or what about prearranged marriages in Asian communities, even in Britain?
So I cannot make up my mind whether it is just too seedy or to be a complete male chauvinist pig and get out my wallet, buy a little thatched hut on a beach and get shacked up.
As for the hookers, well that is something different. There are working girls in every city in the world so Thailand is no different. It is just more acceptable and open.
James took me to the night market the other evening where there were thousands of stalls, a bustling moving mass of people in a small section of the city, and, in the side streets adjacent, bars full of working girls.
Once we had finished buying shirts and so on, and had had our fill at the food stalls we walked back through the side streets.
As we walked past the bars and the girls in them, we were waved at, whistled at and generally invited to join them. I have never felt so popular, In the words of the now defunct News of the World reporting, we made our excuses and left !