Old Men with Young Thai Girls

The night before our trip, Jan woke up with a massive hangover. We took it easy until check-out time at noon, after which we grabbed a taxi to the eastern part of Bangkok's bus station. We bought a ticket to Pattaya for 90 baht each. Pattaya is the place where many men go to find a girl. Often, it's older men from Europe who come here looking for a wife or just to spend time with prostitutes, who are often quite young. We came here to hit the beach and see if Pattaya was really as the rumors suggest. It turned out the bus was old and had poor air conditioning, making for a long and sweaty ride to the coast. Once we arrived, we wanted to stay somewhere central, so we chose a hotel called Camelot, which was on the pricier side at 1000 baht per night. After dropping off our bags in the room, we headed out to explore the city a bit. We found a Middle Eastern place for a late lunch, but unfortunately, the food was pretty disappointing. Still feeling a bit shaken from the ride, we went back to the hotel to lounge by the pool. It was here that we got our first glimpse of men with young Thai girls. In the evening, we ventured into the city and found a seafood restaurant with a sea view. It was absolutely stunning to sit on the terrace overlooking the ocean while enjoying the most delicious seafood. Back out on the street, we encountered older men with Thai girls everywhere. It's hard to tell that the girls might not actually enjoy being with the older men. Many Thai girls see it as an opportunity to be with foreign men, as it often means more money and experiences. Sometimes they even travel with the man on vacation. We had heard there would be Muay Thai boxing later that evening, so we made our way there. On the way, we passed a bar called Simon’s Cabaret, featuring drag shows. It was hard to tell that the performers were actually guys hiding under all that makeup and costume. When the boxing finally started, we found seats right up front. After each round, you have to give the winner some money. We only watched two rounds since each one takes a long time with the rituals they perform in each corner. Afterward, we headed to a bar where we struck up a conversation with a retired American. He was very chatty but also a bit strange. He was just one of many men who have moved here after retiring. We felt he crossed a line when he started asking weird, intrusive questions. It didn't take long before we hurried away from him.