Dear Hillary,
I was told before my first holiday here a couple of years ago that you are never lonely in Thailand and it sure seems that way, but nobody tells you that you are going to pay for it, and big money too. By the time you pay the bar to let her out, and multiply that bar fine by the number of days you will be keeping her around for, you are getting into serious money. Then the girl has got her hand out for this and that, mobile phone needs replacement, money for Mama, money here, money there. It really does add up. I think you should be letting your readers know about these things, Hillary, or it can otherwise spoil the holiday.
John
Dear John,
Do I detect a little financial strain in your letter, my Petal? Nobody said it was ‘free’. There’s no sign up on the wall offering cut-price companionship. Sure, you are never lonely in Thailand, but you will pay. Compare that to the western countries where you will be lonely, but if you are not, you will be paying big money! What you have to understand, John, is that by going to the bars to make your selection of short term companions, you enter the commercial side of the business. The girls are there to earn money – and they get that money from the punters – that’s you! That’s their job (or ‘profession’). Go into the ‘pay for company’ end of the society, and what you have described is completely true. Over a few days, these costs will soon add up. The choice is always yours. I suggest you back out, making arrangements for the odd day only, while your piggy bank holds together. There’s nothing “free” in this world as you have found out.
