P

Pakistan: This Muslim country is located about 4 hours flying time northwest of Thailand. Despite ongoing disputes with neighbouring India,

Patpong. Located in the very heart of Bangkok, Patpong Road – which is really two parallel roads ("Patpong 1"and "Patpong 2") between Silom Road and Suriwong Road, not far south (towards the river) of Rama 4 Road – is one of the most famous red-light districts in the world; people who know absolutely nothing else about Thailand may well have heard of this area of frenetic night life.

Founded by one family in the 1960’s – the founding patriarch passed away a few years ago – Patpong rose to challenge Petchaburi Road, which in those days was the center of nightlife and was the red-light district of Bangkok. (Nowadays, Petchaburi Road is nothing in either regard, with but a sprinkling of bars and massage parlors randomly situated along its considerable length.) Before many years had passed, it had risen to dominance. It became a major center for just about every vice imaginable, though in recent years the much smaller Nana Plaza has become more popular with resident expats (and is gaining popularity with tourists as word of it spreads). Despite the upstart Nana Plaza, if tourists go to any one concentration of nightlife in Bangkok, this is it; it remains a must-see on most tours.

But not all is vice. At night, Patpong becomes a vast open-air night market in Patpong 1, the larger or the two streets, with stalls and booths spilling into lanes connecting the two Patpongs. Just about every personal good imaginable, up to the size of household furniture, is available, in greatly varying price and quality. Clothing, jewelry, sunglasses, souvenirs, watches, purses, wallets – the list is endless. Unsurprisingly, the sale of fake goods abounds, from "Rolex" watches to "Gucci" handbags.

Which prompts the question, "How does so much illegal activity go on here?" The short answer is simple: corruption. The established businesses in Patpong pay "tea money" to the various authorities for both their legitimate (if any) and illegitimate (if any – but likely) activities, as do the street vendors. This "tea money" is above and beyond governmental licenses, and can reach enormous amounts in the case of the larger and more successful discos, bars, a-go-go’s, etc.

Perhaps the biggest downside to the night market is that it is a fire-trap of major proportions. Though disaster has not yet struck, the feeling among locals is that it is only a matter of time. It is difficult even to walk through it – and to bring in a fire truck an impossibility, unless accompanied by a squadron of bulldozers manned with drivers who hold human life in contempt – which would defeat the purpose of saving people!

Patpong is enormous. Though each street isn’t really very long, at about two standard blocks, there are several floors; it would take days just to have a drink, even of non-alcoholic beverages, in each one. Incidentally, conventional wisdom has it that in general Westerners should avoid any but the ground-level establishments, as many of the upstairs’ ones are clip joints in which you can get into serious trouble, quickly. There are legitimate businesses upstairs, but you would be well-advised to ask among Old Thai Hands first which they recommend.

The best-known, best-run establishments fall into two main groups: those owned by the King’s Group (their logo, a crown, appears on all of their businesses), and certain individual ones, such as The Madrid. Cosmos, and Crown Royale. The King’s Group operates a number of a-go-go’s, and if a-go-go’s are to your liking, you can feel safe in any of them, as you can in any King’s Group establishment. They often have many of the most attractive dancers around.

Patpong has the major advantage of being near other major entertainment areas. Both Silom Road and Suriwong Road and their adjacent sois have many bars, nightclubs, etc. of their own [See the entries for "Silom Road" and "Suriwong Road" below]. Convent Road and Silom Soi 4, two further centers of entertainment/nightlife, are nearby [See entry for "Convent Road" above and for "Silom Road" below]. Parallel to and just north (towards Rama 4 Road, away from the river) of the Patpong area lies Thaniya Road, the single major area of Japanese entertainment and food (with Japanese prices, by the way) in Thailand. Thanks to the Skytrain, numerous other places are within a few minutes’ reach. North and west one can find Nana Plaza, Soi Nana [Sukhumvit Soi 4), Sukhumvit Soi 3, Clinton Plaza, Thermae, Soi Cowboy, Sukhumvit Soi 22, Washington Square, and Sukhumvit Soi 33 [See entries for each either above or below]. Phaholyothin Road and its continuation Phayathai Road lie northwest – and the Skytrain runs their lengths [See entries for Phaholyothin Road and Phayathai Road below].

Patpong is eclectic, electric, frantic, frenetic, and vibrant all at once. If you love large crowds, a carnival atmosphere, a vast array of goods and activities in a concentrated space – and are not too uncomfortable with the open vice all around (particularly sex, but also drugs, fake goods, etc.) – then Patpong is the place for you.

Pattaya. One of the two most famous beach resorts in Thailand ( the other being the island of Phuket of the southwest coast of Thailand; see the entry for "Phuket" below], until the Vietnam War Pattaya was a tiny, sleepy fishing village. More popular among local expat residents but largely unknown to tourist is Pattaya’s neighbor, Jomtien, just a few kilometers further south. Both boast numerous bars and restaurants of all descriptions. Naturally, water sports are very big there, with all such sports available. Pattaya and Jomtien can be reached by bus (coach) and car in about 2-3 hours, depending on your exact starting point and traffic conditions, from Bangkok. There reportedly is a VERY slow train connecting the capital to Pattaya, but as of this writing we haven’t confirmed that.

Phi: "Ghost" or "Brother" – depending upon the tone

Political System. Thailand is a constitutional monarchy with an elected parliament and senate, with a prime minister chosen by the ruling party or coalition. Though the monarch has no real political power constitutionally (the former absolute monarchy was abolished in 1932)., His Majesty is admired, loved, and respected by all Thais (and many foreigners), and commands moral authority almost inconceivable to a Western national leader.

Politics. The domestic political scene in Thailand is fascinating in the utter venality and pervasive corruption which characterize it. Elected politicians usually view the holding of office as a chance to feed at the government trough. Scarcely a week goes by that some scandal or the other doesn’t break out in the local media, though such scandals tend to disappear as quickly as they arise. Vote-buying is rampant every election, even by supposedly "clean" candidates. The new constitution seeks to combat this, but how effective it can be remains to be seen.

Political corruption is far more tolerated here than in many Western countries. The (cynical) Thai attitude is, in the main, that whoever holds office is going to fleece taxpayers one way or another, so they – the voters – might as well squeeze what price they can out of their votes.

This corruption extends deep into the civil service. Civil servants sometimes pay for their positions, so the demand under-the-table payments to perform their duties to recoup their investment. This is the rule, not the exception, though it is not universal; one sometimes is pleasantly surprised by a civil servant just trying to do his job, not demanding any remuneration above and beyond listed fees for doing his/her job.

In fairness to civil servants, it should be noted that salaries are often abysmally low; the best and the brightest coming out of the Thai educational system never give the civil service a moment's thought as a career possibility unless they wish to be corrupt. It would be ridiculous for a person to accept a civil service position—given the investment it entails – unless he thinks he can both recover his investment and make a tidy profit, one that will put him in the same income bracket as he might reasonably expect were he to hold a position similar in rank in the private sector.

Prince of Wales Bar [Washington Square.]. The sixth place, on your left, as you move along the back of the Square (having entered via the front gate on the Sukhumvit Road side then turned left), this double-shophouse bar is among the Square’s oldest, having been established by its Thai proprietress, Pia, in 1984. Currently co-owned by Pia’s affable American partner, Gary. Has a kitchen, but no food as of this writing. Offers pool, darts, music, television, and rooms for both short-term and long-term rentals. 9:00 A.M.-2:00 A.M. 37 Sukhumvit Road Soi 22, Washington Square, Bangkok 10110 Thailand. Telephone (+66) (+2) 258-4204, Fax (+66) (+2) 259-6256.

Prostitutes. There are prostitutes everywhere in Thailand, so if their presence bothers you, maybe you better think again! Even the authorities admit to 300,000 working prostitutes in Bangkok alone, which gives you some idea of the scale of the sex industry in Thailand. (One Thai police general disingeniously claimed a few years ago that there isn’t any prostitution in Thailand, a claim met with loud – and well-deserved – derision and ridicule.] Rogue elements of the government and police work hand-in-glove with the "Dark Forces" – what Westerners would call "Mafia" – in exploiting prostitutes. Many of the prostitutes come from Isaan [See entry for "Isaan" above], Thailand’s seriously impoverished Northeast and from the North, where, it is rumored, a young girl can be bought – the same as a slave – for as little as 1500-2000 baht from their impoverished (and often hill-tribe] families. Given the Thai male preference for unprotected sexual intercourse, many prostitutes end up with STD’s ("Sexually Transmitted Diseases" – see entry for "STD’s" below], including AIDS [See entry for "AIDS" above]. Alarmingly, some prostitutes are under-aged, and the Thai police have zero tolerance for anyone visiting a minor prostitute, at least when the visitor is a foreigner. (Though, to be fair, we should add that the police do sometimes rescue such girls and arrest their "owners" and patrons – including their Thai patrons.)

One of the most difficult aspects of the "working girls" in Thailand for Westerners to understand is that many of them do not feel particularly exploited, and are quite happy to earn sums they could never earn any other way. Given that an uneducated girl can hope to earn maybe 3,000 baht a month in a menial job -–in Bangkok – but ten times (or more] that amount as a prostitute, the powerful draw is clear. Further, Thai society itself holds twinned, but opposite, views of prostitutes and prostitution simultaneously, without any inner conflict. That is, no Thai parent wants his or her daughter even engaging in sexual activity before marriage, yet many a Thai father had his own first sexual experience with a prostitute, and many continue to frequent brothels even after they are married. Western sympathizers are often shocked when they meet extreme hostility from the very girls they hoped to help; the girls see them as intruders sticking their noses into places they don’t belong. [See entry for "Prostitution" below.]

Another difficult aspect concerns the girls’ families. Often, her parents (and other relatives) are quite happy for her to send money for them, and happily gloss over how she’s earning such unimaginable sums, preferring not to examine her sources too closely, if at all. Yet when the day comes the girl either no longer wishes or is unable to work, she is an unwelcome pariah, condemned by the very family whose poverty she has helped ease. For many Old Thai Hands, this is far more disgusting than the existence of prostitution itself.

Prostitution.  Prostitution thrives in Thailand, as it does in much of Southeast Asia and, indeed, the world. And it is ubiquitous; one would be stunned at how many places – however discreet some of them may be – have prostitutes available [See entry for "Prostitutes" above]. Even some high-class hotels will let it be quietly known that the restaurant waitresses or cleaning ladies (or whoever) are available.

Prostitution thrives because it is controlled by a triumvirate of elements: rogue elements in the police, corrupt civil servants, and "Dark Forces," or Mafiosos. Even the military – it is rumored – sometimes gets in on the flesh trade. For one to try to help an individual girl escape the sex industry (if such can be found in the first place] or even a group of girls, by whatever means, is tolerated. But to try to go head-to-head with the controllers of the industry is both foolish and extremely dangerous, including for foreigners. It is foolish first, because the practice is so deeply ingrained into the Thai psyche that even a successful operation to close sex-trade establishments on a wide scale is almost certain to prove but a temporary setback for the controlling forces. Secondly, Thais resent as much as any of us do having foreigners telling them what to do, what’s right, and what’s wrong. And it is dangerous because there is zero tolerance, and one very easily can end up badly hurt, more likely plain dead.

There are bigger economic implications of the flesh trade than immediately spring to mind among casual observers. With the sex industry as pervasive as it is, were it somehow possible to shut it down overnight, the economic implications would be enormous. Not only would hundreds of thousands of prostitutes – an admitted-by-the-government 300,000 in Bangkok alone – be thrown out of work, but numerous others would be affected. Most directly affected would be those who derived their own livelihoods from the prostitutes – the establishment owners, the hairdressers and make-up artists catering to "working girls," street vendors dependent upon the girls, numerous medical personnel involved in the periodic testing of the girls for STD’s ("Sexually Transmitted Diseases" – see entry for "STD’s" below], etc. There would be a ripple effect from that, of course. Further, other merchants – clothiers and the like – who depended on working girls for even just a part of their trade would be affected. Next – though not generating or deserving any sympathy – would be the forces themselves, which would, no doubt, find some other nefarious activities through which to line their pockets. Finally, the country as a whole would be faced with problems: how do we take care of them? Should we take care of them? Most families won’t take the girls back, so that’s not a viable option. Most Thai men, like most men everywhere, don’t want to marry a prostitute, not even an ex-prostitute.

In at least the short and medium terms, it appears prostitution is here to stay. Major changes in cultural attitudes and in distribution of economic resources will have to occur before we can reasonably expect its disappearance – if ever.

Puchai: "Boy," "Male," or "Man"

Puying: "Female," "Girl," or "Woman"