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thread 1/20
Ok you asked for it.
When I was in the Navy, I went to Thailand twice. The first time to Phuket. The second time to Pattaya. Prostitution was rampant. I was simultaneously having the time of my life, while also hating my life. If you haven't served, you wouldn't understand.
Inconclusive Laura®️ @Canyonsfan
10:32 PM - Apr 05, 2024
11:27 PM - Apr 05, 2024
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thread 2/20
At this time, I was single, I lived on the ship. I had a new truck, but otherwise no real bills or responsibilities (off the ship). I usually had $100 per paycheck go to the ATM on the ship. Everything else went to my accounts "back home."
11:30 PM - Apr 05, 2024
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thread 3/20
I mostly stuck to that. I occasionally would draw some money from my back home account if I wanted to hit the bar more than two nights in a two week period
Or when we were on deployment, I might pull out some extra cash to have fun in port. Mostly I saved a lot of money.
11:32 PM - Apr 05, 2024
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thread 4/20
When we in Thailand on my second deployment, my second time in the country, I really went wild. Spent about $700 in 4 days. That was a lot of money in the mid 90s in Thailand. Like the average annual salary of most people in Thailand. LOL. They must have thought I was super wealthy.
11:34 PM - Apr 05, 2024
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thread 5/20
I mostly spent my money on beer, including buying drinks for my Shipmates, hotels, a sightseeing tour or two and occasionally women.
11:35 PM - Apr 05, 2024
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Allow me to backtrack a little. On my first trip, one night a buddy of mine and I were drinking at this bar and I had already bartered to get my beer prices down to the equivalent of about 30¢ a beer.
11:37 PM - Apr 05, 2024
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My friend and I were having such a great time, I asked the mama san, "how much for the whole bar for the night?" She looked at me like I was crazy and said, "the whole bar? All night? You can't afford it."
11:39 PM - Apr 05, 2024
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thread 8/20
I said, try me. She said something like 40,000 baht (don't hold me to the exact numbers, it was 30 years ago). At the time, that was something like $100 American. I pulled out a big wad of cash and slapped it down on the bar and said, "done."
11:41 PM - Apr 05, 2024
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thread 9/20
Now remember, this was only a one night deal. But she accepted. She took my money, counted it up. Took her purse, with the bar's money, and left. We had the bar for the night. When I saw other Shipmates wandering around (all the bars were these open huts), I invited them over and gave them...
11:44 PM - Apr 05, 2024
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thread 10/20
drinks on the house. We stood up on the bar and sang karaoke and just generally had a great time. We finally left the bar sometime around 4 AM and stumbled off to our hotels.
11:45 PM - Apr 05, 2024
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Fast forward about a year and I'm on my 2nd deployment, back in Thailand. My previous experience in Thailand still fresh in my memory.
11:46 PM - Apr 05, 2024
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This is the part where I remind you that I also hated my life at this time. My immediate supervisor was a giant ass. Every time I made rank, so did he. So he stayed my immediate supervisor the whole time I was in.
11:47 PM - Apr 05, 2024
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thread 13/20
He and I nearly came to blows many times. So onday on my last, or maybe it was my second to last day in Thailand I was walking down this street and I walked past a building with a for sale sign in the window.
11:49 PM - Apr 05, 2024
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I peeked in to a two story bar that was mostly empty. There were a couple of ladies dancing on a stage. One of two patrons sitting at a table in a dark corner. I sauntered over to the bar and inquired about the sign in the window.
11:51 PM - Apr 05, 2024
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The gentleman (a man owned this bar, unusual for Thailand at the time) told me the bar was in fact for sale. I asked how much he wanted for it and we as told some outrageous number (like a million baht). But then I did the math in my head and realized it was only like $12 K American.
11:53 PM - Apr 05, 2024
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I was like, "shiiiiiitt, I got more than that in my savings account right now." I started thinking about how I would run the business. I figured I would have an advantage knowing the usual clientele (sailors). I would have to go AWOL. I'd never be able to return to the states to see my family.
11:56 PM - Apr 05, 2024
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Still, I thought long and hard about it. Trying to think about every aspect and anticipate any issues. I'd have to lay low for a few months until I knew my ship wasn't looking for me anymore. I'd let my hair grow out and a beard.
11:57 PM - Apr 05, 2024
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In the end, I decided it wasn't worth not being able to travel back to the states to see my family. And the more I thought about it, the more obstacles I thought of. There would probably be red tape for me to buy the business as an American.
11:59 PM - Apr 05, 2024
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I didn't really know anyone there that could help me navigate the red tape. I wouldn't have any income until I started making money from the business, which might take a while. Of course, I had more than I needed to buy the bar and could survive a while on my savings.
12:00 AM - Apr 06, 2024
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thread 20/20
In the end, I decided the cons outweighed the pros. I sauntered back to the ship before liberty ended. I still thought about possibly going back to Thailand after I got out. But my life took a different turn. That's how I almost bought a bar/brothel in Thailand.
12:02 AM - Apr 06, 2024
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Jacsmoore @
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He was there in the mid 70s while I was in middleschool. I hear about the Thai-stick and weed more than the bars. (b4 random drug tests).
He does have stories about the transvestites and the child prostitution (what he saw). That part is sad.
In response to Whoa!.
03:57 PM - Apr 06, 2024
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In response to Jacsmoore @.
It's disturbing that there is a lot of human trafficking there including children. I think the term transvestite is derogatory. They were either cross dressers or they were transgender people. And they were probably outsiders in their country, especially at that time.
05:57 PM - Apr 06, 2024
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Jacsmoore @
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In response to Whoa!.
I appreciate your concerns about the language and identity issues. However, remember the time context of 1975. I'm not sure, had he interacted with those persons, that even they would have been able to explain their identity in today's context.
As to the trafficking, it's a tale as old as time.
06:05 PM - Apr 06, 2024
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