We set out for the Red Light District, an area in downtown known by tourists and locals where anything goes – 20 minutes of pure unadulterated pleasure for 250 baht (equivalent to $8).
Neither Moriah nor I know what the night had in store, but the anticipation and excitement were written on both our faces.
" Let's pray for a songthaew!" At that time there weren't many passing by anymore, but a two-seater tuck tuck came right after our sincere prayers. We weren't suprised that our Father provided a ride for us so quickly, just as we are confident He also has something He wants us to discover tonight. Our laughter and giggles on the ride indicated our enthusiasm. Our hair blowing in the wind, strands flying in our faces, we felt so free at that moment, adventure, unknown, the promise this is the ultimate girls night out.
As the tuk tuk stops, we met up with Jenna*, a girl whose ministy here is to reach out to the women that work at the bars and also to the men (mostly tourists) who come out. They select a girl to meet their physical urge, an urge that can easily be met by less than three hundred bahts, a cheap beer, and 20 minutes in a nearby hostel with a girl with father issues, a broken past and pressure to send home the money she makes so her father could pay off his gambling debt and not beat up her mother when he drinks to much and takes it out on her.
The three of us walk along the street, lined with bars after bars with young Thai women with short skirts, and tight revealing tops, makeup caked on and fake lashes hiding the look of pure determination to do the work when clients come and chat them up. We settle in a table once we arrived at the XX Bar, the place we came to on NYE. There were 3 working Thai girls at the table, one of them looked like a lady boy. Joe*, our host for the month mentioned that the last boy born in a Thai family is usually raised as a girl, they dress them up like little girls growing up and treats him as a daughter, not a son. It is socially acceptable to do so, and mamuy of those "daughters" grow up to be lady boys, another socially acceptable thing to be.
We play games on the table with the Thai women, Connect Four, a dice game that spells JACKPOT if you roll the right combination of dice and win, and Jenga,. These games are played with clients to "break the ice". As we play, we make small talk with one another, "You have such pretty hair." "Do you remember me from the other night?" "What, you forgot my name? The girls laugh and cover their mouths with their hands as they do, shoing their shy side. Then a popular dance song come on over the loud stereo system, and a couple of them let go of their Connect Four chips and stand up, and start move their bodies to the music, showing their grinding skills to onlookers, men of all ages walking by, window shopping.
Three guys sit down at the table to our left and the three Thai women immediately abandon our games and go over to tend to them. "Pray" Moriah reminded me. As we did, we see yet another guy come over to the table to our right, and the smiley woman that talked to us earlier sits down next to him.
"God, show us what to do!"
To be continued, read Part 2 here.
