I love fine wines.
My profession allows me to combine this passion with my business. Tomorrow I will start to import Pinot Noir from Oregon, USA. Find it out by yourself, Oregon is still an insider tip for Pinot Noir.

As a person who worked in different countries on different continents I am again and again surprised by people who have questions which they do not ask, but develop own theories for finding ownn answers, instead. The effect of such a behaviour are breakdowns at work and problems in private life.
It is not an answer on a question when persons think, reflect and analyse, when there is a person who can give a proper answer.
In Thailand it is already unfriendly to ask a teacher at school. When I have trainees from the US and Europe who ask questions, then it can happen that a local person comments: "They are not more intelligent, they do not know anything." I have to agree, they are not more intelligent, but more professional, and afterwards the job is done properly and the boss has not a problem with the client.

It is not stupid to ask questions, neither it is unfriendly! There are no stupid questions but stupid answers, only.

Recently I had a chat with a friend about escorts going under the labels "high class", "VIP", "first class", "superior", "premium", or "quality escorts".
Sometimes it seems as if there is an inflation of VIP escorts, especially when agencies are involved. In my opinion a self-understanding of someone of being "higher" than other providers can be a sign of self-confidence, but it is simply awkward and a sign of a bad character when a provider labels herself being better than her competitors. Understatement is more attractive than such an overstatement. I believe that I have a good feeling what I can think of a person, when she has a complete profile on this site and made some comments in the forum. Furthermore a tasteful website without stupid mistakes concerning design and orthography really reflects someone's abilities. All the ladies whom I "like" do not go under such a label of self glorification, -- and be ensured I do not like ordinary sluts.

So, what can a client expect from a self declared VIP escort what a normal provider cannot offer?
Let me ask some questions:
Are there extraordinary physical properties? Let us say, such a lady must be classy, extremely attractive what makes her being an optic pleasure. :)
Are there intellectual skills? Let us say she can speak several languages fluently, has a complete education making her a perfect companion (i. dancing, golfing, swimming, tennis, well-read, good and informative chats, nice and friendly behaviour).
Not to forget skills on the field of intimate fun.

I was told that all these points were nonsense, that these self declared high class ladies simply put themselves on a higher level for having a better feeling about their business, and a reason for charging more for their services. Furthermore modesty was generally not a positive trait everywhere in the world.

Well, the freelancers in the beer-garden, where I met my friend, were nice and not ugly. A garden full of "premium freelancers".

I was travelling on the BTS yesterday with a vast amount of attractive, everyday working women. I started to ponder why foreigners living in Thailand are so obsessed with the prostitute subject. Why is it that people automatically assume a girl is a BG or ex BG when they are with a farang. OK, sometimes it is fairly obvious when you spot certain behaviours both of the farang and Thai lady. But there are thousands of farang working in BKK with Thai GFs who work normal jobs and would never consider neither waste part of the day thinking about the subject of prostitution.

How could one possibly come to Thailand and end up dating/living with/marrying a prostitute when there is such a great selection of quality women here?

Why do so many foreigners have this idea that "the majority of Thai women are prostitutes" when in fact this is so inaccurate? I have met foreigners who think any girl from a poor background would take money for sex, and all women are on the game in one way or another..this is insane and not my experience at all. The majority of Thai women are tucked up in bed by 11pm (at least the women working with me).

Is it only socially inadequate foreigners who end up with BGs because quality Thai women just wouldn't be with them?

Most foreigners would not date/financially support etc a BG or ex BG back home so why on earth would you do it here?

Why are forums just full of people discussing Thai prostitutes?

I guess that is the million dollar question! It is not easy to answer, one must contemplate deeply for a long time. In general human beings are attracted to filth especially men and have been since the beginning of humanity. The enticement of the neon lights is often too much to resist.

I guess when you frequent these places, one can feel like a movie star, one receives a lot of attention and is made to feel special. That is something that rarely ever happens at home. I guess some of us suffer from discontentment and loneliness and we seek refuge in these sorts of places so we can escape our miserable existence. On the other hand we also go there to fullfill our sexual fantasies and desires.

I don't judge anyone who walks into a bar and dates or ends up marrying a BG. That is his choice, what he does is his business. There are many reasons why farangs end up with BG's. At the end of the day does it really matter? If a guy wants a girl out of the bar then let him choose, he's happy with that and it's his personal freedom and choice. Yes it's true that he can probably find a more suitable girlfriend outside the bar. Sometimes there are exceptions, and sometimes BG relationships do work out. There are good girls in the bar and good girls outside the bar. I never agree with people who say, 'the reason BG's work as prostitutes are because they have character flaws'. Everyone has some good qualities and everyone has some bad qualities. One thing is true, you have a higher probability of meeting a good honest girl outside the bar than inside the bar, oh and there's the HIV thing as well. But for sure there are a lot of people who like a punt, they like to gamble and back the outsider, the horse with one leg!

Most EU related men I had a talk about why they are in Thailand (or elsewhere in Asia), drunk, alone, paying girls, are telling me the same story. They all are divorced, lost much of their property, lost their children, have a lot of debts, are much disappointed in everything, feel very much lonely and now they want to enjoy a life for one month, followed by 11 months of hard work back in the own country.

Some of these men think, they can extend their vacation by sending some money and get some nice phone calls and sexy internet-chat in return. Why not?

Anyhow I understand these men in these EU countries. To be alone is a bad depressive feeling for them especially shortly after divorce, and if you try to meet somebody near to your home for a nice talk only - to go somewhere for a walk, or whatever, it will cost you much more than these Baht 10000,- per month.

So bored of finding again and again these typically icky complementary reviews posted by sentimental 'clients'.

Thai Girlfriends and Women

In approaching this topic for the largest audience, I first have to briefly cover some general issues and paint an overview of Thai women before going in depth on particular topics and issues. This section covers things ranging from the extremes of extrinsic "Thai prostitution" vs. intrinsic love relationships. It covers things in-between, mixed motivations. It includes the issue of what is called "matrimonial prostitution" for relationships in the West of essentially the same kind under disguise (i.e., marry a rich guy so the woman can work less on her life).

However, emphasis is on the ordinary cultural ways, for those who really want to explore a different kind of culture, and possibly develop a meaningful relationship with a mainstream Thai lady.

Much of this also applies to relationships in general, outside of Thailand.

In Thailand, there are generally two sorts of lady: Prostitutes, and Mainstream (non-prostitutes). Based on statistics from various sorts, about 2% of Thai ladies are prostitutes. However, these prostitutes tend to concentrate themselves where the business is, which includes a few square kilometers in the tourist and expat concentration areas in lower Sukhumvit and in Pattaya, and they tend to stand out since they try to get the attention of foreign guys. It is very important to understand that what you see in those zones is very different from what you come across in the rest of Thailand (except other hot spots).

There is a big difference between mainstream Thai ladies and those you can meet in bars and nightclubs. What is often said about "Thai ladies" in general, actually applies only to [ex-]prostitutes, who seem to make up the majority of girlfriends and wives of foreigners, so don't believe everything you read and hear ... e.g., "Thai girls are unfaithful", or "Thai girls just want your money". Substitute the word "prostitute" for "girl" in those sentences and it makes more sense. If you're old enough to read this, and sophisticated enough to use Internet well, then you should be old enough to not believe everything you hear and read about Thai ladies and smart enough to think by yourself...

Likewise, it is incorrect to assume that all Thai ladies who have met a foreign man in the nightlife areas and developed a special relationship are tricking or unfaithful to the new boyfriend. It is true that most Thai nightlife ladies we investigate are unfaithful to or otherwise tricking the foreign boyfriend, but many are not. Many ladies in the nightlife area come to the point where they've experienced enough, and are ready to settle down into a more normal and stable lifestyle. Unfortunately, they are a minority in the nightlife areas. Nonetheless, bad news travels much further than good news, and many internet forums tend to be "agony aunt" sounding boards for venting anger and frustration.

Who am I to say?

The author of this blog has much more experienced with mainstream Thai culture than with the foreigner-oriented, prostitution-common areas, though I'm quite experienced in both, with quite a large number of my own experiences of various sorts. However, compared to the vast majority of farangs who live in Thailand, I'm far more experienced with the mainstream Thai ladies and Thai gentle-men, and can educate and advise other farangs accordingly, providing a greater overall perspective.

Most foreigners who visit or live in Thailand spend most of their time in the tiny percentage of the country which farang-oriented prostitutes are attracted to, a naturally select population. But many do not. From my viewpoint, those steeped in the farang prostitution areas are best staying in these areas, and going thru the shorttime adventures with bargirls and freelancers ad infinitum, and persisting in their cynical illusions of denial, because these farangs would not be happy with (nor faithful to) a mainstream Thai girl for very long, and neither would a mainstream Thai lady be happy with them. If you pursue a mainstream Thai lady, then you should be as faithful to her as she is to you. Otherwise, you will have fewer problems if you just stick to the other side of town, because prostitutes are used to providing service and then making a break after receiving the money without any emotional drama (except happiness to get money), so it stays simple and clean (bullshit aside).

Indeed, most farang males who work in offices take little interest in co-workers, and spend much more time at pubs with their friends and developing mutual flash-in-the-pan relationships with the outgoing and skilled Thai ladies of entertainment venues, because there are so many lovely ladies among them who are easy to chat up, outgoing and willing to move into a sexual liaison in very short time when an opportunity comes within range, especially if the man fits certain criteria such as being dressed as if they have money, clean, cheerful and easygoing.

Do not treat your coworkers or employees as if they are similar to bargirls. Just like in your own country, Thailand has different kinds of people in different walks of life.

The prostitutes are far more willing with sex, quickly, so you don't waste much time getting them there, they don't give you problems when you've had enough of them and pay them off (quite unlike a normal lady), and there are a variety of other lovely beauties out there for your next adventure. For what you pay per night, it's pretty cheap when compared to the real costs (both time and money) on an alternative, serious relationship, and you avoid the emotional pitfalls of something more serious. Even if you keep a prostitute for a few days or weeks and enter a grey area relationship, she'll usually be out of your way with her next distraction -- another farang man in her normal environment...

For those who want a "good" Thai girlfriend, I can advise you about this, but before doing so you'd better think about whether this is really what you want in the long run. "Be careful what you wish for, because you might just get it!"

Once you get a good Thai lady serious about you, especially after physical intimacy, if you change your mind then they will usually be a lot more difficult to break with than a Western lady. They are not like prostitutes who are already accustomed to this (but who may yell and scream for a few minutes nevertheless, but still leave after you pay them off). You cannot pay off most mainstream Thai ladies. They wouldn't accept it, and they won't give up easily. It may be more traumatic to the average Thai lady than the typical foreign woman.

Relationships consume a lot of time. Businessmen and independent guys often just don't have the time, or don't want the entanglements. For these guys, the occasional weekend outing in the bars and music is a time & cost efficient release.

On the other hand, a good reason to not go with prostitutes is because of sexually transmitted diseases. I just have a feeling of revulsion of "going where so many men have been before" . In fact, going where so many whoremongers have been before, and who knows where those whoremongers have been before they had sex with the particular lady of interest to you! They may be infested with viruses and various kinds of bacteria, only a few of which are symtomatic at first. Be realistic and keep condoms handy. Condoms don't protect you against everything (e.g., herpes, or genital warts, or molluscum, all of which are extremely common here), but they protect you against the worst things (HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea, NSU).

There are some very pleasant and lovely bargirls and freelance prostitutes out there. However, most are hard core. That environment in general can be irritating, as there are just too many loud, hardened and insensitive prostitutes all around -- crude with low intellectual class and a "don't give a sh*t" attitude. Mercenary commercial. In cruising with friends, I can go a whole night without seeing anything I'd take, even if they were paying me!

I'm usually the odd one in the group, and not your ordinary farang in Thailand. I prefer a lovely romance. Otherwise, I'd rather go home to a nice home environment with good books, serious Internet research on life and future matters. Finding the right kind of Thai lady who is compatible with me has not been easy. Too many Thai ladies seem to be looking for the kinds of farangs they see in TV commercials and movies, and sometimes I've felt like "the farang entertainment center". Others just don't have the kind of philosophical outlook on life, meaningful interests, and language skills. For quite some time, it was like the old adage "If you don't get what you want, then you settle for less".

It is easy to find a cute, lovely lady to fall in love with, where the world is a beautiful place, and you have happy dreams ... but marrying them is another matter.

There aren't many non-Thai ladies here. Nearly all the foreign ladies you will meet here are wives of an expat, and the selection among the rest is slim pickins. Sometimes it had made me want to jump on an airplane to the next likely oasis, e.g., Australia or Singapore. (I believe there's just too much materialistic expectation and homogenization most everywhere else.)

If you like partying and excitement, then the bars in Bangkok are some of the best in the world. For me, they were at first interesting to experience, and the music at some is always good.

It doesn't take long to get to understand the scene. It doesn't have much appeal to me as a rather studious expat, and the music and friends are the main draw.

I should make clear that I don't want to imply that all Thai prostitutes are trouble or all "ordinary" Thai girls are true-hearted.

There are gold diggers everywhere. You have to ask why a girl is attracted to a relationship with you, a foreigner, especially if she is quick to it. It is my experience that most ordinary Thai girls are not after my money (and don't take any), but I am picky and patient. Your mileage may vary. A sizeable percentage of non-prostitutes are attracted largely to the farang's money and material wellbeing, and/or some Hollywood-based illusion they may have of life in a farang's country. They may simply look to a farang to take care of them, everything, whereby they'd "have it made in life". Matrimonial prostitution (though they don't see it that way).

Notably, I usually don't make introductions and wouldn't be seen with many of the farangs who have expressed wanting a good Thai girlfriend (often in a fleeting moment of frustration over the behaviour of a prostitute girlfriend they've become emotionally attached to), because I don't think those farangs really understand what they're getting into when it comes to good Thai ladies, would be unlikely to develop or enjoy such a relationship due to inability or unwillingness to adapt culturally (as well as the Thai lady's inability or unwillingness in many cases, too), and/or would be unfaithful to the good Thai girl which in many cases is damaging to her reputation and sometimes her life (e.g., offspring abandoned by the farang). In any introduction, I take no responsibility for anything. Use at your own risk.

Nevertheless, I sometimes do bring farangs into my realm to hang out with, sometimes deeply. Then, whatever happens, happens...

Before a farang even considers a "good" Thai girlfriend, he should consider the ramifications. He will have to give up the bargirl adventures in his life. (Some women put up with their boyfriend engaging in shorttime liassons behind their back as long as they come home on time every night, but it's not true that this is generally accepted in higher class Thai society. MOST Thai ladies do NOT tolerate this.) If he changes his heart and mind about his current girlfriend, he won't be able to dispose of his good Thai girlfriend cleanly with a 1000 Baht note. He won't be able to get into her pants on the first night, and probably not the first few nights. Whenever he gets that far, then when he does get to her panties, she will usually be shy (depending upon the friendship trust and art), and it won't be the same kind of experience as with a prostitute, for better or for worse.

In my opinion, quality beats quantity. Of course, just my opinion, different strokes for different folks.

A lot of guys on the internet have stated that they've become less sensitive and more hardened by spending too much time in the bars. I would suggest to these people that they try a courting kind of relationship over time. Your mileage may differ, but none of my one night stands have come close to any of my courting relationships.

Most guys who are attracted to Thai ladies more than western ones are attracted to the lovely, native, freely natural feminine ways of Thai ladies. The mainstream ones will be loyal, most of them will spend money wisely and prudently, and will be more responsible with maintaining a nice home and helping out with work. Mainstream Thai ladies will not push you to be ambitious but will value "peace, love and harmony" moreso (as most Thais value harmony more than ambition if the latter means conflicts), but they won't have much initiative, as they will tend to seek out a relaxed and peaceful environment with family and friends. It may take a long time before you will find an ambitious and intellectual Thai lady if that's what you're looking for. They are Thai. Nonetheless, they do exist in large numbers here.

If you are fast paced, always moving forward, and expect everything done right the first time, then you're probably headed for frustration with Thai women, and Thais in general. However, if you live a relaxed and peaceful lifestyle, then you'll be at home here.

Exceptions are the "Chinese Thais", specifically those who are 100% of Chinese descent but whose parents were both from immigrant families from China. Most of the offspring of these people are melting pot Thai in disposition, but many are hard working Chinese. Most of the Chinese who came to Thailand didn't survive from a natural selection viewpoint family-wise, so the current generation of successful immigrant family-descended Chinese Thais have a fairly exceptional subcultural background. You have a wide range or personalities to choose from among the Chinese Thais, but you'll find that a larger percentage of them have ambitions and value education more. Some are a nice blend, the best of both worlds.

At the other extreme are the Thai country girls who recently moved to Bangkok (or maybe you meet them in the country), most of whom have no ambition but all of the native feminity.

There is quite a variety of Thai ladies. However, of notable mention are some of those you can meet in Internet dating services. Many of these ladies want to be westernized. If that's what you want, fine. However, why come to Thailand for a westernized girl? If you like Thai ladies, then you must like the Thai way, in whole or in part. Otherwise, neither the Thai lady nor yourself will be happy for long in the relationship. Of course, there are many ladies in Internet dating services who will be themselves, and that's good. Just a warning about what naturally works for more than a few months...

In Thailand, there aren't many inventors, social leaders or creators of evolutionary progress in our generation, even among the men, on a per capita basis compared to the west. What was invented in Thailand? What was copied from the West?

The beauty of Thailand, in my opinion, it that it's a very different culture than the west or the rest of Asia or anywhere in the 21st (or 20th) century, it's peaceful and harmonious, the people smile (even those in poverty by western standards) -- hence the name "Land of Smiles". It has a native human ambiance that has long since been lost elsewhere in the world due to the Industrial Revolution or colonization or overpopulation and abject poverty.

The beauty of the ladies is due to the Thai value system, which is very different from the West, for better and for worse. There is a lot one can learn about happiness from one of the most civil civilizations left on the planet, including from a Thai mate, be it a prostitute or, if you fit certain criteria to some degrees or others, a mainstream lady. (Be a leader sometimes, a follower sometimes...)

What I try to do here is lay out the cultural landscape so that you approach it with a more complete understanding of the differences in culture and protocols, lay down some tools for you to use if you are willing and able, and let you decide on your own what segment(s) of the population you may wish to explore.

In discussing Thai ladies, I cover the range from mainstream to the prostitute girls, pretty much the entire spectrum as best the experiences of myself and the contributors can fathom. All Thai ladies have more in common than they have differences. The differences are mainly in regard to serious relationships.

Of course, there are always a diversity of exceptions, and the younger generation is bringing some changes, though no radical changes which I can see in the general population as of the time of this writing.

Courting in Thailand also has a lot of the same environmental elements as elsewhere in the world, ranging from gold-digger "matrimonial prostitutes" (materialistic ladies who look at potential boyfriends for their extrinsic elements more than their intrinsic qualities), to serious girls looking for the one and only Prince Charming with overly romantic fantasies which simply cannot be satisfied. Hollywood is not Reality. In-between, there are lots of free adventurers who juggle several boyfriends to learn life to some kind of measure.

In general, most Thai women marry for love, not for money, and are entirely faithful and committed to their husband or longtime boyfriend. However, they tend to look for Thai guys, and the sort who are attracted to foreigners are usually a different breed of Thai lady.

The prostitutes who marry, most do it for the money (obviously), or a mix of money and a kind of love. Of course, there are exceptions to everything, but we shouldn't let ourselves be blinded by love to the extent that we don't realize what's obvious to others. Most marriages to prostitutes don't last long, but there are in fact many good marriages, albeit a small percentage.

Thai Girlfriends - [Ex-] Prostitutes
Prostitutes are a very tiny percentage of the population of Thai women, but are often the vast majority of the Thai women that individual western men know, and the foreigner areas of Thailand tend to have an amazingly high population density of them. Travelling into those parts of town is like travelling into a subculture.
The large number of farangs with Thai girlfriends and wives taken from freelance prostitution pickup places and outright go-go bars is mainly due to the fact that it's much quicker and easier to develop a full blown relationship with a prostitute and there are lots and lots of beautiful, lovely and outgoing farang-oriented prostitutes in the farang parts of the city. Years of observation have shown it's too easy for a farang to become involved with a Thai prostitute of one kind or another. From my observations, most such relationships don't work out well in the end, for various reasons, especially compared to relationships with non-prostitutes. There are many exceptions, however. Analysing the successes and failures of such relationships turns up one most common and simple factor in determining the success and failure of relationships with [ex-]prostitutes -- how long the female was engaged in prostitution in any form before meeting her boyfriend. The second most important factor is in regard to expectations, understanding each others' limits.

A report of the International Red Cross on the US military prison in Guantánamo exceeds even the worst fears: Prisoners were tortured under the expert instructions of physicians. According to the report, the Bush administration already became aware of these procedures two years ago.

The report of the International Red Cross (IRC) on the methods applied in the US military prison Guantánamo which were kept secret for a long time makes headlines worldwide. According to the report, the CIA appointed physicians for the supervision of questionings under application of torture-like methods and even for supporting those. Further, the physicians watched and partly became involved with violent and intentionally degrading methods such as beats, water boarding, sleep deprivation, under cooling, and sexual harassment.

The Red Cross said it gave the report over to the US government already in February 2007 - without getting a response from the former Bush administration. Now the US magazine New York Review of Books has published the report in full length.

If the allegations of the Red Cross are true, severe breaches of the medical ethos that obliges physicians to protect health, and to heel from illnesses are concerned. Frightening is the step over the taboo threshold: If physicians use their knowledge in order to facilitate the effectiveness of causing pain and harm, regardless of whether physical or psychological, then the decline of civilised society has reached a tipping point.

That is also true when the victims of those acts are dangerous top terrorists. A democratic country that breaches humanitarian minimum standards in the fight against its worst enemies eventually undermines itself and its legal order.

The tightened questioning methods that had been legalised under the Bush administration - whether you call them torture or a serious assault of prisoners is rather a play of words - meanwhile have been stopped by President Obama. Whether it will come to a prosecution of those people who are responsible for the methods, maybe up to the highest levels, has to be doubted. Even if Obama does not want to be identified with those people and correctly wants to close down Guantánamo and that preferably within one year -- he can and will not let himself put on statutory ties that are too tight; that would probably disrupt the fight against terrorism that will, according to Obama, in fact be intensified.