A Brief Love Affair With A Thai Bar Girl (Phuket Girl 3)

After watching the film "Bangkok Girl", a CBC Canadian television documentary, I decided to begin writing a series of articles about sex trade workers in Thailand. The reason the film inspired me to write my own stories, is that the film was such a one sided, distorted view of the sex trade in Thailand. I feel that the other side of the story needs to be told. Before I begin this story I want to be clear that I do not in any way advocate prostitution or the use of prostitutes. My goal is simply to report the facts, and offer accurate information and my experiences, in order to allow readers to draw their own conclusions.

Today I am going to tell you a story about a girl that goes by the nickname "Tukta". I met Tukta in The Shark Club back in July of 2001. The events of this story are not based on speculation and second hand information, but actual experiences that I witnessed first hand. This is one story about one girl, and is no way intended to suggest that this is the situation for any other woman who has worked as a sex trade worker.

Back in 2001, I was just 24 years old, I had moved to Phuket to enjoy the exotic lifestyle, and of course I was addicted to the nightlife and all the attractive Thai women. That being said, I was not interested in paying for sex, so I didn't spend a lot of time in the beer bars entertaining bar girls that wanted to be paid for their time. When I wanted to meet beautiful young Thai women, I would go to The Shark Club. It was not the kind of place where you were pressured into buying drinks for bar girls, and most of the women that you would meet in the club would at least pretend that they were not prostitutes. The Shark Club had an atmosphere with the right mix of people, without any pretentious attempt to cater to high society or an ultra exclusive crowd. It didn't matter who you were or how much money you had, when you walked into The Shark Club, you just had the feeling that tonight was going to be your night!

I noticed Tukta one night sitting in the back corner of the club, and the first thing that caught my attention was that she was sitting with two young children, both in their early teens. I was immediately impressed, as most of the young women in the club were hustling out on the dance floor, trying to attract potential customers. I decided to approach the table and start a conversation, so I opened the discussion by scolding the young lady for bringing a couple of children to a nightclub. She laughed, and introduced herself as "Tukta", then she explained that she was looking after the children while their Kiwi father partied and danced in the nightclub.

I was intrigued by Tukta, she was a petite, beautiful young woman, sexy, without dressing in typical Thai bar girl fashion, without the high boots and short skirts that all the other girls seemed to be wearing. She spoke excellent English, and after talking to her over a few drinks, it was obvious that there was a mutual attraction. She didn't behave like a bar girl, and I thought that she must have been educated and have a decent job, however I knew better than to ask any questions. As a rule, in Thailand I don't ask women what they do, because it seems to be such a loaded question, and rarely will it warrant a straight answer.

That night we would stumble back to my place, after a brief disagreement with the father of the two children who also claimed to be Tukta's boyfriend. She tried to explain to me that he was just her ex, but I wasn't fussed either way. The following morning when I staggered out of bed, I saw that my floors had been mopped, my laundry had been hand washed, and breakfast had been prepared. It was quite a pleasant surprise, and a very effective way to convince me that this girl was worth keeping around. I was a little concerned as to what her intentions were, however I was pleased that she hadn't asked for money, and I enjoyed having her around.

I did not press with any questions about her past, but eventually I learned that she had been working in beer bars since she was a teenager, and now at 22, she was freelancing at The Shark Club when she needed money. She was a little more intelligent than most bar girls, and dressed and behaved with far more class, yet she was a bar girl all the same. This became quite apparent every evening when the sun went down, she would start drinking beer and whiskey, and her appetite for alcohol would rival that of a Russian sailor.

After about a month, I came to realize that this love affair with a bar girl must come to an end, we had some great times, and we were good friends, but she was just a little too wild for me. Tukta didn't take any crap from men, she was not interested in being treated like a prostitute, and perhaps this is why she tried so hard to dress and act accordingly. One night she had thought she saw me getting too close to a Swedish girl, and when I returned home she attacked me with a butcher knife, the situation was quickly defused, but she had made her point.

Tukta seemed to be looking for a man to settle down with, she was not turning tricks for quick cash, she was trying to land herself a man that would take care of her. Unfortunately I wasn't going to be that guy, and after just over a month I decided to take off to Chiang Mai, in order to make a clean break and avoid any mess that might follow. I knew that if I stayed away long enough, she would find herself another man, and sure enough she did.

We remained friends over the years, she often called me and invited me out when her boyfriends were out of town. She would tell me all about her boyfriends, and she always seemed to settle down with men that would treat her well. She eventually married a Frenchman, roughly the same age, and they had a daughter together. I am not sure if she found her "Mr Right", or if she just settled for "Mr Right Now", but whatever the case, she seemed happy enough, and shortly after they moved to France.

Tukta's story is that of a young lady who truly had little opportunity, her limited options led her to pursue a life of working in bars, and some might call her a prostitute, but I would disagree. Because of her charm, and her intelligence, she was able to avoid being taken advantage of, and she eventually found what she was looking for. I often think of her, and wonder how she made out in France.