Contract for love
By James Orr
Published by James Orr at Smashwords
Copyright 2011 James Orr
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Book design by Sabaijai Designs
For Brian
Author’s Note
Chiang Mai is also sometimes written as ‘Chiengmai’ or Chiangmai, is the largest and most culturally important city in northern Thailand, and is the Capital of Chiang Mai Province. It is located some 700 km (435 miles) north of Bangkok, among some of the highest mountains in the country. The city stands on the Ping River, a major tributary of the Chao Phraya River.
James Orr
I thought he was different.
I thought he was genuine.
I thought he was good.
Always smiling.
Gentle and kind.
Taking care and observant.
I was wrong, so wrong.
1
Jamie met Eak two years ago when Eak was working as a ‘Bar Boy’ in a gay bar in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The bar was called ‘New My Way’. It was located on Hatsadisawee Road in the Chang Phuak area of the city and known simply as ‘My Way’. There was nothing ‘new’ about it. The owner had owned it seven years. Nothing new ever entered the place.
It was a typical dull looking unattractive shop house, three storeys high, in a dark and dingy narrow soi. There was a shop area underneath, which was the bar and accommodation above. Unless you knew it was there you would easily pass it as it was off the primary road, despite the innumerable motorbikes parked outside. It was surrounded by clandestine one storey houses complete with bamboo and prickly pear ramparts along with barking dogs. Towering over these houses, and on both sides of the street, were several mundane dark weather-stained concrete clad one-roomed apartment blocks that were occupied by anonymous inhabitants.
At the end of the soi was the inevitable 7-Eleven convenience shop along with various fast food stalls where inexpensive snacks and steaming bowls of noodles were prepared and served quickly. The meals were then dispatched into clear plastic bags and secured with an elastic band.
To the right of the entrance was a large grandiose spirit house. It was a shrine to animist spirits. Most houses and businesses had a spirit house placed in an auspicious spot, most often in a corner of the property. The location was often chosen after consultation with a Brahmin priest. This spirit house was in the form of a miniature temple and was mounted on a dais. The house was intended to provide a shelter for spirits which could cause problems for the owner of the property if they were not appeased. Offerings were left at the house to propitiate the spirits. Burning joss sticks with their overpowering fragrance smoked in the damp air and colourful twinkling fairy lights illuminated the dark corner.
Many of the boys coming to work would ‘wai’ when they approached the entrance. This consisted of a slight bow, with the palms pressed together in a prayer-like fashion. The Thais do not shake hands like westerners. The higher the hands are held in relation to the face and the lower the bow, the more respect the giver of the wai is showing. The wai is also common as a way to thank someone or even apologise.
Inside, rows of low disagreeable armless two seater sofas were covered in a bright and distinctive orange and black moquette material. Insignificant black metal tables, with a floating piece of black glass making them impossible to see, were placed in front of the seats. At the rear and near the entrance, Beng the DJ sat with his music and lights console. A sweet boy, not much up top but always smiling, apparently without an ID card as he had absconded from the army. Most of the time his music and lighting console was covered in a towel with an ice bucket on top to catch the ever dripping water that came from the ceiling above. Several times during the evening he would have to empty the rapidly filling bucket.
There were two captains, Num and Bee, who tried to keep things running smoothly and a manager called Tam. Both Num and Bee had severe drink problems. They would probably be classed as alcoholic as were most of the staff. Num drank all day and all night, usually the local Thai whisky. If a customer opened a large bottle of whisky, Num was there. He did have an American customer who regularly sent him money. He also had various women customers who deposited money every month into his bank account. He had a total of 40,000 bahts a month going into his bank. He was already separated from his wife and children. He had a room in a condo block called Wang Sing Come Mansion, as well as a house he rented. Most evenings after work Num would hold an impromptu drinks party. Many of the boys would go there after the bar closed and drink until six or seven in the morning. There would be a selection of women attending too.
Bee had a Japanese customer who unknowingly helped to support his girlfriend and their child. Apart from the drink problems the boys also took various recreational drugs, gambled on anything that moved or didn‘t move, usually playing poker until their money ran out.
To the right was a large bar area. The cashier and sometimes one or two assistants worked there. The cashier, not a handsome man by anyone’s imagination, was usually drunk by 10 o’clock. Not too drunk to be able to fiddle the books. The drunker he got, the more outrageous he became, constantly flirting with the boys. His hair had lost its lustre and his face had grown florid and was lined with broken veins, as though years of heavy drinking had taken its toll.
Above the bar was a walkway from which the boys entered when the show started. They descended a narrow winding staircase which ended up on the bar top. They then had to climb down precarious looking wooden steps to reach the floor, before making their way to the stage at the front. Only if you happened to be sitting in the last two rows of seats could you see this performance.
To the right of the bar there was a podium in the corner. This was where the shower show took place. Tinkling water music played while a naked boy would sit on a stool behind the podium and slowly pour water down his body, using a sponge and a bucket of cold water.
At the rear of the stage was a cramped area for the boys and kathoeys or ladyboys as they were often known, to change into their costumes. The toilet was small. When the door opened to the bar it was possible to see people standing at the urinals. The room was long and narrow but it was made to appear bigger using full length mirrors. Without the use of these mirrored walls, you would miss most of the action. The lighting was always kept low to disguise the state of the decoration, the chandeliers had many bulbs out, and the paint work was peeling from the walls. The whole place desperately needed modernising.
The owner Gong always stood outside, welcoming guests as well as the boys. He was a thin underweight individual, lacking in character, looks and poise. He did, however, speak very good English.
A show was held every night at ten o’clock according to the advertising. It never started on time, usually around a quarter past ten. It was entertaining, fast moving, with elaborate costumes worn by the lady boys. These consisted of an abundance of feathers and tight fitting frocks, revealing lots of legs and bosoms. They mimed to songs from various countries providing a certain amount of professionalism to a somewhat seedy environment. However, whenever they mimed the word ‘love’ it always looked as though they were saying ‘lob’ as they were unable to pronounce the ’v‘ letter. This may be because the letter ‘v’ does not appear in the Thai alphabet.
The boys working there were dressed in everyday casual clothes, usually jeans with rips in them and a formal shirt. They also wore a thin tie casually tied around the neck. Some of the boys had great difficulty in fixing their ties, often ending in knots.
This was a change to the bars in Bangkok where the boys simply wore shorts or their underwear. They usually participated in the show, appearing naked with erections, held erect with the assistance of a condom at the base of their penises, their pubic hair concealing this fact. Using various props they danced around the stage titillating the audience using anything from umbrellas to a swinging hammock.
Each boy had his own number, proudly worn pinned to their waist. Of the forty or so boys working there, only seven were from Thailand. The rest were Thai Yai or Shan.
More than half of Chiang Mai's male sex workers were of Shan (Thai Yai) origin. It was a shared border between Shan State in Burma and Chiang Mai and made the Northern Province one of the most accessible areas for Thai Yai men to seek work outside Burma. The Shan had a strong presence in Chiang Rai, Lampang, Mae Sariang and in Chiang Mai City. The Shan are members of the Tai family, known in Thai as Tai Yai or ‘Great Tai’ and represent the western branch of the Tai family of peoples, having migrated from China with the Lao and Khon Muang.
The Shan (or Tai Yai) predominantly live in the Shan State of North East Myanmar (Burma). In some areas of Thailand such as Mae Hong Son, the Shan make up the majority of the local population. Most of them do not have ID cards and are in Thailand illegally.
Finding work is difficult, especially when you do not have papers.
They lived in constant fear of being found out by the authorities and returned to Myanmar. Sharing small rooms, often 4 people living together, they eked out a frugal living.
The captains often needed to negotiate on behalf of Shan, Burmese, Isaan and hill tribe sex workers who weren't proficient in the languages of their clients.
2
Having left a job where Jamie had been for five years working under a homophobic manager. He decided to have a year out. Coming to the end of his year of freedom, he wanted to visit Thailand again.
He had spent two and a half years living in Pattaya some time ago. There he had a live-in boyfriend called Tui, short for Tumcha. Not much younger than Jamie, Tui came from Udon Thani in the North of Thailand. They both worked at a very large and successful gay bar in town, Adam and Eve. Tui worked as a waiter and Jamie was the manager. The relationship ended when Jamie found out Tui was sleeping around. Jamie asked him to leave.
All that happened a long time ago, when Jamie was young and green and in those days he thought that how a person loved mattered. The man Jamie was then and the person he was now - to be truthful, they had little in common except some memories and a name.
On this occasion Jamie was spending four days in Chiang Mai, followed by four days in Kuala Lumpur. He was then returning to Chiang Mai for another four days.
One wet night in December Jamie found a table at the back of the bar and started to observe one particular boy. Number thirty eight. The boy was short in stature. He had a winning smile. Often laughing and joking, socially acceptable to the other boys. Jamie was intrigued. After the boy did his particular sketch, the shower show, Jamie felt a surge of excitement as he asked one of the captains to invite the boy over for a drink. Beaming, the boy approached his table, gave the correct wai and sat down. Jamie tried to think of something light and humorous to say but failed.
“Excellent show,” Jamie said. The boy smiled showing perfect white teeth. “Do you want a drink?”
“Gin and Tonic,” the boy announced and bounded off to the bar.
“Cheers,” he smiled. Glasses clinked. He snuggled up to Jamie and held his hand. The boy wore no rings. His hands were surprisingly large and some of his nails were chipped, as though he was a grafter who didn’t care too much about his appearance and Jamie found this captivating.
They were, perhaps, six inches apart and fully dressed but the subtlety and strength of their erotic interchange was greater than much Jamie knew in the hurried, fiercer world of naked hand-to-hand. Each twitch of muscle, each flicker at the corner of his mouth, each shift of his fingers in his hand had a particular, tender, and as it seemed at the time, unambiguous significance.
The boy looked young, innocent and yet mature. His hair was straight and cobalt black; his eyes in contrast to his general colouring were deep brown, bright under straight thick brows, his nose large and flat, typically Northern Thai, his mouth perfect and sensuous. He never fidgeted, seldom moved away, except for when he lifted his glass to drink. He was so lovable, manly and somewhat shy, Jamie couldn’t see why he wasn’t adored more often. His checked shirt suited him and his jeans were freshly laundered. The wide black leather belt hung loosely on his hips.
“Where do you come from?”
“How long are you in Chiang Mai for?”
“What work do you do?”
They were the boy’s opening questions in English. Jamie’s answers were almost perfunctory with an economy of words, as though he was prepared for them. He told him only the basics.
The boy wasn’t shy or intimidated at meeting a foreigner. He had done this many times. He was assessing Jamie’s vulnerability no doubt. His voice was soft and gentle. Through Jamie’s limited Thai and the boy’s more limited knowledge of English, trying to assert his knowledge of Jamie’s language, Jamie watched his eyes carefully and asked him in Thai, “What’s your name?”
A look of surprise entered the boy’s face. “You can speak Thai?”
“I speak Thai little,” Jamie answered in Thai.
“My short name is Eak, as in ache, but my name is Aekkachai.”
“And your name is?”
“Jamie.”
“Welcome,” as Eak stretched out his hand to shake Jamie’s.
“How old are you?” Jamie asked.
Eak reflected for a moment. “Twenty-four years.”
“You come from?”
“Chiang Rai, have you been to Chiang Rai?”
“I have been many times.”
“How long have you worked here?”
“Five years.”
“Wow, a long time.”
That meant Eak started at the age of nineteen. He had left home at the age of eighteen, not to go to university or college but just to leave home. His story had the merit of simplicity and consistency.
Eak glanced at Jamie several times sideways, summing him up, smiling while watching the performances on stage. Occasionally he would whisper words into Jamie’s ear, his hand over his mouth protecting him from the smell of chillies, informing Jamie who of the lady boys had a penis and those who did not. His skin was soft and smooth, his hands large and stocky. Jamie smelt his aftershave; it was subtle, a faint muskiness about it and he liked it.
“Jamie, I have to go and do a show.”
“Okay, I will still be here.”
It was the first time he had said Jamie’s name. Eak walked off to do another sketch which was more sexually charged than the first one, seated on a swivel-chair and wearing only a silk transparent scarf, he seductively stretched and spun round revealing his erection at the end. There was a paradoxical strength on display with him being naked he seemed to have a social advantage over the clothed audience, almost becoming reckless. When he returned to his seat he was wreathed in smiles and Jamie asked him if he wanted to come back to his hotel.
“Yes,” he smiled.”
“You are cold?”
“No,” he said.”
“But you are shivering.”
“It is the air-conditioning.”
Jamie put his arm around him and he snuggled up closer.
The bar fine Jamie had to pay for his choice of boy to leave the bar early was 250 bahts. At this stage Jamie was unsure whether he was short or long time. Typically a short time was at the most a few hours and long time involved staying overnight.
When Jamie asked for his bill he noticed this charge at the bottom. He thought Eak would get a small percentage of this. He would also get a small part of the cost of his drink, Jamie thought about 20 bahts. He gave Eak a calculated nod, they finished their drinks, it was only when they stood up together that Jamie saw he was six inches shorter than him and when they got outside he pointed to a large old motorbike.
“I’m not going to get on that,” as Jamie pointed to Eak’s bike.
“You go with tuk-tuk,” Eak suggested as he sniggered.
They agreed to meet at the hotel instead. Jamie took a less dangerous method of transport, a tuk-tuk which was a three wheeled dirty and noisy contraption. He had to sit uncomfortably in the back, bending over as the ceiling was very low. The driver would dangerously snake in and out of the traffic, never following any particular lane markings. Eak parked his bike in the hotel car park and they met at the elevator. Inside the room Eak looked around. Finding the fridge bar, he asked if he could have a coke.
“No problem,” Jamie smiled.
Jamie ran his hand over his chest. Eak’s heart was racing. Jamie let his hand linger at Eak’s waist and admired his hard firm stomach, slipping his fingers between his shirt buttons and running his hand over his smooth stomach. He had a beautiful, muscular chest with small sensitive nipples, he groaned as Jamie pinched them slightly, quite hairless.
He stood patiently while Jamie unbuttoned his jeans and slid them down over his light brown thighs. Jamie slipped his hands inside his underwear. He found him hard, unable to believe its size. Eak grinned as his white briefs came down easily. His dick was a wonderfully heavy thing, throbbing slightly. Jamie cupped his balls in his hands, squeezed them gently.
After a few minutes Eak asked if he could take a shower and headed off to the bathroom, his dick bouncing before him.
He reappeared shortly afterwards wearing only a towel and lay prone on the large bed after plumping up the pillows and gave a seductive smile. Jamie switched on the television and found an appropriate Thai channel. He quickly showered and joined him on the bed. Eak started playing with himself. His cock was much darker than his skin, almost chocolate colour. It was thick, uncircumcised and long. Perched above it, a bush of jet black, straight hair shaped into a perfect triangle. Hanging below his cock were kiwi-sized balls inside a hairless sac. Jamie’s heart was racing excitedly, he hoped to please him. He started a journey of discovery by kissing him on his abdomen, then up his voluptuous body - navel, chest and neck and finally his lips. By the time Jamie’s mouth had done its return journey, Eak’s legs were parted.
The tip of his manhood was moist; Jamie licked him, pushing his tongue into its opening. Eak emitted a sound of blissful pleasure as Jamie swallowed his cock. Jamie knew he was tantalising him, he loved the power and the feeling he had as he sank deeper.
Skilfully, Eak rolled a condom over his cock and within minutes his solid sex replaced his greased fingers and with sensually slow strokes, his cock slid inside Jamie. He thrust himself in further. Eak’s cobra pushed inside even more, spreading waves of pleasure throughout his body. As Jamie expected he was accomplished, experienced and energetic, strong and virile in his love making, bringing them both to a noisy climax.
When they had finished making love, Eak rolled away from him and rested for a few minutes, he then jumped out of bed and headed for the shower. Returning to the room he announced with puppy dog eyes and a soft voice that almost asked for approval, he was going now.
“Okay?” he asked.
“Sure,” Jamie replied.
Slightly disappointed he was not going to stay longer. Jamie paid the going rate and he left. Jamie had explained to Eak that he would be returning to Chiang Mai in a few days.
“You come to my bar?” he asked.”
“Yes, sure I will come and see you.”
Jamie did return to the bar on his return to Chiang Mai. Again Eak went back to Jamie’s hotel. He was the same as before, caring and gentle. They said their goodbyes and that when Jamie returned to Chiang Mai he would come and see him.
While at the bar Jamie asked Num what he thought of Eak. He said he was 80% gay and 20% not gay. Not the answer Jamie was looking for…. “I think he has a good heart,” he continued. When Jamie first saw Tam he appeared aloof. His position as manager of the bar had obviously gone to his head. Occasionally whenever Jamie visited the bar he would wai him. Many times he did not. It took quite a few visits before he would come and sit with him. Jamie asked him what he thought of Eak.
“So, so,” he replied.
Jamie then left Chiang Mai and forgot about Eak.
3
In his great world-weariness Jamie became a Buddhist many years ago. He had found a religion of his own, one that answered his real needs. By living in Thailand for a year it gave him the opportunity to explore more.
So in the summer of the following year, after giving it some careful consideration, Jamie decided to do a ‘Teaching English as a Foreign Language’ course in Chiang Mai. He’d always had an affinity for the place, ever since he and three friends had visited the city twenty years ago.
Chiang Mai was one of the few cities in the world which had a well preserved moat. Surrounding the old town, on the outside of what were once the city walls, the moat covered almost one square mile. Tapae Gate was Chiang Mai's main entrance to the old walled city. In days gone by it was the gate through which traders, diplomats and visiting monks passed when they had business in the city proper. As the main entry route to Chiang Mai was from the Mae Ping River and down Tapae Road to the gate, this was the main thoroughfare of Chiang Mai.
The buildings and growth around the old moated wall have grown and Chiang Mai is a much larger city with much more business conducted on the outside of the wall than on the inside, but Tapae Road was still the main thoroughfare and Tapae Gate was still the main entrance to the old walled city.
In recent years, Chiang Mai had become an increasingly modern city. It had several attractions for the approximately one million visitors who came each year. Chiang Mai's historic importance derived from its strategic location on the Ping River as well as other trade routes. Long before the modern influx of foreign visitors, the city served as a major centre for handcrafted goods, umbrellas, jewellery and woodcarving.
While officially the city of Chiang Mai only covered most parts of the Mueang Chiang Mai district with a population of 150,000, the urban sprawl of the city now extended into several neighbouring districts. This Chiang Mai Metropolitan Area had a population of nearly one million people, more than half the total of Chiang Mai Province.
Using the internet Jamie located a suitable Language School and accepted a place on a course starting in November. The course would last one month and at the end of it you got a certificate allowing you to teach virtually anywhere in the world.
He travelled out a few weeks before the course started in order to find a suitable house to rent. Jay, a good friend from Bournemouth, had agreed to do the same course as him. Bob, his flat mate, and Malcom, another friend from Brighton, were planning to spend Christmas in Chiang Mai. He needed a house with at least 3 bedrooms. Bob could share his bedroom if needed.
He had arranged with a local estate agent to show him some properties. As soon as he saw the house on the Laguna Estate he knew it was perfect. It was expensive at 24.000 bahts a month, but worth it. The Thai owner had a drinking bar in town and was married to a Belgian man who spent most of his time out of Thailand.
The house had everything, foreign kitchen, meaning not a Thai one which usually came with two gas rings for wok cooking and was usually outside, ensuite bathroom to the main bedroom as well as two other bathrooms, automatic washing machine outside underneath the car port and even a dishwasher, something quite rare in Thai houses.
Once he had the keys he began shopping for bedding, towels etc. Having a rental car made life easy. He visited Tesco Lotus, Carrefour and Big C, the three main supermarkets in Chiang Mai, comparing prices.
Jamie went to the bar one night, his first time since he had come back to Chiang Mai. He hadn’t known what to expect, would anyone remember him? Often people looked different the second time you met them. He felt a sense of momentous happening.
Boyzone could be heard singing ‘No matter what they tell us’ as he sat down he sensed someone sneak up behind him and a hand gently shook his shoulder then whispered, “Remember me?”. It was Eak. “Your name is Jamie?” he asked proudly, knowing he was correct. It had been over a year since Eak had seen Jamie yet he knew who he was and he even remembered his name.
“It is and you remembered.”
The joy at having his name uttered in such a charming manner was expanded when Eak gave him a broad grin. His face was even lovelier than he remembered and he tried to picture it as it was a year ago but, oddly, could not collect an entire image in his mind. Jamie invited him to have a drink with him. He sat close to him holding his hand gently.
He promised Eak he would come back to see him.
Jamie did go back and see him.
Many times when Jamie sat with him he said that if Eak wanted to look for a customer, he could, have a drink with Jamie and then go, Eak never did, he always stayed with Jamie. Even when he knew that Jamie was not going to take him out. Before Jamie left he always gave him a 100 bahts tip.
When Jay arrived he was suitably impressed with the property. He loved the garden which was very well established with three large Traveller’s Palms, so called because of their large, finger like branches that collected water at their base, offering a welcome drink to travellers in tropical climates. Plenty of Foxtail and Fan Palms provided a welcome shade. Orange and red lobster claw Heliconias plants with their multi-coloured bracts, which helped them stand out amongst the tropical shrubs. There were yellow Birds of Paradise or Crane flowers, thin and paper like bougainvillea in pink and yellow, mango and tamarind trees. Jamie had bought some white and purple orchids set in coconut shells and hung them from the car port roof. The back overlooked a large lake at the bottom of the garden, which was teeming with fish. He set about the garden immediately, picked up the secateurs and started chopping and pruning here and there like Edward Scissorhands.
The owner had arranged for Lo, a local schoolboy of inordinate good looks, at sixteen years of age, to water the garden every night. He told Jamie he had no father and a mother who only spoke a little Thai as she had originated from one of the local Hill Tribes. Sometimes he would turn up in his smart school uniform or just a pair of shorts and a T-shirt and on Thursdays his sexy boy scout uniform. He constantly smiled and often looked puzzled as he’d never worked for a farang before and was quite amused at some of the things they did.
Most of the next few weeks were spent getting everything ready for his guests and attending the training course.
The course was heavily structured and run by an English guy and his Thai Chinese wife. It was fairly obvious from the start that she ran the business and wore the trousers. Sometimes they disagreed on policy and methods and the students were caught in the middle.
Jay found the course difficult and almost gave up at one stage. Only when they did some teaching practice did they realise how backward the schools were, limited equipment, dull and lifeless classrooms and run with military precision. Some of the state schools were almost reminiscent of chalk and slate.
Assembly was held every morning and the pupils sat on the ground outside, even the very small kindergarten kids. The Thai teachers were given enormous respect from the pupils and paid a pittance. The average salary was only 8,000 bahts a month, about four hundred pounds. Several times Jay and Jamie caused conflict when they questioned methods used and the course syllabus.
Jay’s boyfriend came out to visit early December. David was from Poland and had lived and worked in England for several years. When Jay and Jamie were at school he pottered around Chiang Mai, sometimes having a meal ready when they finished school, they offered to help but this was always turned down.
David was due to leave in a few days but some trouble developed in Bangkok. Thailand's government ended up battling for its life after thousands of anti-democracy protesters seized the country's main airport and the head of the army called on the Prime Minister to dissolve the parliament and hold new elections. All flights in and out of Suvarnabhumi international airport in Bangkok were cancelled. Protesters armed with metal rods stormed the control tower and thousands of travellers were stranded. Opposition activists from the People's Alliance for Democracy (PAD) called their demonstration – which was potentially devastating to Thailand's tourism industry – ‘Hiroshima’.
The Prime Minister Somchai Wongsawat rejected a call from General Anupong Paochinda, the head of the army, to call a snap election. He said his government had earned its position through a democratic election and would not stand down. When he returned from an official visit overseas his flight was diverted to Chiang Mai.
David was stuck in Chiang Mai. It was impossible to get out by air, train or road. He had to extend his holiday by a further ten days which proved to be no hardship. Eventually the protesters moved out and the airport opened and was soon up and running. Jay flew down to Bangkok with David to see him off.
4
Bob and Malcom were due to arrive in the middle of December. Bangkok airport opened up only three days before they arrived, Jamie was going to travel down to Bangkok and meet them at the hotel on the Friday night, giving them two nights in Bangkok before they came up to Chiang Mai. On the Friday he constantly checked the progress of their flight from England to Bangkok via Doha on the internet. Suddenly their flight disappeared from the web timetable.
Had it landed? Confused, Jamie rang the hotel to be told they had not checked in yet. A few minutes later he checked again, confirming the flight had indeed landed. He allowed an hour or so for them to reach the hotel. He then rang again. No, they had not checked in yet, he started to panic.
Jay and Jamie discussed every scenario that might have happened. What if they had been kidnapped at the airport by the taxi driver? This was one possibility. You hear and read such stories in the ‘Bangkok Post’, tourists driven to remote locations then robbed of all their valuables. Jamie had given Bob explicit instructions of what to do when they arrived at Bangkok; ignore the taxi touts waiting outside arrivals and head straight for the public taxi counter located at exit ten.
Where were they?
What was happening?
After many attempts he eventually got through to Qatar Airways in Bangkok. He was told the flight from Gatwick had developed a technical problem which was fixed but it meant they missed their connection in Doha. All the passengers who were travelling on to Bangkok had to stay overnight in Qatar and be rebooked onto a later flight. This meant they would be twelve hours late arriving into Bangkok.
This was Malcom’s first really long flight and he was not the best of travellers. It was his first time visiting Thailand and Jamie could imagine what he was saying. He feel sorry for Bob as he was used to this sort of thing happening and could cope with it.
Jamie arrived in Bangkok late on Friday morning, too late to ring them but he asked for their room numbers. Sure enough they had arrived twelve hours late. Instead of arriving in the morning, they arrived at night only a few hours ago. They had eaten in the hotel coffee shop and had a little walk out, not venturing far. He decided to let them sleep and meet them in the morning.
He knocked at Bob’s door early the following day; Bob looked well despite the ordeal of getting there. They had departed Gatwick very late, the inbound aircraft had to land at Heathrow, so they sat at Gatwick awaiting its arrival, there were problems with de-icing the plane, then the technical fault showed up. There was a problem with one of the aircraft systems. There was no spare aircraft available so they had to wait until it was repaired. Eventually they took off realising they would miss their connection in Doha as it was unlikely the airline would delay the departure until they arrived.
Once they reached Doha, they along with over a hundred other passengers from the Gatwick flight, were told they would be rescheduled onto the next available service to Bangkok. They then had to queue to be allocated a new flight; fortunately, they were allocated seats on the next flight leaving eight hours later. They had to queue to be given a hotel voucher for an apart-hotel near the airport. As they stood waiting for their luggage at the carousel they were told that no bags would arrive.
During the following confusion they managed to board the wrong transfer bus, passing their accommodation and having to stay on the bus for a further thirty five minutes. When the driver realised they were on the wrong transfer he contacted operations centre to obtain further instructions.
As they checked in at their selected hotel they were told a meal was waiting for them in the restaurant Not really hungry as by this time it was during the night, they sat down to a chicken salad.
They had to share a room, spending only four hours in the room with no change of clothes as no suitcases were available to them; they were still at the airport. A quick transfer to the airport and they were on their way to Bangkok.
They had followed Jamie’s instructions when they left the arrivals exit. However, the public taxi driver from the airport was from ‘up country’. He didn’t know the hotel or even the area in Bangkok and took them on a long detour. They ended up paying a little more than they should have done.
When Jamie saw Malcom he looked fine, was better than he expected and hardly moaned at all.
They did a quick tour of Bangkok that day, taking in Mah Boon Krong (MBK Plaza), a huge shopping mall of seven floors, a place where Thais went to shop and which offered good prices and good value. They walked a short distance to the MRT, Mass Rapid Transit, underground station which was only a short distance from the hotel. It was a welcomed and well-used addition to Bangkok’s public transport network since it opened in July 2004. With air-conditioned comfort it helped to take much of the pressure off the city’s notoriously clogged roads.
One stop later they found themselves in Silom Road.
They negotiated the several walkways high above the city streets to get to the BTS Skytrain, Bangkok Mass Transit, situated on Silom Road. It offered residents and visitors a comfortable ride through central Bangkok, lifting commuters high above the chronic congestion, noise and pollution of the streets below. At the end of the line was National Stadium station and just a short walk they were inside the cool shopping mall. Malcom was amazed at the size of the place. He was even more amazed at the prices for things.
They managed to fit in a visit to Chatuchak Weekend Market on the Sunday morning before their flight to Chiang Mai. Air Asia arrived on time and they soon landed at Chiang Mai airport with the mighty Doi Suthep Mountain looking down on them.
They loved the house and began to make themselves at home, unpacking their heavily creased clothes.
Jay and Jamie attended the course on a daily basis. Bob and Malcom were left to fend for themselves. They often walked into the nearby village and dined on curries and rice dishes. Communication with the locals was non existent, but they managed. They did a few organised excursions including Doi Suthep for Malcom’s benefit and one to see the elephants for Bob.
Doi Suthep was a Buddhist temple high up a mountain in Chiang Mai. The temple was known as Doi Suthep but it was actually the name of the mountain it was built on. Located 15 kilometres from the city it was a sacred site for Thai people. It commanded impressive views of Chiang Mai city below. When you first reached the site, you noticed hundreds of stalls that sold products that could be bought all over Chiang Mai. To reach the Temple itself you had the choice of climbing the three hundred steps or take the rail-elevator. When the Temple was in the planning stage about 600 years ago, the Buddha relics, that were to be put inside the Chedi of the Temple, were put on the back of an elephant. Wherever the elephant decided to stop, that was where the Temple would be built.
Jamie joined them when they went to see the elephants, a half day excursion, and as they were the only clients they had their own private car and driver. After watching the elephants bathe in the cascading stream they made their way to a large open stadium. This was where the elephants did their tricks that they were trained to do, playing football, bursting balloons, dancing and even painting pretty pictures using their trunks and a paintbrush. They had a great time and enjoyed every minute.
At night they often ate out at different restaurants and visited the Night Market several times.
They did go to Eak’s bar one night. He hovered around when they sat down, not sure if he should approach or not. Jamie asked him to join them for a drink and introduced him to his friends. Eak was courteous and polite. When they left around midnight Jamie said to Eak he would see him soon.
Christmas was spent in Chiang Mai. The training course had ended; Jay and Jamie were now qualified teachers. They decided to eat out rather than cook the usual fare. Besides, the turkeys were very expensive and none of them were really fussed about having one. They exchanged small presents around the Christmas tree and watched satellite television.
The day after Boxing Day they spent two days in Chiang Rai at a hotel just outside the city. The Phowadol Resort and Spa was a beautifully designed boutique-style retreat. ‘Phuwadol’ literally meant a land that brought warmth and happiness.
It was situated on the north side of the Mae Kok River, just outside the city. The accommodation was set in lush jungle areas, abundant flower gardens with several small ponds and streams. It had a large swimming pool, beautifully decked with sun loungers. But it was empty. All of the hotel staff being brilliant and very accommodating. Jay and Jamie had a wonderful two hour royal Thai massage in the Bodhi Tree Spa followed by a strawberry body scrub. The highlight of the massage was being able to shower outside under their private waterfall showers. After dinner they took a taxi into the centre to look round the night market.
Bob and Malcom were heading back home to England before the New Year. They all flew down together and had a few days in Bangkok before Bob and Malcom were due to fly home.
They visited the Jim Thompson House and museum. He was an American, born in Greenville, Delaware in 1906. He was keen on art, but went on to study architecture at the University of Pennsylvania.
With the escalation of the war in Europe in the early 1940s, Thompson volunteered for service in the United States Army, which became an important turning point in his life. During the Second World War, Thompson was assigned to the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), forerunner of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), a move which offered him an opportunity to see more of the world.
However, the war ended abruptly as Thompson was en route to Bangkok. A few weeks later, he assumed the duties of the OSS station chief. He was confident that with peace restored and the expansion of air travel, there would be a significant increase in leisure travel to the Far East. Upon their arrival in the capital, these travellers would need acceptable accommodation.
Few hotels in Bangkok could even be considered of international standard then. Only one had an ideal location, The Oriental Hotel, a former palace overlooking the Chao Phraya River that flowed through the capital. It was a meeting place for travellers and a social centre for the foreign community. Charlie Chaplin, Noel Coward and Somerset Maugham were just a few of its famous patrons. Thompson became actively involved in the modernisation of the Oriental Hotel.
By this time, Thompson had developed a certain fondness for the country and its people. He began to seriously contemplate settling down and going into business in Thailand. He foresaw a promising future for the country and wanted to be a part of this process. He decided that upon leaving the service, he would return and take up residence in Thailand permanently. With his natural flair for design and colour, and driven by his single-minded dedication to reviving the craft, Thompson soon gained worldwide recognition for his success in rebuilding the industry, for generating international demand for Thai silk and for contributing to the growth of the silk industry.
During the Easter weekend in 1967, Thompson disappeared while on holiday with friends in Cameron Highlands, a northern Malaysian resort. An extensive and extended search failed to reveal any clues about his disappearance. By then, Thompson had been in Thailand for nearly 22 years.
At the end of a nondescript lane, a backdrop of dense foliage was visible in the distance as they walked down the soi. Drawing near, the distinctive features of a Thai style house soon appeared in full view. The house consisted of a complex of six traditional Thai-style houses, teak structures that were purchased from several owners and brought to the present location from various parts of Thailand. The construction of the Thai house was completed in 1959. Jim Thompson's Thai house stands on one 'rai' of land, (equivalent to approximately half an acre) and is enveloped by beautifully landscaped gardens. Thompson found the haphazard look of nature's lush tropical jungles appealing. This jungle landscape in the midst of the city gave the house its unique appeal.
Jamie also took them to the Suan Lum Night Market, not far from their hotel, just past the Thai Boxing Stadium on Rama 4 road. With a mixture of well-dressed, fresh-from-the-office Thais and expatriates alongside fisherman-pants-clad tourists, Suan Lum could best be described as the VIP outdoor market of Bangkok. Covered walkways with centrally-located snack bars provided perhaps the most up to the minute market shopping experience in the city. Several bars along with Thai, Italian, German, and even Mexican restaurants were conveniently within the market area. Dinner shows that featured classical Thai puppetry could be enjoyed at the famous Joe Louis Puppet Theatre.
On the other side of the market's curious Khmer-looking temple walkway was a large outdoor beer garden, food court, and concert venue all rolled into one. The beer and food were accompanied by live Thai cover bands who performed the latest local and international hits and after a few drinks, they headed out to one of Silom's many nightclubs.
The next day they took a cruise along the legendary Chao Phraya River and found it a most pleasant way to explore the city once dubbed ‘Venice of the East’. The majestic charm of the river added a cool perspective to their exploration of the city's premier attractions. Rivers and the kalong canals had always been vital forms of communication, trading and transportation.
In the past, Bangkokians usually settled by the river and gradually spread into the core of the country. Nowadays, even though Bangkok has become a modern city, the Chao Phraya River as well as the canals is still charming for whoever wishes to seek the peaceful atmosphere amidst bustling Bangkok.
Jamie tried to give Bob and Malcom a small insight of the vast diversities available to visitors. He had to take into account the high humid temperatures so they made frequent stops at coffee bars and ice cream parlours.
Jay and Jamie were staying on a few more days and spent New Year’s Eve in Bangkok. Jamie did breathe a sigh of relief when they wished Bob and Malcom ‘bon voyage’. He was pleased the holiday had been a success and everyone seemed to have enjoyed themselves.
Jay and Jamie went to a wonderful restaurant near the hotel on New Year’s Eve. Attentive staff, apart from the waiter who took their order, English was not a language with which he was familiar. The food though was excellent.
They then went on to one of the large gay discos in Bangkok. The place was heaving, too many bodies in a cramped place. Jamie had taken a boy off from one of the bars and he loved it, Jamie felt uncomfortable as he scanned the area as best he could for the nearest fire exit. Are there any extinguishers around? He couldn’t see any.
They saw New Year in and decided to leave shortly afterwards. Taxis were few and far between. As they left the place they heard lots of sirens nearby with fire engines racing around Bangkok. He was relieved to be out of that place and he was exhausted by the time they reached the hotel.
The following morning they learned that a fire had destroyed one of the big discos and several people had died in the chaos. They had used fireworks on the stage to welcome in the New Year and something had gone terribly wrong. There but for the grace of God.
The next morning Jay headed off to his villa in Jomtien, near Pattaya, and Jamie flew back to Chiang Mai.
They met up again later in January and had a week in Indonesia.
They first flew to Jakarta and had a couple of nights in a hotel near the centre. There was a ban on imported alcohol at the time and most of the bars had run out of drinks; advertising cocktails was a waste of time as they didn’t have half the ingredients.
They moved on to Bali, a place they both had wanted to visit for a long time. The holiday was a reward to them for passing the training course. Bali, a tropical island in the Indonesian archipelago, was so picturesque and immaculate it could almost have been a painted backdrop.
Spartacvs was a newly opened ‘Members Only’ hotel, dedicated to those who enjoyed an alternative lifestyle, it catered for gay men only. They booked it on the internet and were delighted with their accommodation when they saw it. The beach at Ganesha was only a few minutes away.
Virescent rice paddies and terraces that tripped down hillsides like giant steps, dense tropical jungle, volcanoes that soared through the clouds, pulse-pounding surf that crashed onto long sandy beaches, warm blue water, enchanting temple ceremonies and mesmerising dance performances were just some of the images they experienced. In Bali the spirits came out to play in the moonlight and every night was a festival.
The Balinese people were proud of having preserved their unique Hindu culture against the advance of Islam, the dominant religion throughout Indonesia. This was still reflected in day to day life and could be seen in the numerous ceremonies, Balinese festivals and magnificent temples and palaces.
They treated themselves to several massages while they were there. In the spas they were scrubbed, perfumed, pampered, bathed and totally blissed-out. The Balinese massage techniques of stretching, long strokes, skin rolling and palm and thumb pressure resulted in a lowering of tension, improved blood flow and circulation, and an all-over feeling of calm. They tried the spice bath and the milk bath. The spice bath began with a massage, followed by a body scrub with a paste made from assorted spices and ended with an herbal and spice hot bath. It was pure heaven.
Along the Bar strip they came across QBar where they were made most welcome and enjoyed watching the drag shows held most nights. Across the road was Kudos which had a nice outdoor terrace to have drinks on.
They did an excursion one day to The Batur volcano, an active volcano which was located inside a 12 kilometre wide and 450 meter deep prehistoric caldera, beside a crescent-shaped lake. On the way they took in various temples and gained a great insight into their religion.
They both fell in love with the place and found the people quite delightful. They had great fun exploring different parts of the island, from the smoking volcano to the languid sandy beaches.
They had a few days in Bangkok before Jay returned home and Jamie went back to Chiang Mai.
5
One day in Laguna as Jamie logged onto his email account he noticed an email from Sue. She was a friend from Brighton now living in Chiang Mai working as a VSO (Voluntary Service Overseas) volunteer for a group of Kachin Burmese women.
Owing to the deteriorating political, economic and social situation in Kachin State, many of them, mainly young men and women, left their homeland and scattered to foreign countries. The number of Kachin people that came to Thailand for various reasons was increasing year by year. Problems in the Kachin community in Thailand had also increased accordingly. They helped both illegal and legal refugees from Burma, opening workshops and making home produced goods to sell in a shop in Chiang Mai. They badly needed a better understanding of the English language. Sue checked most of the reports that went out but couldn’t do it all. Many of the women wanted to go on to university but the entrance examination required a good knowledge of English.
Jamie’s goal was to pursue a career in teaching English in Thailand and he thought this might be a good way to start teaching, so he replied to the email and said he was interested. They then set up a meeting and it was agreed he would do three days a week and be paid 250 bahts an hour. Not a huge sum but at least it was something to keep him occupied. As a charity they relied heavily on donations from organisations and embassies and had recently received a sum of money that could be used to pay his salary.
Jamie didn’t think he was lonely but at night Laguna was an isolated place. He never saw any of his neighbours and with the darkness came a feeling of boredom. He also became tired of watching ‘B’ rated movies on the satellite channels, so he would visit the bar several times a week. There he could chat to the staff, which always made him feel welcome, watch the dreadful show and sit with Eak, who would sit patiently with him and they would talk.
Eak would only disappear when he did a sketch or when he got one of the kathoey’s to do his hair for him. He would return with it all gelled and lacquered.
Jamie would order a whisky set for 1,200 bahts. For this he got a bottle of whisky and as much ice and mixers as he needed. If there was whisky left and there always was, he just had to pay for ice and the soft drinks the next time he came to the bar. They kept his whisky bottle behind the bar with his name scrawled on the label.
Outside Eak pulled out his cigarettes and offered Jamie one “You happy?” he said in Thai.
“I am very happy.”
Jamie knew that everything Jamie he done in his life, his family background and his years in London, would seem impossibly strange to Eak.
“What do you like to do?” Jamie asked him.
Eak would speak about his own life, or his ambitions, his dreams and an enormous distance would appear between them, made greater because Jamie did not recognise it. His lifestyle was alien to Jamie. When he talked about motorbikes, Jamie turned off.
“Many boys go drinking after work,” Eak announced.
“Do you go sometimes?”
“No, they say come out with us tonight, I don’t go and I go back to my room to watch TV.”
“Do they take drugs?”
“Some do.”
“Do you?”
“I never go.”
Eak had rarely spoken of his social activities before; he had always vigorously prevented his pressing on the subject. They had a few drinks together that night but Eak seemed troubled by something.
“You have been unhappy?” Jamie asked.
“A little bit.” As he spoke he smiled, as he had always done, but now there was anguish and a sort of perplexity in his face.
“Why?”
Eak cast his eyes down, looked troubled as though he wanted to say something and was being prevented by some alien force. “It’s nothing.” Jamie could tell he had something on his mind but Eak wouldn’t reveal it.
Jamie got to know Tam better over the following weeks. Soon, whenever Jamie called in at the bar he would sit with him while Eak did his sketches. He told him he had lived in the same condo block for three years. He did have a small stall set up outside his room during the day selling food, but had to stop as the woman above had complained about the smell.
Tam was in his late thirties and had once owned a karaoke bar but it ran out of money and customers. He had a customer from Muscat, Oman who sent him 10,000 bahts every month to help his income. His stepfather also lived and worked in Muscat and Jamie was sure he sent him money too.
Jamie still had not taken Eak ‘off’. He went in one night and was told Eak was not working at the moment. He began to wonder if Eak was sick, gone away with a customer, all kinds of things. What they didn’t tell him was he had gone to Chiang Rai to visit his family. When he came back he was annoyed when he learned that that no one had told Jamie where he was. Why should they, it was no business of Jamie. One night Jamie had a sentence prepared for him and it was accusatory, but when he saw Eak close up with his smiling face it couldn’t be spoken. It was several minutes before courage took over.
“Do you have a girlfriend?”
“No.” Jamie watched his eyes swivel furiously to the right. It was a constructive mode. He was trying to think of a convincing lie Jamie was sure.
Jamie knew most of the boys had girlfriends. The population of male sex workers was estimated to be fairly evenly split between young men who identified themselves as gay and young men who identified themselves as heterosexual, but still performed escort and sexual services with men.
“I live with a girl for four years, she come from a small village near Chiang Rai.”
“You live together now?”
“No, we finish last month.”
The same time Jamie had started coming to the bar, which explained why Eak didn’t seem himself as he was going through a break up. They were now in the first week of March.
“Where did she work?” Jamie asked.
“She worked in a karaoke bar.”
“Did she have customers like you do?”
“No, she only makes customers buy more drinks.”
Jamie’s first impulse was to laugh. Except the expression on his face told him Eak was serious. Jamie had been in Thailand long enough to know that in every karaoke bar, you could take the staff off for sex or make use of the many private VIP rooms available. It was all part of their job description. Jamie needed to be tactful. He wanted to know if she was still around, still in Chiang Mai as he didn’t want to cause any problems.
“Is she still in Chiang Mai?”
“No, she has gone back to her family, back to her village. I stay alone, I like to stay alone.”
The only reason a girl goes back to her family was because she was pregnant. Could Eak be a father to be at twenty four?
“Is she pregnant?”
“No,” he laughed.
Jamie didn’t want to pursue that vein and stared at the table, the details going round and round in his head. Was he willing to believe him? There was a brief, uneasy silence and sensing it, he gently picked up his drink.