Russian Girls in Bangkok - a Taxi Driver's Viewpoint

[Guest]

Russian girls engaged in the world’s oldest profession have been descending on Bangkok for some considerable time and their numbers seem to be increasing every month. I’m no economist or sociologist but it’s quite obvious that there’s more money to be made in Bangkok than on the streets of Moscow or Leningrad. It’s a damn sight warmer as well. To go slightly off subject, I was recently offered the chance to write a nightlife guide to Bangkok in joint partnership with a gentleman who has already produced such a guide for Moscow. On the subject of Russian hookers in the Land of Smiles, he said that the girls who ply their trade in the lower Sukhumwit Rd area are the real dregs of Russian society and quite frankly no Russian gentleman in his right mind would give them a second glance. I have to admit that I would need to be pretty desperate for female company to engage their services – most of them are half a dozen kilos overweight, dress cheaply, and are hardly the epitome of femininity.

My three major questions (that have by and large gone unanswered) are firstly, why do these girls choose to congregate in the Sukhumwit soi 3, 4 and 5 area, and secondly, who is actually paying for sex and how much does it cost in relation to the far prettier Thai competition?

In conversation with a chatty Thai taxi driver as we drove down soi 3, he assured me that you could take a Russian girl all night for as low as 1,000 baht, which I find very hard to believe. He pointed out a hotel about halfway down the soi (something like the Garden Home, but I can’t be sure) and told me that many of the girls stay there in 600 baht a night rooms and you can go into the hotel and literally choose your Ruskie. Well, it’ll certainly make it easier for the immigration police to round them up when they decide to have a purge on illegal immigrants. As for who is paying the girls for a few hours of pleasure, the taxi driver offered the Nigerians as the number one candidate (again, something which I take with a pinch of salt). The Nigerians are hardly the most free-spending bunch in Bangers and I think even hard-nose Russian women would find them coarse and arrogant not to mention unappealing. Then again I may be wrong on all counts. I personally think that many of the paying punters are well-heeled Thais who want to try out a European girl or perhaps even long-term residents that have tired of the sylph-like Thai physique and want to get their arms around something a bit more ‘meaty’. From the look of the Russian girls I saw sitting in Foodland on soi 5 the other day you would certainly need both arms.

[monochrome man]

There were quite a few Russian/E. bloc women in and around the Grace when I was there a couple of weeks ago obviously catering to the Middle Eastern guys. I got in the Grace lift at 3am and there were 2 of them and a M.E. guy coming from his room. Both were in 20's, one was slim, curvy and very attractive, the other plain and slightly plump with too much make up. I tried to catch the former's eye but she ignored me. The plain one smiled politely but rushed off to the Grace disco to find the mate of the Arab guy. I also saw some attractive ones on Soi 3 wearing thigh length leather boots with ass revealing short-shorts and little boob tubes at about 7pm. None seemed interested in falang.

[kohchaiBKK]

The taxi driver was pretty much on target. Sois 3, 4, 3/1 and 5 are where the Russian woman have the highest profile. These women are aiming primarily at the Arab punters. There is a little sub soi off nana 3, just past jools, where most of them live. Rumor has it that sanuk can be had for under 1,000 baht, but I can't confirm.

There is a more upscale market down soi 19 that is aimed at the wealthy Thai punters, who have been known to pay quite a bit more. The girls that ply their trade there are prettier and well dressed. You won't see them in the streets. They're in clubs. I have no idea what price they command, but its interesting to see a bit of role reversal.

[Guest]

Phil

Speaking as someone who has firstly travelled around the former USSR sampling the girlie delights and secondly someone who is actually married to a Russkie I can only agree with what you are saying.

The Russian girls around Sukhumvit are a drab old bunch. Often they are ethnic russians from the loose ends of the former soviet union (central asian republics etc) where sizable russian minorities live in near poverty. Despite their big hips and peroxide hair I feel quite sorry for these girls. There must surely be better ways of making money than getting f*cked by arabs and nigerians.

Mart

[ November 11, 2001: Message edited by: Mart_UK ]

[zion]

Mart_UK, so I assume it would be ok for the Russian gals to make money being done by non-arab-non-nigerian brits...?

[Guest]

Go into Mike's Place Hotel, near Bumrungrad Hospital on the right hand side of Soi 3, and go up to the disco on the second floor.

Depending on the day there are plenty of Russian ladies there. The upstairs area of the disco has couches and such and you can get cozy with the lady of your choice.

The girls were a mixed bunch, some pretty unattractive and some almost what you could call attractive I suppose. A lot of peroxide is involved! The customers are exclusively Middle Eastern and Asian (I presume Thai) though farangs are welcomed. I went there twice just to check it out and there was no problem just sipping on a coupla beers while I watched the scene.

I never sampled the wares but the price quoted was (as I recall) 2500 for girl including the room.

[Guest]

Now the real trick is figuring out who's making money. Our Mr. X is certainly Thai; IMHO no vice racket could possible operate with the protection of and benefit to a Thai.

 

That there are "protected" places where Russotarts work seems indisputible. They get some fraction of the price in return for security.

 

But what about the freelancers? Are they paying protection money up-front, bribing immigration or something. Or are they allowed to serve as a sort of loss-leader to the racket, building the trade and always ready for arrest and deportation whenever the Black Hands need a bust to give them cover?

[Guest]

Zion

Absolutely! It would make for a far more pleasant experience. Ask my wife....

[Old Hippie]

Personally, I find most of those " east block" women pretty rough looking. I would assume their clientle is largely non western. Awhile back, there was a big raid on a hotel in Pattaya, and a few were rounded up, mostly for visa violations., But I would agree, someone has to be profiting from this, orelse it wouldn't be allow to continue. In all this crackdown crap, has anyone gone after this end of the operation?

It would ashamed to be in LOS and the only babe you could get was not local!

[PhordPhan]

FWIW, I can't imagine traveling half-way around the world to do some white chick.

But, gee, Phil. Aren't you being a little hard on the lasses? Six kilos (13.2 pounds to us Yanks) overweight is hardly venturing into Shamu territory.

PhordPhan