Alcohol

[gobbledonk]

Finally I had to just call it quits, tell her to go back to Bangkok, stick a wad of bills in her hand and push her off towards the bus station.

 

Again, I cant read this without it evoking some compassion, for both parties. Its bizarre, because I'm pretty heartless when it comes to smack freaks in Oz, for example, but somehow it seems a lot more tragic when its a girl from a developing country (or at least a 'developing' province) : they have the deck heavily stacked against them from day one.

 

I see the Salvos trying to lift someone out of the gutter in a place like the Cross in Sydney and I think 'Man, you can have that !', but I have to suppress the dreaded 'White Knight' urges whenever a girl tells me her story here. Life has to go on, and I either have to deal with it or go back to Oz - simple choice.

 

Gobble

[gobbledonk]

You'll see many Thais up early to feed the monks. Monks do not eat unless someone *gives* them food -- unsolicited. They cannot ask for it, even if they are starving...

 

Point taken. Attitude to monks a little different to attitude to one another, at least IMO.

 

I guess it is a big ask to expect the girls in the bar to look after one another like sisters, even if that is the kind of image many bars like to project. Anyone who has had to deal with an addict (drugs,alcohol etc) knows that the person you knew and loved has been replaced by a liar and a thief : togetherness only goes so far when that shit starts to go down. Interesting to note that the brighter girls start on the OJs by the time I'm at beer 4 or 5 : the Soi 4 crowd will drink with you till dawn if thats what it takes, and I've only had one ask for water in about 8-10 lengthy sessions over there. Makes me wonder what *my* liver must look like by now ...