Day 62: Chiang Mai

Trip Start Sep 21, 2006
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63
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Trip End Jun 01, 2007


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Wednesday, November 22, 2006

I'm happy to be leaving Chiang Mai tomorrow. At night the more distasteful side of Thai tourism is on view. You can avoid it in Bangkok but here it's evident. The route back to my hotel takes me past a string of similar bars where the only women inside are young and Thai. They massage the egos and order expensive drinks from single, brutish, unloveable farang males otherwise distracted by games of pool or Premier League football. They line up in miniscule skirts in the receptions of massage rooms, offering 'happy endings'. They partner craggy, bald men in restaurants. As a single, male traveller I feel judged as the same.
Tonight there is a Thai boxing bout featuring an English guy vs. 'Thai Boxing'. It starts at 8pm and probably ends one minute later. I don't go. Perhaps I should have ventured out to other attractions, the Royal Flora Festival or even the Monkey Centre (brochures for which show baboons on bikes and a monkey holding a sign, 'Hello, my name's Micheal'.
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