Welcome

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After a long day of exploring the wonders of Thailand, it is quite natural for the traveler to sit down in a nice bar and have a drink. The second day of my Thai adventure was no exception to this behavior. Now, despite the popularity of Thailand among Westerners, as a European you quite stand out from the local crowd. For whatever reason - for your good looks, for your wallet, for your charisma, for your fertility - you attract attention from the locals. Walking past a bar in certain areas result in unison “Welcome!!!” from a number of girls sitting in the bar. Usually it is a handful of young women sitting in the bar who when they see a potential guest drop everything at hand, smile, and produce this one word in a loud but friendly tone. No “Hello”, “How are you?”, “Yo”, “Please come take a look at our menu”, or “Can I have a moment of your time?”. Only a “Welcome” without any intention of follow-up. To attract this attention the first time might make the outsider feel, in fact, welcome. When this scene is repeated walking by every bar, be them only a few meters apart, the whole scenery appear rather bizarre. As if the only reason for their existence is to yell “Welcome” in poorly pronounced English, it makes one wonder if this is in fact the only foreign word they know and if they are taught throughout their whole education how to scream this word towards strangers passing by their establishment.

Therefore, after having chosen the bar with the least amount of “Welcomes” and on top of that with a row of European flags hanging from the bar, finally sitting down is quite a relief. Once you have chosen a bar, you are no longer a potential guest for the rest of the bars. You are left alone to finish off your drink, unless you choose to mingle with the locals. Despite its reputation as a country with a huge sex industry, a single western man visiting a bar is not automatically a visit to a brothel. The number of females approaching you is higher (a lot higher) than in Europe, but with a little firmness and a bit of humor it can be turned into amusing experiences rather than awkward and uncomfortable situations. After all, for the traveler not in the business of purchasing some body action from the locals, conversation runs dry rather quickly with only one single word in common - Welcome.

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