10 October
I awoke early and went for a swim. The tide was in and the clear emerald water got deep very quickly. The sheer towering cliffs were a perfect backdrop to the palm tree lined white sands. It was paradise.
After a while, the sun grew too hot. I returned to Pin’s shop, showered and then went to help Duen in the bookshop. She started telling me all about her boyfriend troubles.
“I’ve been here on Phi Phi for 13 years,” she said as she taped up a box of books. “But I’ve never had a farang boyfriend.”
“Do you want one?”
“Yes, of course! But I don’t want to sell myself for sex first.”
I didn’t at first see the connection. “What do you mean?”
“I spoke to a woman once who has a farang boyfriend and she told me that she had to sell herself for two thousand baht 20 times before she found a farang who loved her. And I am afraid that I might die of HIV before I find a husband.”
“Duen,” I said. “That’s crazy! You don’t have to become a prostitute in order to have a farang boyfriend! Who was this woman, anyway?”
“Well, she worked in a bar…”
“Well, there you are! And of course the men she met would have been that kind of farang. But not all farang men are here for sex! Think of me.”
“You’re not a farang. You’re half Thai. I think in 100 people, maybe 80 are here for sex first. A farang man told me.”
I decided to change the subject. “How many days a week do you work here?” I asked.
“Everyday.”
“And how much do you get paid?”
“6,000 baht a month and free room.”
Wow, I thought. That’s less than 100 pounds a month for working 7 days a week!
“How much money does this shop take a year?”
Duen reached for the account book and opened it. “Last year we take nearly two million baht (about 30,000 pounds)” she said.
“What’s the profit margin”
“If we buy a book for 100 baht, we sell it for 350 baht.”
I nodded thoughtfully. It was obvious that teaching English was not necessarily the best way of making money here.
I awoke early and went for a swim. The tide was in and the clear emerald water got deep very quickly. The sheer towering cliffs were a perfect backdrop to the palm tree lined white sands. It was paradise.
After a while, the sun grew too hot. I returned to Pin’s shop, showered and then went to help Duen in the bookshop. She started telling me all about her boyfriend troubles.
“I’ve been here on Phi Phi for 13 years,” she said as she taped up a box of books. “But I’ve never had a farang boyfriend.”
“Do you want one?”
“Yes, of course! But I don’t want to sell myself for sex first.”
I didn’t at first see the connection. “What do you mean?”
“I spoke to a woman once who has a farang boyfriend and she told me that she had to sell herself for two thousand baht 20 times before she found a farang who loved her. And I am afraid that I might die of HIV before I find a husband.”
“Duen,” I said. “That’s crazy! You don’t have to become a prostitute in order to have a farang boyfriend! Who was this woman, anyway?”
“Well, she worked in a bar…”
“Well, there you are! And of course the men she met would have been that kind of farang. But not all farang men are here for sex! Think of me.”
“You’re not a farang. You’re half Thai. I think in 100 people, maybe 80 are here for sex first. A farang man told me.”
I decided to change the subject. “How many days a week do you work here?” I asked.
“Everyday.”
“And how much do you get paid?”
“6,000 baht a month and free room.”
Wow, I thought. That’s less than 100 pounds a month for working 7 days a week!
“How much money does this shop take a year?”
Duen reached for the account book and opened it. “Last year we take nearly two million baht (about 30,000 pounds)” she said.
“What’s the profit margin”
“If we buy a book for 100 baht, we sell it for 350 baht.”
I nodded thoughtfully. It was obvious that teaching English was not necessarily the best way of making money here.
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