Running The Red Lights

It’s 2 A.M., the bar is empty, and I sing “Your Song” at the top of my lungs. I’m at a Karaoke Bar in the heart of Patpong, and it’s closing time. A stranger leaps onstage, grabs another microphone to sing backup. Another man hands me a flower. I tuck it in my shirt pocket. In the crowd is Cousin Randy, a Bangkok resident for twelve years. He cheers me on. My throat is hoarse. My head spins. I reek of Heineken. I have never felt more alive…

Patpong, located in central Bangkok, is one of many Red Light Districts around the world. When you think of Red Light, you think sex tourism, rampant drug use, and a genuine fear for your safety. However, with the right precautions, traveling through these seedy areas can be an entertaining, unpredictable and eye-opening experience.


*The one picture I can show*

Here are three reasons to run the Red Light:

For the Thrill - Patpong is an assault on the senses. With every step, peddlers harass you, trying to lure you to check out a “Ping-Pong Show.” You pass booths selling cheap trinkets to take home. You pass by the plethora of Girlie Bars, each one bearing tacky neon lighting, with the pulsing techno beat streaming out the entrance. You’re tempted to come inside for a drink. The air is sticky. There’s a constant cloud of cigarette smoke trailing you. The streets are packed with horrified tourists. And all the while you ask yourself, “What exactly IS a Ping-Pong Show?”

Anyone can charter a bus to a famous landmark, take a picture and leave. You can’t do that in the Red light district. It requires immersion, forcing you to see, smell and hear everything.

For Facing Reality - You can read about the sex trade in a newspaper or online. But when you see it live, there is no substitute. When you're in Amsterdam and see the women in glassed off rooms, what do you feel? Are you appalled? Are you tempted? No matter what you feel, you’re there, right in the middle of it.

For the Folks Back Home - When you share your latest travels, do your friends look at you with glazed eyes? Are they bored? Disinterested? Here’s what you do. Go to the Red Light! Just tell them about the time you went to the Ping-Pong show. And when you share (I can’t do that here), they’ll laugh. They’ll cry. They’ll pass out. But they won’t be bored. And you might scare them away from table tennis for good.

The Red Lights in Bangkok, Amsterdam or Hong Kong are exhilarating, but the dangers that surround them are real. Travel in groups, protect your valuables and be aware of your surroundings. Above all, don’t fear. There’s an eye-opening experience just waiting for you.

Just mind the ping pong balls.

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This is the last essay from my Thailand. I know I promised a 4th, but too much time has passed. To make up for it, I've included a video:






It's a little dark and grainy. But I did really sing!

On to the next trip! Booking soon. Details to follow...