Penetrating Prostitution in Bangkok, Thailand

Nana Plaza- Sukhumvit Road

Everything you can imagine is for sale here, from tailor made silk clothing, pirated DVD’s, flowers, and fresh fruit during the day, to the bodies of scantily clad Thai girls at night.

“Mister, mister, I go with you?” is a common offer heard walking these streets in late hours of the evening.

A stream of girls spills out of a crowded bar, I go inside to investigate the river’s source.

Thai hookers open for business

Hundreds of girls in their sexiest outfits line the walls and tables, hoping to “get lucky,” to make the 2,000 baht ($60 dollars) asking price for an hour’s worth of their time. The majority of these girls will earn no money tonight, but they’re likely accepting of that outcome. Even if they only find work one of two evenings a week, their earnings will still be higher than the average citizen of Bangkok, SE Asia’s wealthiest city, saying nothing when compared to the rural countryside where most of these girls come from, in an effort not so much to make “easy money” for themselves, but rather be the primary breadwinners for their families back home.

At the bar in the center of the room, an old Irishman in his late fifties drunkenly serenades one of the girls in his raspy voice. When he’s finished, she applauds, giving him the significance and connection he was after when he began, the likelihood of her making a sale increased accordingly.

In the corner, two young Chinese guys chat up one of the cuter girls. I can’t translate their words, but I can decipher the body language of someone pretending to be interested.

At an outer table, some old and fat British men with red noses nurse their beers, arguing over the English Premier League, enjoying the hopeful looks the girls offer them when they turn their heads and make eye contact.
Do you blame the girls? This business is like any other; it's all about getting paid. 

Walk down Soi 11 and you'll be propositioned numerous times.