With just three hours under my belt in Pattaya it was time for my first Thai massage of the trip. After consulting my counterparts Tom and his family, I chose the place closest to the hotel. Actually this was second closest - first was a hair salon that did foot massage too.
The grand total for two hours of the best massage your money can buy is $25 American. Not only did I get a fantastic (and well needed) massage, I met a fantastic local masseuse - named Djip.
She's like me - 29 years old with a daughter who's right around four years old. Unlike most of her Thai counterparts, she's working today. It's the first of three sacred Buddhist holidays. But she has to make money and likes what she does.
Djip, which is a nickname her mother gave her, grew up in small agricultural town. Djip is "baby chicken." She used to sound like that as a young child. Now she's all grown up, gone to massage school in Bangkok and spent the last two years doing thousands of massages on "Farang" (tourists) like me.
But unlike me, Djip is a single mother. Her husband and daughter's father died in a motorcycle accident shortly after their daughter was born. Since then, she's been paying 1000 baht every month for a room w/ no furniture. As tourism keeps leveling off, she's concerned about how to continue paying rent.
A true embassador for Thais, Djip does not represent her sisters a block away - nor does she seem interested in the money they make. Djip is my first friend here and I will be visiting again soon.
As for the owner of these sweet VWs - he's not so nice. Unlike his American counterparts, he is unfriendly and doesn't know what year they are. What kind of VW owner is he. He was pretty stoked to know I drive one though...
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