Posted: Sat 30 Aug, 2008 4:49 amI visited my late friend Neung's room several times during the period that he was still a Go Go boy which would have been some years ago now as he had left Pattaya in the last few years that I knew him.
He had a room in a large apartment block some way outside Pattaya. I'm not sure where it was really, as we always got there by motorcycle taxi and I lost track of the route. I was never very keen on the motorcycle ride with three of us on one bike and no helmets. During the time that I knew Neung he had two bad motorcycle accidents. One of them left him with a nasty scar on his leg. Each time he had been on the back of a motorcycle taxi. One accident left him unconscious and he recovered to discover he'd also been robbed.
He had a single room with a shower area and a balcony. It wasn't bad and he had it to himself. Burglary was a problem though as the door had no lock and he fitted a padlock but it could be easily forced. On one occasion as we left, very early in the morning, he hammered the hasp back on the door with his shoe. Anywhere else in the world there would have been an outcry at the noise and being woken up but most Thais seem to sleep through anything.
He had little furniture and we would sit on the floor. Pride of place was given to his collection of After-shave bottles which sat on a shelf with the television. He liked any that were unusual and I would always take him some that I thought he didn't have. If I got it right he would grin and say "I no have". He didn't seem very bothered about the actual scent inside which would soon get used up.
He had a wardrobe which was stacked with t-shirts which he would lend or give to friends who would call at all hours of the day or night. I would often catch his eye as he spotted a friend in a t-shirt that I'd seen him wearing only a few days before. Sometimes it was one I'd bought him which would produce that grin again.
I regret now that in all the 200 or so photos that I have of Neung that I didn't take any at his room or when we visited friends of his.
He had a room in a large apartment block some way outside Pattaya. I'm not sure where it was really, as we always got there by motorcycle taxi and I lost track of the route. I was never very keen on the motorcycle ride with three of us on one bike and no helmets. During the time that I knew Neung he had two bad motorcycle accidents. One of them left him with a nasty scar on his leg. Each time he had been on the back of a motorcycle taxi. One accident left him unconscious and he recovered to discover he'd also been robbed.
He had a single room with a shower area and a balcony. It wasn't bad and he had it to himself. Burglary was a problem though as the door had no lock and he fitted a padlock but it could be easily forced. On one occasion as we left, very early in the morning, he hammered the hasp back on the door with his shoe. Anywhere else in the world there would have been an outcry at the noise and being woken up but most Thais seem to sleep through anything.
He had little furniture and we would sit on the floor. Pride of place was given to his collection of After-shave bottles which sat on a shelf with the television. He liked any that were unusual and I would always take him some that I thought he didn't have. If I got it right he would grin and say "I no have". He didn't seem very bothered about the actual scent inside which would soon get used up.
He had a wardrobe which was stacked with t-shirts which he would lend or give to friends who would call at all hours of the day or night. I would often catch his eye as he spotted a friend in a t-shirt that I'd seen him wearing only a few days before. Sometimes it was one I'd bought him which would produce that grin again.
I regret now that in all the 200 or so photos that I have of Neung that I didn't take any at his room or when we visited friends of his.