I want to give moonlitclover and honeywldcat thanks for taking the time to edit this story, suggest improvements, and for their diligent efforts in correcting the niggling flaws that always seem to creep into my stories. Thank you both very much!
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Fresh out of college in 1961, I was a young bachelor, eager to see the world that many military recruiting posters advertised. Upon graduation, I'd received an ROTC commission as a second lieutenant in the Air Force.
I was assigned to the Armed Forces Courier Service (ARFCOS), and after some training, my duty station was a base near Washington, DC. As military couriers, we were responsible for protecting classified documents and equipment shipped by the military or the government. Members of the Army, Navy, and Air Force were assigned to ARFCOS, and we traveled extensively.
On a cold day in February 1962, my boss, an Army captain, called me into his office and handed me a set of orders stating that I was to be a courier for a classified shipment to the US Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand. I was to remain in Bangkok for four days, then provide courier service for another classified shipment returning to the US.
"Normally I wouldn't assign a new second lieutenant on a once-a-year trip like this, but we're a little short-handed right now. I hope you enjoy it, because most of the officers in this outfit would give their left nut to trade places with you," my boss said.
Hearing that I'd be going to Bangkok was the best news I'd received since I arrived at my new job. I recalled the sixth grade, when my social studies teacher, Mrs Armstrong, had assigned each of us to give a presentation about a country in Asia. I'd volunteered for Thailand--it had always fascinated me. Now I was going to see some of it firsthand. I must have packed and repacked my suitcase three times before I left.
The flight to Bangkok was long and tiring, with five refueling stops. We finally landed at our destination, Don Muang airport, outside Bangkok in mid-afternoon, three days after we'd left Washington, DC.
The aircrew helped unload the shipment into a US embassy van, then prepared to return to the Philippines. An embassy courier signed the paperwork, relieving me of my responsibility for the shipment. He told me the embassy normally recommended the Erawan Hotel for visitors' lodging.
I hired a cab into Bangkok from the airport and asked the driver to take me to the Erawan. When we arrived, I checked for accommodations and found there were no rooms available, because it was tourist season. After I returned to the cab, the driver said he knew of another hotel nearby. We traveled a few more minutes to a Sukhumvit hotel on a shaded Bangkok side street.
When I checked in, the Thai desk clerk asked if I wanted a regular room or a deluxe room. He quoted me a price that, as I recall, a regular room was about $6 US, and a deluxe room was about $10 US per night. This was 1962, when lodging was cheap, long before Bangkok became the international travel hot spot it is today.
The clerk stated the deluxe rooms were on the top floor and I could see the Chao Phraya River from the balcony. Since the military was paying part of my travel expenses for lodging, I opted for a deluxe room. The clerk listed many things to see and do in Bangkok. I could enjoy a river tour, see traditional Thai dancing, take several different temple tours, shop at a floating market, visit a silk factory, or shop for sapphires, among many other things. It sounded like a great place to relax and see the exotic Orient. He told me that if I'd like an English-speaking escort, the cost would be another $4 per day. I wanted to see as much of Bangkok as possible during the short time I was going to be there, so I requested an escort to show me around Bangkok.
When I arrived at my room, I checked it out, then called the US Embassy to let them know where to contact me. After I finished my call, I went through two French doors leading to the private balcony, and was greeted by a soft tropical breeze. A comfortable-looking lounge chair on the balcony caught my attention, so I sat down, admiring the beautiful view across the city. In the distance, I could see the river. It was nearly sunset, and the sun was setting behind some far-off towering clouds. The western sky was streaked with a breathtaking array of golds, pinks, reds, and purples. I sat there marveling at the beauty of the tropical sunset until the sun was well below the horizon. Lights were just coming on across the river, and I was glad I'd splurged on a deluxe room.
Even though I was anxious to see as much of Bangkok as I could manage, my trip had been tiring, so I took a quick shower and had a meal in the hotel dining room. Instead of trying to sample the night life, I decided I'd get an early start the next morning to see some of the sights. On the way back to my room, I purchased an English-language newspaper in the lobby. I was hoping I'd be able to find some entertainment advertisements or articles about local points of interest.
I'd kicked off my shoes and was reading my paper, when around 9 PM, I heard a soft knock on the door. I answered it and was met by a beautiful, young, Thai woman holding a bowl of tropical fruit, several towels, and a small woven basket. I thought the fruit was a nice touch on the hotel's part.
My first impression of this young woman was that she was much too pretty to be a hotel maid. Her tan skin was the color California beach girls only dreamed of. She slipped by me and stepped out of a pair of high-heeled sandals. Next, she placed the bowl of fruit on a small table near the bed. She set the woven basket on the dresser, and stacked the towels neatly next to the basket. She turned, put her palms together, bowed toward me, and said, "Sawadee ka," a traditional Thai greeting. She introduced herself as Lamai, which I later learned means "soft" or "gentle" in Thai, depending on the translation. I introduced myself as Nick.
Lamai was a bit shorter than five feet, and I guessed she weighed about 100 pounds. She had straight black hair that almost touched her shoulders and bangs which she swept aside over one eye. Her sparkling dark brown eyes accented her Asian beauty. She had a small button nose and a lovely round face with a nice, sensuous smile.
Lamai was dressed in a floor-length, sky-blue, silk sarong skirt wrapped around her waist, fastened at the hip. It was wrapped so that there was a floor-to-hip slit on one side. She wore a long-sleeved, matching silk blouse.
After we'd introduced ourselves, I went to the door and opened it to let her exit. She gave me a puzzled expression.
"No, you can close door," Lamai said.
I must have had a similarly confused look on my face, because she followed up with, "I am escort." She removed her sarong and sat on the bed, unbuttoning her blouse.
"The man at the desk said I'd have an escort for visiting Bangkok."
