The Lost Boy

Chinese whore-house or just a place to hang out?

Travelling around Asia presents its fair share of unwholesome guesthouses. Sometimes you have to endure bed bugs, noisy neighbours, extremely cold showers, and all manner of things that would make Emma Woodhouse grimace with disgust. I don't mind staying in such places. It's something of a challenge don't you think? By staying in those places that one might label unfavourably, your expectations are never raised sufficiently high so as to be disappointed with your choice of abode. I've stayed in some pretty minimal accommodations before — in Ayutthaya, Kanchanaburi, Lopburi and sucklike — but when you're paying 100 baht a night there really is no justification for complaint.

At the moment I'm in Penang, Malaysia. In a bid to save money, and by the shadow of night after a late arrival, I searched out the most basic accommodation I could find. This revealed itself to me in the form of Nam Wah Hotel and Bar on Chulia Street. A Chinese guesthouse, I thought to myself, what could be better? My room was notably bare of any such amenities as air conditioning or an ensuite bathroom, but it had a bed and for the equivalent of 170 baht it wasn't so bad. Shortly after I'd settled in, however, I was in for something of a surprise.

The day after my arrival, I'd been out sorting some visa-related things and returned to the guesthouse mid-afternoon. What I'd taken as being a quiet little hotel had, in my absence, become a hive of activity. In the small room that poses as an arcade room downstairs there were around thirty buxom Chinese girls, some sitting in rows applying makeup, others sat chattering, and a few actually playing on the arcade games gleefully. These girls looked ready for a night out and they were aged between, I'd say, eighteen and forty. It then occurred to me that I might actually have chosen a Chinese whore-house for my hotel. I'd noticed that I was the only guest in the hotel, and judging from the guestbook the night before, I'd been the only guest for some time.

I couldn't fathom exactly what these girls were doing, but as I went upstairs to take a nap I could hear what sounded like a party going on downstairs. There was music, karaoke, much shouting and playful bantering (probably), and everyone seemed to be having a great time. I awoke from my nap to the sounds of yet more Chinese girls shrieking at the tops of their vocal ranges. I went downstairs and out to get something to eat. Sure enough, by my return at nightfall, they had all dispersed.

I awoke today and made my way out around 10 a.m. The Chinese girls were once again in place, and they regarded me with an edgy curiosity. I asked if I could take their pictures and they became angry and told me flatly "CANNOT". I used all my stealth powers and ran away upstairs, perched myself on the balcony, and took what pictures I could of the girls below. As you can see, my efforts weren't rewarded with particularly decent shots, and most of the girls were too far below my vantage point for me to remain inconspicuous, but you get the gist of the affair I hope.

I considered asking the hotelier what the girls were doing there but thought better of it. So, Chinese whore-house or just a place to hang out? There certainly wasn't much whoring going on in the rooms upstairs, but these girls must have had some reason for being there. I'm unsure of exactly how Chinese whore-houses function, but it did strike me as odd that some of the girls were sitting in rows of four on plastic chairs. I suppose most people who come to this hotel during the day and see the girls are put off and choose somewhere else to sleep, but I didn't see any harm in staying, especially as the staff seemed so happy to have a guest.