the specks of filth - Asia revisited

'Asians are conservative, Westerners are comparatively less so.' If you have never heard of such stereotypes, you've clearly been living under a rock. This entry is a little more than just a public rant, I am to expose the gross side of Asian societies who have too far been recognized for their beauty more than they should be.

For long Asians have been seen as people who are less explicit, less extroverted. One aspect that honestly bugs me though, is their sex tourism industry. Where else can you get your oriental fantasy for the price of a taxi ride? Thailand is known for its rich history and landscape beauty, encompassing the essence of true blissful retreat. But not surprisingly, it is also famous for its sex industry. From gold-digging gogo girls who drug themselves with yarbar (a drug meant to be administered to horses) to stay thin, to vast amounts of katooeys (transvestites) strutting the street in skimpy outfits, to ludicrous sex acts that involve outrages props such as a real snake, Thailand is heaven for the wild. My married cousin and his wife had encountered such sights the last time they visited the country for business purposes. He recounted that they were attempting to acquire local clothing and accessories stock in a market when one Thailand man shoved a menu into my cousin's hands. Perplexed, he surveyed the list. Nothing makes any sense as it was written down in the local language. Confused, he handed it back to the man before he and his wife peeked to see what the shop offers. Apparently, it had been a menu for sex acts. A book titled 'Private Dancer' would most probably interest you as it takes you across cultural boundaries and sheds some light into how the industry works in Thailand, all through the telling of a sad story involving and ex-pat and a gogo girl.

Indonesia doesn't get any better, and it's getting hard to appreciate my home country, really. Claiming itself to be a religious Muslim country, hypocrisy has never taken itself so far. Recently, an expose took shape in the form of a film and book, titled 'Jakarta Undercover.' I personally have zero encounters with the night scene in Indonesia, as we all know political instability and racism makes it almost impossible for a Chinese Indonesian female to be out and about in the night without safe company. The book, based on true findings, listed all of the surprising services available in Indonesia. Massage parlours are pretty popular with all Indonesian males, especially the youths. Sometimes the places can be shabby, sometimes they are extremely high-ends, with private jacuzzis, marble floorings, high thread count egyptian sheets. What repulses me the most is that majority of the youths (sometimes as young as 16, and never been in relationships) takes the habit of visiting X-rated massage parlours to overseas. For the executives, there are more innovate alternatives too. Apparently, you can pick a girl and a chauffeur-driven, expensive SUVs for a ride, literally and otherwise. Private clubs that charge high membership fees offer exotic environments where all patrons must be buck naked to enter. And these are just some of the examples. So much for religion.

Japan, being a developed country with sophisticated technology and impressing standard of living, surprisingly lies almost on the same level as the other two countries. Never have I known an Asian a country more famous for its porn production and wild fetishism.

Married Asian men having secret love children outside marriage, youths exploiting sex industry at such young age, in what way are we less explicit? It is with shame that I silently hope for revolution to come. That I hope higher education would instill more moral, rather than just knowledge.