[L8fGLM4d]

I am a reasonably educated woman but before I came to Thailand for the first time in 2001 for a conference the first and most prevalent info I had had of Thailand was "sex industry". a friend had a hard time convincing her father to let her come because all he could think of was "sex industry" and he feared his pretty daughter would be kidnapped and sold. before I started writing my blog about living in Thailand, many of my friends and my family had only heard about "sex industry" and maybe had seen the movie "The Beach". when my two male friends (single, in their 30s) came to Thailand for a first visit, they got innumerable hints and sneers from friends and family. (and then of course they could never get into a taxi without getting an offer - this is something I had had no idea about before.)
I don't think this is due to my ignorance or my friends' ignorance. ok, reality is not nearly as bad as the country's perception, but it is perceived as it is for a reason. if Thai people are so unhappy about this perception of their country, they maybe they should force their government (ehm, their what?) to eradicate abuse, trafficking, trade and exploitation of people, including children.

sorry I am so harsh.