Sounds more like your attitude got returned back to you. Thais are very good at rooting out judgemental characters.

I lived there for over 13 years, had a Thai Mia Noi (Minor Wife or mistress) most of that time, travelled into the rice paddies and jungles borders of Isaan. Have many in the wilds that I consider family, and miss terribly. I speak some Thai, Lao, and enough Khmer to get by, rather like I do everywhere I go.

As far as avoiding giving "No" as an answer most of Asia is like that. Try putting an Indian under pressure to give you one and his head will wobble like crazy. Japanese hate to say "No" to anybody. It is a cultural thing akin to loss of "Face" all over Asia.

To learn about people you have to get "down & dirty" with them, and I include England in that.

Your piece just makes you sound like a snob.

The bar girls in places don't see themselves as prostitutes and even told the Princess that when she was sent to fact find a few years back. They go with you if they like you and often hope to find a husband that way and many ex-pats live happily with them, or they get good sex for the night and get a 'gift'. It is just an easy South East Asian way where sex is concerned and that is the same in most of those countries you mentioned, even Korea, and China.

When you travel you sometimes have to put yourself at risk. Don't just tread carefully and obey the FO advice. Some facts will scare you if you let them. More British die in Thailand each year than any other country. But probably more go there and overdo things.

I've been lucky so far and love most of Asia with the exception of Saudi. I've broken laws in most of them and bribed cops, been shot at in Spain, an apartment blown to bits in China, had the shits in India, doesn't everybody, and a car written off in Manila, colleagues have died and have been buried with full Buddhist honours in Thailand and until you've been to a funeral in Isaan you wouldn't understand the deep spirituality of the place.