Alex or Lek, commonly called by Thai locals, wandered from Mochit Bus Station to Hua Hin and has settled at OASIS to monitor the security of the things at the place in exchange for free food and non-alcoholic drinks kindly shared by the bar staff.
P’Lek shared that he did not drink alcohol because when he got the tattoo on his back by the venerable monk, he was told he should not drink. He, however, loves Schweppes and Coke and enjoys dancing when the music is on. On the night of the grand opening of OASIS on April 9th, 2022, with Salsa dancing as the highlight, P’Lek was spotted dancing with great fun by himself a little bit further away from a large crowd of people. Without any alcoholic drinks, of course, he made sure he could put on natural smiles throughout the night.
He said that he did not have any paying job. He earns money when people give him some. During the daytime, when he has money, he loves to go eat noodles at the train station. At the moment, he is in need of a bicycle to take him around places.
P’Alex is a daytime homeless wandering around the town, yet an unofficial caretaker at OASIS at night. The bar staff are pretty friendly to him by sharing food and soft drinks and chitchatting with him. In return, he makes sure no beer and drinks are stolen at night while the place is closed in darkness.
Admittedly, there was a misunderstanding about him because one day he was seen wandering in the afternoon and instantly perceived that he may have reached people for some cash. On the night of the grand opening of the bar arena, he was spotted again eating the food which was for the celebration of the grand opening, which was shared by one lady. He looked as if he may have needed some tissue papers, so some were offered, but no response was received from him, sadly. It gave an impression that he probably was not mentally well enough to even communicate. However, towards the end of the night, after having seen some bar staff talking to him in a friendly way, a conversation with him was attempted to get to know him more. It turned out he could talk just fine. He shared a good talk about his life and his e-cigarette gotten from his friend.
In Thailand, homelessness is majorly caused by family and financial issues. Those who have been living on the street for a long time will usually become mentally unwell in the end. Nevertheless, because of the pandemic that drives financial difficulties for everyone, there has been a rising number of new homeless people who are still sane and are seeking for job opportunities.
