8 THE NETWORKYoung sat with Gareg inside the Isuzu HiLux pickup while ten of the female staff sat in the back with T- shirts tied around their heads as makeshift Balaclavas to protect their skin from the sun. They looked like ninjas, but were laughing, telling jokes and drinking Lao Deng, Thai whiskey. The atmosphere was definitely party, as if they were on a coach to a football match.
As they approached a village overlooking the sea, Gareg stopped.
“Jim, the second shop on the left over there sells SIMM cards. I don’t want to go in because they all know me around here. Get ten ‘One To Call’ SIMM’s prepaid to the highest value you can, please. That could cost between one and three thousand Baht, have you got enough on you?”
“Yes, One To Call.”
“Ok, we’ll be about a hundred metres up th
