East Meets West

It's great to be totally immersed in an exotic local, but after awhile, I crave some conversation with people from the Western hemisphere who understand my cultural references, and I don't have to spend 10 minutes trying to explain a lame joke I made.  There were plenty of foreigners  and by that, I mean, non-Thai or Cambodians) around for me to converse with, and it took little prompting on their part for me to launch into long-winded monologues.  I felt like a crack addict who was getting her discussion fix.  There were even a couple feeble attempts on my part at flirting.  They did not go so well.  I was having a nice conversation with a guy who was obviously way younger than me, but hey, we were having a good chat.  Midway through, a guy leaned over and asked, "Is that your son?"  As a matter of fact, he could be, and thanks for pointing that out.  Great, I'm as much a laughing stock as the 70 year old men drooling over Thai prostitutes.

I was not the only one participating in a bit of flirtation.  The flesh trade is a booming industry in Thailand, and men from all over the world come here solely for the purpose of getting laid by someone who is way out of their league in their home country.  Take this couple for example.  I imagine their conversation was not something like this:  Man - "I find you very interesting and intelligent."  Woman - "I find money to be overrated, and you have a stunning personality."

Thailand is also famous for their "ladyboys" who are also sought after by foreign men.  They are easy to spot.  Although they may have breast implants, high heels, long hair, and a dress, it takes only a quick glance to determine something is off.  Perhaps it is the size of the hands, the broad shoulders, or my favorite, the protruding Adam's apple.  Lady boys also give themselves away by their overly effeminate behaviors.  They tend to dramatically sway their hips when they walk and giggle incessantly. 

One night, I was struggling to open my drink bottle that I purchased at 7-11, and after five grueling minutes, I decided to go up to the first big guy I saw and ask for help.  I walked up to a burly fellow and said, "Hey, you look strong.  Can you open this for me?"  He was quite willing to offer his assistance, and after completing the task, we chatted for a bit.  He turned out to be a very nice German named Radek, and we ended up hanging out for a couple days since he was travelling solo as well.