Bangkok

is not as crazy as I would have thought. This could be because the monsoon (and therefore low) season is nearly here, or maybe also the recent protests by yellow and red shirts. Either way, I do not feel as overwhelmed as I thought I would - but did keep adventures to the tourist areas.

One of the 3 people I've been traveling with returned to the States yesterday (22nd April) so we celebrated his last night with style. Well, that depends on how you feel about the word. Starting late (even by Bangkok standards 11pm is getting on a bit) we had a few drinks and did some people-watching on Khao San Road. Infamous backpacker destination, by night this brightly-lit street offers bars, restaurants, shops and market stalls of all varieties (though mainly cheap tat) and street meat galore. My favourite 'game' in Bangkok was determining whether the women I saw were really women. Thai's don't seem to think anything of the profusion of ladyboys or male girls that abound in the nation's capital, but so far I haven't found out why it is so acceptable. It just is.

We decide to head to Patpong - how can you be in Bangkok and not check out its notorious red light district? Traveling with three guys is quite a revealing experience - I am privy to their exclamations about pretty girls and various other such man-talk. It is also quite reassuring: I know I am safe with them and have had far less hassle than I got traveling alone (which wasn't much anyway). A rather fraught taxi ride through dark, empty streets gets us to a more lit-up road. The driver seems to think we want a personal tour of every place and we almost climb out of the moving cab just to escape.
Apparently the world famous ping-pong shows are over (too late!) so we head to a row of gay bars - I presume this is for my benefit. Along the way my heart goes out to a baby elephant who tries to shove a bag of bananas into my hands with his wet trunk. I look into his eyes and wonder if they drug him - no idea where the thought comes from but it seems so cruel to have this young animal in the heart of this concrete zone of bars and rooms where everything is available, for a price. My mind shudders at the possible implications of the elephant's presence... then I am whisked to a bar where a very charming waiter makes much fun out of the 3 guys and we talk crap for a while. The alcohol makes me very happy and open to random conversations with random people. As the night progresses and we move on to some other bars, I end up chatting with a woman whoh works as a tout for sex shows and tells me which of the women who pass us are actually not women. I am amazed. I have seen transexuals/transvestites in my time but these ones make a real art of it. As usual, many look far more womanly than me, but also so much...prettier, so much more effort has gone into their outfits and hair and make-up. Much like with some other girls. I wonder why I don't do more of the same myself but oh well...Perhaps I am too lazy - it just seems like so much hard work to put a face on every night when you just have to take it off later.

I then get into an argument with a bevy of rather scary looking ladyboys who surrounded 2 of our number.Ｉwasn't sure if they (the guys) wanted/needed rescuing but when I went to talk with them one of the ladyboys looks at me vehemently and tells me that she thinks I should just shut up. Escaping their evil-eyed stares we go to a club in a tuk-tuk where I proceed to dance on a podium with a variety of men (?) and women (?) and am accosted by several people. One very tiny woman introduces herself as Lik, she even has her name tattooed on her arm. I am not sure what we talk about but we dance for some time more before getting bored of the podium. Upon descending to the melee of the main dance floor I am told by the guys that I'm the only western girl there (not sure what to make of that), then a lady comes up to me and we speak for a few minutes. She has a very deep voice and tried to kiss me...I tell her I like boys, she is not dissuaded and in my drunkenness I start to talk about my boyfriend. After about 10 minutes of my rambling her eyes have glazed over but I'm still extolling his virtues as she (?) walks away.
Only two of us end up leaving the club at about 8 am and sleep comes upon me around an hour later...only to have to wake up to check out at noon and find another, cheaper place to stay. The hangovers are mingy but it was worth it. Like they say, one night in Bangkok and the world's your oyster...or lots of cheap t-shirts, knock-off footwear and many ambiguously gendered people!