5 weeks in Thailand

Travel time: February / March 2002  |  by Martin O.

Specials: Gathoeys

[Eddie: ][/b] [i]Gathoeys[/i] are transvestites or transsexuals, depending on peculiarity and financial background. These [i]Gathoeys[/i] are sometimes so spiffed up, that it is quite hard to distinguish them from real women. In the beginning we also had problems:

The [b]first[/b] evenings of our trip we spend amazed and astonished on [i]Khao San Road[/i]: The Asian [b]ladies(?)[/b] here are amazingly pretty. And one is always talked at, with phrases like [i]"love you long time"[/i]...
Quite a lot of tourists are strolling here hand in hand with an Asian beauty. We're not trying to even flirt with a girl, after all [b]we are too sceptic[/b]. The sign in our guest house that says "[i]No Thai visitors on room[/i]" must be there for a reason.

Two weeks later we enjoy a great meal at the [i]Chopper Bar[/i] in [i]Sukhothai[/i]. One reason for our choice to eat here, was the fact that all the waitresses are really pretty. Yes, that's right, we are very easy to manipulate. The [i]Chopper Bar[/i] turns out to be the local transvestite-country-live-music-establishment-tavern and it seems that each waitress has her own [i]Harley[/i]. We are the only guests, so we enjoy the live performance of the Thai version of "[i]My achin' breakin' heart[/i]", while the bunch of rockers, disguised as beautyful/handsome (!) girls, serve delicious food.
The waiter/waitress even draws the name of our guesthouse from me - that isn't a problem, she doesn't seem to be a psychotic killer...
While we are strolling through the town we have no idea, what's in store for us intolerant Europeans (or at least for me). The walk through the town is quite absurd, since continously pretty girls on scooters drive by, waving and shouting "[i][b]Hello[/b][/i]" with a really deep male voice. Uhm, yeah. Again we're passing our transvestite-tavern: No, we're tired / no, we wanna go to bed / no, ALONE!!! So, we decide to go home. While I lay down to rest a little from that exciting day, Martin thinks I'd left for something to drink and goes outside to order some water. And, guess who he meets in our isolated guesthouse? Jenny, le/la [i]Chef de la Cuisine[/i], who stopped by to take me out. So, Martin comes slightly scared back to our room: [i]"Eddie, better turn out the light, I think you might have a little problem"[/i]. So, that's quite weird: the first transvestite, that I ever met, sneaks around our house, and we have no clue what's going on. The best part is when we see some female-looking guy STANDING next to our house taking a pee. After that he drives a few times around the house before the droning sound of the [i]Harley[/i] slowly gets silent.
The next day we don't care anymore and we go back to the bar. It's really fun and not a problem at all. Jenny, whose name used to be Gohf, teaches us some Thai while we enjoy the good Singha beer. Very funny evening!

In the Chopper Bar with Jenny, resp. Gohf

In the Chopper Bar with Jenny, resp. Gohf

[Eddie: ][/b] Thailand is by far the most tolerant country, where I've ever been. It's all "[i]live and let live[/i]". And as long as something is pretty, it's not only tolerated, it's even encouraged. For that reason it's tradition in families without daughters, to enrobe the youngest son as a girl, to bring at least a little beauty into the house. Therefore, there are already a lot of [i]Gathoeys[/i] in elementary school, what in turn leads to more tolerance.

The [b]last[/b] evenings of our trip we spend amazed and astonished on [i]Khao San Road[/i]: The Asian [b]"ladies"[/b] here are amazingly pretty. And quite a lot of tourists are strolling here hand in hand with an Asian beauty. We're not trying to even flirt with a girl, because [b]now we know[/b].

Oh, right, and for those of you, who now think about changing their sex themselfes, it seems to be quite cheap in Thailand, we heard of prices as low as 200,000 Baht, that is around 5,000 Euro

© Martin O., 2002
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The trip
 
Description:
Winter 2002 - we didn't have a good start: after a little accident with a drunken dancer one day before our departure my finger has to get sewed with five stitches. The stitches I gonna have to take out by myself. And although it is clear to us that the risk of malaria is existent in Thailand, ... ... it wasn't maybe clear enough.
Details:
Start of journey: Feb 17, 2002
Duration: 5 weeks
End of journey: Mar 25, 2002
Travelled countries: Thailand
The Author
 
Martin O. is an active author on break-fresh-ground. since 21 years.
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