Thai Adventures pt. 2: The Ladyboy Story

…Cont. from: Thai Adventures Pt. 1: Arrival in Pattaya

So now, this is what my view looks like at night. Pretty.

Our first night, we were treated to a buffet dinner at Mantra. This is the hotel’s fancy bar/restaurant. It’s gorgeous inside. I was too busy stuffing my face to take photos.

I had the presence of mind to capture this bottle of coke. We collect coke bottles so I always pay attention.

The new Ford Ranger, parked right outside the restaurant.

After dinner, I dragged my dad out so I could road test my new camera. I wanted to capture the local color.

It was an adventure! We went back to the street we saw earlier in the day. It was Monday though so there weren’t that many customers but still… wow! The atmosphere was very vibrant and alive.

I wanted to take photos of the girls (and “girls”) standing around trying to attract guys but since it was a red light district I didn’t know the photo protocol. In Amsterdam’s red light district, if caught taking a photo, they will throw your camera into the canal. I didn’t want to risk it.

Balcony Pole Dancing.

I like this photo but I hate how it’s blurry. My bad.

My dad insisted that I talk to them and ask them to take a photo. At his urging, I very shyly went up to a group of girls and to my utter shock they were more than happy to oblige. I showed them the photos afterwards and they LOVED how they looked. They couldn’t get enough of the camera. It was tons of fun.

Are they guys or girls? You be the judge. I don’t know how guys don’t realize that these girls are actually guys also. Well, they were guys.. once. Seriously, a good majority of the women available were ladyboys or transsexuals. Maybe they can fool foreigners but they can’t fool us fellow Asians. Here’s a test you can take to see how good you are at discerning ladies from ladyboys.

Horny Bar. Classic.

My mom just pointed out that the one in Pink looks like the wife of a certain Boxing superstar… What do you think? 🙂

It was a Monday night and kinda slow for them so having me around to take their photo helped pass the time I guess. All the same, they were working so whenever foreigners would pass by, they would holler and try to grab their attention and offer services. It was insane. I almost couldn’t believe that I was right there in the middle of it all.

My favorite photo from the set:

I have to give my dad credit since he was really quite patient and supportive throughout this. I imagine this must have been really uncomfortable for him. But thanks to him I was able to snap great photos and I have an amazing story to tell. Thanks Dad. 🙂