Happy New Year all! My wish for you is health, happiness, and a nice, cold glass of cha mannow. It's a Thai delicacy (jing jing (really)). Just trust me, it'll change your life, and the frequency of your dental visits. Sweet :-).
Without further ado, here's my Thai Top 10 from 2009 (no particular order). With the last post in my mind (too long), I'm going spartan ;-):
1) Students - Many of them are really kind and sweet. These kids may not turn out to run the country, but they will make it a better place to live.
2) Politics- It's just so much fun! Maybe the people involved take it seriously, but I'm not sure many Thai do. Then again, I see demonstrations on TV, and I'm not so sure. Maybe I just don't understand Thai people at all --- not that understanding the Thai is that important when reading about the politics. The intrigue is just fascinating :-).
3) Intercultural Exhange- There are people here from everywhere, and you can talk to them if you want. There's an area for Africans (what do they do here?), Russians, Chinese, Japanese, Belgian, and Burmese. You want to talk to new people, Bangkok is a good place to try :-).
4) Acceptance- You know, I never worry about acceptance here. If someone doesn't like gay people, short people, me :-), it doesn't matter to me anymore. In America -- and I'm not sure why -- I used to care.
5) Pattaya- This might be controversial, but I enjoy Pattaya. I like to walk along the beaches in the day time, and watch the strange ladyboys and prostitutes walking the streets at night. There's something freeing about freedom --- that is, capitalist freedom.
6) Ken Diradeth (thai guys)- There are some really beautiful and handsome guys here, and surprisingly, there is Asian diversity in Thailand. I really like Ken because I imagine him to be the kind of cute, sensitive guy I could meet and fall in love with. Then again, he might be out of my league :-). Yeah, he is.
7) MRT- I don't know how the BTS can be so different from the MRT (the subway in Bangkok). Where the BTS is trapped, crowded, and poorly managed, the MRT seems to get it right. The trains are always moving, the people in a semblance of direction, and the stations are spacious/well-lit. There's also the attendants there, the people selling the tickets are cute and friendly. I flirt with a guy at the Silom spot often ;-).
8) Markets/Shopping- Yeah if you remember my last post about materialism, you know now I'm a line-toeing hypocrite. There's something so satisfying though about buying a bow tie, plaid pants, and a perfect-fitting leather jacket. You can't find that kind of stuff in my home town :-).
9) Speaking Thai- There's a mystery and excitement about learning a foreign language. The added bonus is its tonal beauty. To hear some women speak it, you'd think yourself transplanted back to childhood, your mother humming a lullaby as you drifted off to sound, innocent dreams.
10) Gay- Maybe it's not the healthiest gay climate, but it's fun and free nonetheless. Here, you can do or be what you want. If it's reinvention you're looking for, you can find it here. That might be why a gay man finds Thailand so fascinating. It could be Ken Diradeth too.
Happy New Year again everyone. Wish you all the best in 2010!
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Nice list! I completely agree with you on that part on acceptance. Bangkok gives you a feeling that it's open to most kinds of people (at least perhaps on the surface), thus nudging us to be just who we are.
ReplyDeleteSawatdee pii mai kha! :-)
I agree. I actually hoped I'd dislike Pattaya for some reason but it's the most relaxing place I've ever been. Unconventional relationships (and people) are the norm so nobody seems to judge anyone.
ReplyDeleteHa ha ha. Everyone loves Ken Theeradej!! I must resist the urge to steal a cut-out poster everytime I walk by one. Good to know that his charm works on foreigners as well.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year.
Ja Ja Ja, I find myself more enriched, and more frustrated every day I spend here :-P. I was thinking I would take a vacation from all that, and go to the Phillipines soon (March). What do you think? Is there a new kind of acceptance there :-)? I saw a preview of a Pinoy gay movie about a massage guy recently. Have you downloaded it? Is it good? Are there other artsy (or gay :-)) cinema choices you'd recommend?
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year to you :-), na ja :-)!
Oh guys, btw, if I could meet Ken in Pattaya and spend the day walking on the beach with him, I'd be a happy gay. We'd eat ice cream, hang around, him the silent type and me blabbing away. Then it would get dark, and every girl, gay and lady boy in Thailand would be pushing me out of the way to hook up with him. That's just how I imagine it anyway.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year Ja :-)