The Voluptuous Model

It never ceases to amaze me how kind and easy-going the Thais are, especially to members of their own families.

The other day we were walking behind a mother and daughter who were shopping together. They were high-society types, carrying designer handbags with gold plates and shopping bags with European names that mean nothing to me, like Gucci or L'Oreal. They were pointing, laughing, admiring the merchandise, and enjoying each other's company. All this was perfectly normal, except: the daughter was a foot taller, she had large, round perfectly formed breasts, and she spoke with a deep, husky voice--she was a katoey, a transsexual.

The landscape of Bangkok is dotted with these lovely ladies who were accidentally born as men. Some have had the drastic operation and others are pooying mii ngu (women with snakes). They are almost always easy on the eye, and usually they have large breasts. Maybe it's the hormone injections; or, maybe, once they've made the decision to go under the knife and pay for a body designed by a surgeon, choosing "The Voluptuous Model" is a no-brainer.

Walking behind this mother and daughter, I had to chuckle. "Can you imagine?" I asked Poo, "20 years from now going shopping with Thun or Jason, shopping for a new skirt, or underwear, or a new bra?"

"No," she laughed, "I wouldn't know how to buy a bra that big."