Thailand bar girls and Ladyboys, Thai Beauties or Beasts?

One of the first questions you probably ask yourself when you arrive in Thailand is: "Where do all these girls come from?" A justified question as the streets have a ratio of 2 girls for every guy and the bars have at least 2 girls for every foreigner. Therefore don't be surprised by all the attention you will get from the bar girls. Well, assuming they are girls since the number of Lady Boys is quite high in Thailand and while some are obvious others can not be distinguished from real girls at first sight. This article is not meant to stereotype Thai girls nor their (Farang) boy friends but is just a general impression and a personal view.
For a selection of the best bars in Bangkok click here.

Thai girls in general are kind, polite and extremely decent, however as we all know there are exceptions. There seems to be a division between the more traditional girls and girls that often hang out in bars. The kind of girl you meet totally depends on the bar you go to, the "bad girls" all hang out in one of the three sex area's being either Nana area, Patpong or Soi Cowboy. Don't expect to meet your dream girl here but if you're looking for some quick action these are the places to be.

These girls are often from the North-East (Isaan) and they come to Bangkok in the hope to make some money, they then end up in the sex industry. Recognizing them is fairly easy as their faces often have higher cheekbones, the shape of their face looks more square and their complexion is darker than other Thai girls. Prostitution is officially illegal in Thailand but since local bars bribe the police it looks more like they are promoting it. If you are in one of these bars or surrounding areas and a girl comes up to you saying: "Hello handsome man" , "Hello what's your name?" or "Hello where you from?" you bet she is after your money. If you have no objection to this than it is time to start a deeper discussion with her. If you want to continue your conversation at some place more comfortable often a bar fine has to be paid meaning you have to pay the bar owner to let the girl go. The amount differs depending on the beauty of the girl, the bar you're in and the "beauty of yourself". In genral the girls are never annoying but just have a chit chat with you, they sense it when you're not their kind of customer and will leave soon.

Than there are the intermediate bars where you really don't know what the girls are up to, your money, free drinks or they really like you? A good measurement tool to find out what their intention is is to calculate the Thai girls to foreign guys ratio. The less foreigners the more decent the girls are probably, also pay attention to the number of Thai guys, no Thai guys means bad girls who are after foreigners.

If you're looking for a more peaceful evening without being harassed go to the bars outside the main tourist area's with mostly Thai customers. People are still extremely friendly but they're just nice because Thai people are really kind, not because of the money. Pick a bar here.

Some general rules for bars:

• Do not touch unless being touched first and never touch anybody's head.
• Check your bill and your change, if possible do not pay with 1000 bath notes.
• Be polite, never scream or get angry since it will get you nowhere.
• In case of police raid try to sneak out as quietly as possible.
• Relax and have fun!

As said it might be difficult to recognize the lady boys, especially if they have undergone a complete makeover, meaning plastic surgery and hormones. Some of them look even better than most real girls and their beauty is admired by Thai people. They often hang out around the entrance of Nana Plaza looking for a drunk foreigner. So how to recognize them? A few guidelines can pick out the majority but some are really unrecognizable. First of all look at their height and build, a tall girl with wide shoulders is a good candidate for a former boy. If there is no obvious height or shoulder attribute it helps to take a look at their Adam's apple and listen to their voice, a large Adam's apple indicates a transformation of course. If you exhausted these testing methods and you're still not sure it gets more difficult, some of them behave really over active and are talking constantly, you can somehow feel that they try to act as a girl. If you still don't know than trust your gut feeling and congratulate her with the successful transformation.

LadyBoy show at Mambo

One of the main tourist attractions is the ladyboy show at Mambo on Sukhumvit between Phrom Phong and Asok BTS station. The shows start at 8:30 and features ladyboys who are easily recognizable to katoeys who are so well transformed that you will be fooled for sure. Performances range from singing Chinese songs to "Men I Feel Like a Women" by Shania Twain. Tickets are priced from 800 bath in combination with a dinner before the "katoey" show and you get a comfortable seat in this big theatre with one free drink. If my senses are not fooling me the beer is Leo so you might want to get your hands on another drink. Good fun though and visitors on the first rows sometimes get picked out to come on stage with the girls, it seems that Japanese tourists are their favorite target (probably because they are most willing). Afterwards the beauties will wait for you outside and you can take pictures with them for a small fee. Just go and see, you'll be amazed by what some plastic surgery can do. Check with the theatre beforehand for exact details on pricing.