Party town
Trip Start
Sep 08, 2007
1
22
23
Trip End
Dec 30, 2008
Chiang Mai,
Thailand
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Age: 37
Marital status: single, with a boyfriend
Job: Socialite
Religion: Buddhist
Okay, I'm just kidding about the job status of Kosita. She is actually a freelance interpreter and a research assistant at the moment, yet she is a very social girl. Even her nick name is cheerful - Rung, which means rainbow in Thai. I meet her on the overnight train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai. Shortly before we arrive in Chiang Mai she asks me if I'd booked a guesthouse already. Not really, I say. Do you know any good guest houses in town? Many, she replies, how much do you want to spend? Not much, I say, no more than 200 Bat ($7)
Kosita Butratana (Rung)
. At the train station we take a tuk-tuk (a converted pick-up truck with two rolls of benches in the back). I leave the bargaining to her. It takes her a while. She says they ask for more money when they see "farang" - a non-offensive word for foreigner. I arrive in Chiang Mai with the intention to spend only a day, but I end up staying two, mostly hanging out with Kosita. She takes me around town on her scooter. We visit many of the temples in town and she gives me the ABC of Thailand Buddhism. She is certified to be a tour guide, but she doesn't like wasting her time taking groups of tourists around with an aircon bus. She sometimes has private clients. She worked with a French photographer not too long ago, who was on photo assignment in Thailand. I wonder for a while if I am being considered as a client. Sensing my doubts, she makes it clear that is not the case. She says - it is Saturday and I don"t have any plans. Why not spend some time with you, I might learn something. You learn from everything you do, even if you are just sitting in a cafe shop, chatting to a Bulgarian girl.
We chat away - about the life in Thailand, Kosita's research, the bar girls in Bangkok, the lady boys, the "pumpui" (old white rich man that come to Thailand to enjoy the company of young Thai ladies) and men in general. Kosita tells me about her research on the Akha people in Thailand. The Akha people are one of the so called hill tribes that traditionally live in the highlands of Southeast Asia. Due to lack of land rights and limited job and education opportunities in there home regions, an increasing number of hill tribes has been migrating to Thailand's urban and touristic areas such Chiang Mai, Bangkok or even Phuket.
Akha is one of the famous hill tribes that live in Thailand, but you can also meet them in Laos, Vietnam, Burma/Myanmar and China. Kosita is assisting a researcher from Vienna University who is studying the migration of Akha women. Since she started the study, she's learned Akha language from talking to people. She is really passionate about her research and quite pleased with how well she is accepted in Akha communities. They don't believe that I am Thai, she says, because Thai people rarely mix with the tribal people. Nothing new under the sun, I say.
What's up with the lady boys, I ask. Why are there so many in Thailand? Too much freedom, she laughs. Thai people are very liberal. They don't judge anyone, so you can be whoever you want to be. There is no pressure from society in that regard. There is pressure, however, from your parents to find a nice man to take care of you and maybe help the family too. I don't want that, Kosita says. I can take care of myself. I don't make much money, but it is enough for me and I live in peace. I only asked my boyfriend to make a small present to my parents to show his respect. That way they will know that he is serious about me and that will make them happy.
And the bar girls, what does she think about that? She says she doesn't judge them either. These are usually girls from very poor background. She tells me stories about girls she met or girls she's heard of. It says to me, it isn't just the immediate prospect of money that sends them to the night districts of Bangkok. It seems that every girl lives with her dream of a nice foreigner guy falling in love with her and taking her away to a rich foreign land. The bar girls and the "pumpui" are a major topic of discussion amongst the travelers in Thailand. Most are disgusted by the foreigners' behavior. It is disgusting if you ask me. Yet, some think it is fine as long it is consensual, for it is not clear who is taking advantage of whom. It seems very appropriate here to loosely quote that obnoxious character from "Will and Grace". "Excuse me sir, who do you take me for?! I'm not a prostitute! I don't do it for money. I do it like a lady - for jewelry and fur coats."
Joke aside, if you do plan a vacation to Thailand, make sure you make the trip north to Chiang Mai. There is plenty to see and experience in this part of the country. And if you want to see the real Chiang Mai, drop Kosita a line: ko_sita@ hotmail.com. She can show you the Wat's (temples), but also can tell you where is the best Mexican restaurant in town, take you to a Thai reggae night or tell you which market is cheaper.
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Hugs & Kisses, Vik
