Bangkok: land of the ladyboys
June 12, 2011 – 12:19 pm, by Crikey
http://blogs.crikey.com.au/back-in-a-bit/2011/06/12/bangkok-land-of-the-ladyboys/Steffi Chang writes: Bangkok is known for three things: the steaming heat, incredible shopping and Ladyboys. The first two are characteristic of anywhere in South East Asia, but ladyboys — known as 'katoeys' locally — are a Thai institution.
For those sheltered few, katoeys is a term popularly used to refer to men who endeavour to be women, usually through sartorial disguise and eventual surgery. To outsiders, katoeys are a famed, almost-mythic creature of our concrete jungle. A lucky sighting inspires awe and absolute bewilderment because what sets Bangkok's trans-women apart is how it is sometimes impossible to differentiate them from real women. Thailand's katoeys are often glorious specimens of the ultimate female with their hair, face and physique groomed to perfection — a fact that, I'll admit, has conjured occasional feelings of envy.
