LadyBoy’s & Orchids – IV

A Royal Coronation – I

A Royal Coronation – II

Coronation Nation – III

Night Walker

At Wat Bowonniwet I watched the monks recline to their quarters. [III]

It was eight at night. I was hungry. I walked further down Phra Sumen Road in order to find a place to eat. On one of the corners there was a cafe in an old historic building with all the doors opened to the street. There was only one table of customers so I popped in. A young woman in tight jeans and hooped earrings brought me the menu. She stood at the table with her hands clasped in front and her body lightly swinging side-to-side.

She was shy. With the foreigner sitting at her table she finally said softly in English,

‘What you like?’

When I told her, in Thai, that I was still trying to decide, her clasped hands swung out to her sides, palms forward, an open smile on her face. The she turned and shouted to an older male waiter across the room,

‘You won’t believe it, he speaks Thai!’

The male waiter came rushing over. As we talked over some of the dishes he finally said out loud, in broken English and pointing his finger at her,

‘SHE A LADYBOY!!’ and laughed.

I looked up from my menu at him and said, in Thai, while starring at him,

‘Are you a LadyBoy too? Sometimes I’m a LadyBoy. We’re all LadyBoy’s.’

He smiled, started laughing and said in Thai,

‘It’s true! Thats really true!’

At being freed from the embarrassment her partner had tried to hoist on her, the LadyBoy smiled wide.

After ordering my meal and seeing my waitress walk back to the kitchen, her large hands came to life as she handed my order over to the cook.

She was one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen.

The LadyBoy was so pleased she refilled my salted limeade…twice.

Roadside Beauty

From the cafe I continued to walk down Phra Sumen Road to the massive Dinso Road. Dinso has four lanes running in each direction along with a bus lane and a wide centered boulevard.

Phra Sumen t’s into Dinso Road and you can see two distinctive Thai monuments. As some of the coronation ceremonies will happen along these roads, Dinso has been completely decked out for the coming weekend. Across Dinso and appearing to hover in the air, is the mysteriously beautiful Golden Mountain Temple. There is a large bridge that runs over the canal there. Both sides of the bridge have been decorated with mounds of rolling orchids. On the side near the Golden Mount, large Thai numbers 10 roll out above the flowers to represent the new king – Rama X

Construction of the Golden Mount began in the 12th C.!

Can you see the man standing in front of the mass of orchids?

It never occurred to me that so many orchids exist in the world. Up every tree along the boulevard thousands of orchids snake up their trunks. At first I thought for sure they were all fake. But no, they are all the real thing.

Down Dinso to the right is Victory Monument. The monument rises into the night and is centered on a massive traffic circle. Over the years I have seen this monument numerous times but never new much about it.

Victory Monument

The monument was commissioned in 1939 which explains the art deco design. Italian sculptor Corrado Feroci, who became a Thai citizen, executed the relief sculptures around the base of the monument. It was built to commemorate the 1932 Siamese coup d’état [The 1932 Revolution] which established the constitutional monarchy.

The Kingdom of Siam then became Thailand.

Numerous framed pictures run down the center boulevard of Dinso Road. They celebrate the coming coronation of the new king. They are fascinating to see but way beyond any personal or foreign understanding.

But damn, I want that adorable pair of white shoes!