We just got into Bangkok yesterday and so haven’t had much time to explore and see ladyboys yet. We did, however, see two ladymen on our walk to dinner last night. Ladymen are what ladyboys inevitably become, and at this point I feel like it’s just not the same. But I wonder, maybe it’s simply that Thailand hasn’t fully captured my heart and mind yet. But it’s clear that in addition to being the land of smiles, Thailand is also the land of wonder. For example, I wonder if Thai ladyboys are a little like horseshoes and hand grenades: Close enough gets it done, particularly if you’re young and are as yet unmarried to your future wife who will still love you in the future, hopefully, and you’re well prepared with plenty of Zithromax, Rocephin, Penicillin G, Azithromycin, Acyclovir, Interferon alpha-2b, and Podofilox (plus you might also want to have enfuvirtide (T20), emtricitabine, tenofovir, abacavir, rilpivirine, etravirine, efavirenz, dolutegravir, elvitegravir, tipranavir, lopinavir/ritonavir, darunavir, maraviroc, and ibalizumab, on hand in case the shit really hits the fan). Or you can just use condoms, which are also close enough, and skip all the drugs except for Imodium AD. I wonder, too, just how long your basic cis-gendered, red-blooded, straight American male has to be in Bangkok before he starts to think, “close enough.” And, finally, I wonder if Boyz II Men’s summer 1992 mega-hit from their classic album Cooleyhighharmony, “End of the Road,” was about leaving Bangkok and especially Nana Plaza at 3, 1 Sukhumvit Road:

Although we’ve come
To the end of the road
Still I can’t let go
It’s unnatural
You belong to me
I belong to you
Come to the end of the road
Still I can’t let go
It’s unnatural
You belong to me
I belong to you