New from Bangkok

[graceinbangkok]

Hi, just joined, from Cincinnati, lived in Kentucky for25 years, now residing in Bangkok (since September 2009)...

Before that I was a library systems administrator, now I'm a jill of all trades I suppose....

I don't really consider myself femme or butch but I find that most of my friends here in Thailand and those who I am attracted to are butch (or tom as they are called here), so a friend suggested this group to me.

Grace

[~ocean]

HI Gracie welcome to the planet .. I hope u enjoy all that the Planet has to offer.. .. I have enever been to bangkok .. but i am entrigued by ur country

[graceinbangkok]

Ocean, thank you for the welcome, I am sure I will... I fell in love with Thailand the first time I visited, back in 2006... But I have always loved Asia and been drawn here, and Thailand has a fairly open lesbian community. I have found no one seems to judge you here, plus the cost of living is fairly low... I may go to China for a time, or even back to the states, but I believe that Thailand will be my home You should visit Thailand sometime...

[lusciouskiwi]

Hiya

Or you could catch the train and head south

Hope you have fun here at bfp.

[Ciaran]

Bangkok is an interesting city.

I used to frequent the Sukhumvit area when I was there, partly because it has a good Irish pub (soi 22), there's a lot of westerners there, it has a great department store (The Emporium) and Soi Cowboy is very near whenever I felt like a late night of "entertainment".


Do you ever get to Pattaya? Not much more than an hour away now that they've built the expressway. Obviously, it's a bit of an acquired taste but there's an incredible amount of construction underway on the seaboard.

Originally Posted by graceinbangkok

I don't really consider myself femme or butch but I find that most of my friends here in Thailand and those who I am attracted to are butch (or tom as they are called here), so a friend suggested this group to me.

Some of those who identify as "dee" are incredibly beautiful and free-spirited.

[Little Fish]

Welcome Grace !
*applauding your adventurous spirit*

[mariamma]

Originally Posted by graceinbangkok

Hi, just joined, from Cincinnati, lived in Kentucky for25 years, now residing in Bangkok (since September 2009)...

Before that I was a library systems administrator, now I'm a jill of all trades I suppose....

I don't really consider myself femme or butch but I find that most of my friends here in Thailand and those who I am attracted to are butch (or tom as they are called here), so a friend suggested this group to me.

Grace

Hiya Grace,
I spent a year in Thailand in 1994 and loved it! Best food, charming culture. I love how the women hang out and get intimacy from other women and men with other men. It is not an idyllic society of course. I don't they exist anymore. But I also loved that they were never colonized and had great pride and traditions.
Welcome to the Planet and eat some really good sum tom or tom kha or kang gai with green peppercorns (my fav!) for me. Nothing in the States tastes as wonderful as Thai street food!

[thedivahrrrself]

Welcome!

I hope you enjoy the planet. If you have any questions about anything, feel free to private message just about anybody. We're a friendly bunch!

What do you do in Bangkok?

[Lady_Di]

Welcome!

[always2late]

Welcome to the Planet

[graceinbangkok]

Ciaran, I live out in a Thai neighborhood, but Sukhumvit is just a 5 minute subway trip... I like the Thai areas, because, well I love Thailand and Thai people, and much cheaper to live here LOL, rent and food... I know the pub you are referring to, Dubliner, annd I go there and Molly Malone's sometimes for a pint of Guinness... There are 2 or 3 other Irish pubs around but i haven't been to those... I don't go out to clubs much any more, though, just Saxophone at Victory Monument, and I used to go to the tom-dy pub on RCA but not often any longer, it has changed a lot since a guy began managing it...

If you are in BKK again we will have to meet for a pint together

[graceinbangkok]

Originally Posted by mariamma

Hiya Grace,
I spent a year in Thailand in 1994 and loved it! Best food, charming culture. I love how the women hang out and get intimacy from other women and men with other men. It is not an idyllic society of course. I don't they exist anymore. But I also loved that they were never colonized and had great pride and traditions.
Welcome to the Planet and eat some really good sum tom or tom kha or kang gai with green peppercorns (my fav!) for me. Nothing in the States tastes as wonderful as Thai street food!

Mariamma thank u for the welcome, and I agree nothing in the US tastes so good as Thai street food, lol I even have a photo album on my FB page of nothing but food. I have developed a real taste for spicy food and bplaa rah in the 3 years I have been here, thai tend to be shocked when i order somtam puu bplaa rah or som tam korat, LOL, and I love laab (the spicy minced meat salads)in all it's forms... there is a vendor in my soi that adds liver to the laab she makes, so delicious....

Thailand is not idyllic I agree, but it gets close... Few people really judge you, and I am a pretty open person, not about every aspect of my life but most. I volunteer sometimes at the government's Public Relations Department and I was attending an event about the new ASEAN economic integration plan. A reporter asked me what I like abt Thailand, and I said i love Thai culture (in Thai).... My friend told me later she was afraid I was going to say "Chan rak tomboy Thai" (I love Thai tomboys) and laughed... When we went to Chiang Mai they were pointing out all the handsome toms to me I feel comfortable in Thailand being me,... that said... it can also be discouraging sometimes, especially for a foreigner... I have a lot of good friends, but it is hard to have relationships (my experience but maybe that is just me LOL)... I love it here though... Street food, people, everything...

[graceinbangkok]

To Always, Little Fish, Lady Di, and Luciouskiwi, thank you all for the welcome

[SimpleAlaskanBoy]

If you ever come back to Ohio, swing by the first capital (hint hint)
just kidding...I've always wanted to visit Bangkok and Hong Kong but until I finance my top surgery and am able to have a passport with my true gender I find that it will just be a rather uncomfortable experience for me.
It's great to have members from all over the world and from all kinds of backgrounds. I can't eat Thai food like I used to before I got my gallbladder out. Maybe if I had a lot of stomach meds with me, first!
So welcome and we hope you enjoy it here!
~SAB & daisy

[graceinbangkok]

Originally Posted by thedivahrrrself

Welcome!

I hope you enjoy the planet. If you have any questions about anything, feel free to private message just about anybody. We're a friendly bunch!

What do you do in Bangkok?

Hi Diva, I hope I will also...

Right now, I just volunteer when needed at the Thai government Public Relations Department and some free tutoring in English for friends and their friends lol... Other than that nothing... I visited Thailand several times and after last "vacation" heer I went back and took early retirement... Sometimes I kick myself for that because of the big cut in my annuity, and the fact I still had sizeable debt, but then I reflect... the debt is being whittled down, I am free in life, it isn't expensive to live in Thailand and the living is comfortable, and i'm pretty happy in most regards.. What more can I ask for and what better place to live...

Life is pretty good

[graceinbangkok]

Originally Posted by SimpleAlaskanBoy

If you ever come back to Ohio, swing by the first capital (hint hint)
just kidding...I've always wanted to visit Bangkok and Hong Kong but until I finance my top surgery and am able to have a passport with my true gender I find that it will just be a rather uncomfortable experience for me.
It's great to have members from all over the world and from all kinds of backgrounds. I can't eat Thai food like I used to before I got my gallbladder out. Maybe if I had a lot of stomach meds with me, first!
So welcome and we hope you enjoy it here!
~SAB & daisy

Alaskanboy, great to hear from an Ohioan, Ohio would likely be where I end up if I came back to the US (longshot except to visit LOL),....

Have you looked at options here for top surgery. I have a friend from Singapore here who had top surgery this past year, and testosterone is pretty easy to get here I think. Too, the current administration I think allows changes on passports in gender based on a letter from your therapist.

LOL, if u do come hear, remember "mai ao paeht" not spicy, though the Thai definition of "not spicy" and the farang definition may be at odds ....

Thank you for the welcome and I hope one day I can welcome you to Thailand or to Northern China or both...

Grace

[Ciaran]

Originally Posted by graceinbangkok

Ciaran, I live out in a Thai neighborhood, but Sukhumvit is just a 5 minute subway trip... I like the Thai areas, because, well I love Thailand and Thai people, and much cheaper to live here LOL, rent and food... I know the pub you are referring to, Dubliner, annd I go there and Molly Malone's sometimes for a pint of Guinness... There are 2 or 3 other Irish pubs around but i haven't been to those... I don't go out to clubs much any more, though, just Saxophone at Victory Monument, and I used to go to the tom-dy pub on RCA but not often any longer, it has changed a lot since a guy began managing it...

If you are in BKK again we will have to meet for a pint together

I used to love that bar at RCA - it was great fun and, if I recall correctly, it was open most or all nights of the week. I met some great friends there back in the mid 2000s but haven't been back to it since 2007.

There was another bar / club that opened in 2006 or so and, at the time, it was owned by the same woman who owned the RCA one. Forgot the name but it began with S and had a slightly older crowd. It was good fun too.

I'd like to go back to Bangkok and also to some of the lesser known Thai islands (I loved Phuket until it got incredibly busy and touristy) but am not sure if I will get the opportunity as, although I still travel to Asia, I now travel to the Philippines. Metro Manila has some strong similarities, and differences, with Bangkok.

[graceinbangkok]

Originally Posted by Ciaran

I used to love that bar at RCA - it was great fun and, if I recall correctly, it was open most or all nights of the week. I met some great friends there back in the mid 2000s but haven't been back to it since 2007.

There was another bar / club that opened in 2006 or so and, at the time, it was owned by the same woman who owned the RCA one. Forgot the name but it began with S and had a slightly older crowd. It was good fun too.

I'd like to go back to Bangkok and also to some of the lesser known Thai islands (I loved Phuket until it got incredibly busy and touristy) but am not sure if I will get the opportunity as, although I still travel to Asia, I now travel to the Philippines. Metro Manila has some strong similarities, and differences, with Bangkok.

There were two clubs on RCA, EFun (with a double female symbol and the slogan "Extreme Fun for Ladies") which closed a couple of years ago, and Zeta which is still open but IMHO been ruined by the new management, which in opinion is very sexist. There is a new club called Diva where EFun used to be but when i went it was not very exciting. The new owner of Zeta is modeling it more along a gay club. Before the staff was all-female, and no men allowed - last time I went they had men working the door and as deejays (Diva did as well, though) and I saw one guy inside at a table. so changing. I complained about the the increased number of men working there and was old "women cannot manage" and "women steal" - after that they are on my crap-list and if my friend quits working there I won't go any more...

There is a club called Lick too, but a bit hard to find. The tom-dee group Lesla will have a party next month at a bar on Phaholyothin, hope it will continue. And there was a farang oriented party on Sukhumvit but I think the organizers are a bit burnt out...

The woman you mentioned, was it Dee Lesla (I'm sure not her real name)? She is behind the current Lesla group, and maybe was before... I believe she has ran some clubs in the past but not sure which ones. Given that there is such a huge gay male scene here in Bangkok, I don't know why so few lesbian ones.

Hopefully my pub/cafe idea will see fruition after my financial obligations are all taken care of. I got the idea after watching the South Korean drama "Daughters of Club Bilitis" - want a place for all ages, Thai, Farang and others, but women only ... maybe have some speakers (Allison Bechtel would be my dream LOL), TVs showing LGBT movies, a small bookshop, and maybe try to put out a newsletter. I am thinking I can do it in about 4 years if I can break even or lose only a minimal amount...

Or maybe I am just a dreamer LOL...

[mariamma]

Oh I lovelovelove Laab gai, ahan pet choop makh! I'm missing Thailand and Thai food so much right now. I bet the Thai people appreciated your comment. Maybe I'll win the lottery and join you for dinner one night. lol

Originally Posted by graceinbangkok

Mariamma thank u for the welcome, and I agree nothing in the US tastes so good as Thai street food, lol I even have a photo album on my FB page of nothing but food. I have developed a real taste for spicy food and bplaa rah in the 3 years I have been here, thai tend to be shocked when i order somtam puu bplaa rah or som tam korat, LOL, and I love laab (the spicy minced meat salads)in all it's forms... there is a vendor in my soi that adds liver to the laab she makes, so delicious....

Thailand is not idyllic I agree, but it gets close... Few people really judge you, and I am a pretty open person, not about every aspect of my life but most. I volunteer sometimes at the government's Public Relations Department and I was attending an event about the new ASEAN economic integration plan. A reporter asked me what I like abt Thailand, and I said i love Thai culture (in Thai).... My friend told me later she was afraid I was going to say "Chan rak tomboy Thai" (I love Thai tomboys) and laughed... When we went to Chiang Mai they were pointing out all the handsome toms to me I feel comfortable in Thailand being me,... that said... it can also be discouraging sometimes, especially for a foreigner... I have a lot of good friends, but it is hard to have relationships (my experience but maybe that is just me LOL)... I love it here though... Street food, people, everything...

[Beloved]

The Planet is a great place. Hope you like it!