Ladyboy show at Kae’s Guesthouse, Chumphon

A quick overnight stay in a town called Chumphon (ชุมพร) in southern Thailand has turned into a longer stopover; the owner of the guesthouse we chose, a delightful woman named Kae, persuaded us to stay through the weekend. The reason? There was going to be a big ladyboy show Saturday night in the guesthouse’s outdoor dining area.

The ladyboys of Thailand are a well-known phenomenon: people born males but who have decided to transition, to one degree or another, into females. This can take the form of estrogen pills, adopting a woman’s name, and wearing frillier clothes, or it can eventually lead to the surgery.

Masayo and I, having just crossed over from loose but religious Malaysia four days ago, weren’t quite sure what a ladyboy show might even be. But Kae was insistent and persuasive. The place was friendly and comfy and although we were renting out its biggest and most expensive room, the price was very low.

We had noticed that several people were hanging around – a community of locals who seemed to live there, and a few others who would often visit. All types were represented: ladyboys with and without the surgery (we were told); a gay guy and his new boyfriend, a solo traveler from Europe; and straight guys and girls. They’d drink watered down whiskey at the tiny bar, chatting and laughing. It was very convivial and, of course, supremely non-judgmental. They even took Masayo and I under their wing – as foreigners, I felt like we were the odd ones out even in this lively group.

When Saturday came there was an air of anticipation around Kae’s Guesthouse. Dark had descended and there was a bigger crowd than usual – maybe 30 or 40 people scattered around the wooden tables in the concrete seating area, with one end cleared and lights set up. Kae sold beers and whiskeys to the crowd, her mysterious Burmese assistant grilled chicken and squid, and the performers dolled themselves up and prepared for the show.

The show turned out to be a few dance numbers, lip-synched to a CD-and-speaker system. Natalie, a ladyboy who was living at Kae’s but was too young to actually get the surgery, wore an angelic-blue dress and a tiara, coyly holding a feathered fan and mouthing the words to the music with a campy, winking sultriness. Her backup dancers, shirtless or wearing brassieres, spun around and clapped their hands behind Natalie in their pre-planned steps. Everyone was smiling and laughing, including the dancers; it was fun, not to be taken too seriously.

Others had their turns in the spotlight. A more morose-looking ladyboy, who people told us had had the surgery, sang along to a much sadder song. Wearing a Marilyn Monroe-esque red dress and long red gloves, she dejectedly caressed a large picture frame with a blank canvas in it set up on a chair. Finally, a topless ladyboy came out to spin around and work the crowd, even coming over the Masayo and giving her a kiss to the delight of the crowd. They finished with an ensemble lip-synch-along to a Thai version of a Japanese pop song that went, “Sayonara oh, sayonara oh”.

Following the show, there was a fire dance: two flaming balls on chains were spun around, leaving fierce orange streaks in odd ovals around the performer, whose face was lit up with the glow of the flames. Different people who had practiced this took turns, including Kae and the European traveler who, unlikely a coincidence as it may seem, had actually done this before and was very good at it. (I’d never even heard of it.)

After the fire dance came a sort of brief and chaotic water fight, though it wasn’t part of the ladyboy show per se. As we all splashed each other and giggled, Kae explained that they were going to a street party the next day involving water fights, and they were just celebrating early. She invited us to come along tomorrow, though like the ladyboy show she didn’t give any details (despite her excellent English) so it was all out of context for us.

What does one make of such a spectacle? We weren’t sure, but the vibes of the ladyboy show and of the assembled audience were so positive and fun that it was hard to resist. People can be what they want in Thailand, and at Kae’s at least, everyone is accepting and supportive of it. It wasn’t a sleazy, after-hours vibe or anything like that. No exploitation or desperation or any of the things an outsider might assume is part of this world. It was just harmless fun, dressing up and putting on a show; the well-behaved, applauding, very normal-looking local crowd was a testament to that if nothing else.

The ladyboy show was quite unlike anything we had experienced before. But it was very Thai, in its way, and the fact that so many diverse people were there to see something so unusual, and having such a good time all around, made it feel really welcoming.

We’ve liked the atmosphere of Kae’s and of the people around it, and so far Kae has been merrily inviting us to stay longer and join in the next event. And we have no set schedule; we decided to stick around and see what else might happen. Next stop: this mysterious watery street festival tomorrow.

Have you ever seen a ladyboy show?

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