White in Thailand

Being a Catholic, middle class, white male, I never once had to worry about being a minority (unless being Polish counts). Of course, now all of that has changed. Aside from the two dozen farangs living with me in gated community on the outskirts of Bangkok, white people are pretty uncommon. When we walk to the bus, little kids get really excited and shout “hello” to us. Just yesterday, three teens were sitting on a porch and just laughing at pointing at us foreigners while saying “hello” and “goodbye” over and over again.

Over the last two days I went to the Pin Klao mall for essentials (a cell phone and a Nintendo DS charger). Wadleigh noticed today that he, our friend Dennis and I are the tallest people in the mall. We’re fairly tall in the States, but here in Krung Thep (Thailand), we’re freaks. Foreigners are typically the only people that wear shorts, which is especially baffling to us considering the obscene heat. Still, we managed to see a few farangs browsing around the stores. The mall rose 5 enormous floors, and half the shops sell cell phones. This is barely an exaggeration.

Being outside of Bangkok is far cry from the city, particularly around Khao San Road (featured in the film The Beach). This place is like a seedy Disney Land, where tourists flock and the natives try their best to make money. Nearly every tourist has dreadlocks, and streets are lined with tacky trinket places, tattoo parlors and cheap accommodation. The visitors outnumber the Thais, but after just a 15 minute cab ride, I become a minority again. If you want to be the center the attention, then Thailand is the place to be.