A crowd of teenagers ran past us screaming in that way only a hoard of young girls can do. They ran infront of us and stopped, panting heavily, not from the exhaustion but because they were about to get a glimpse of the new star of Korean Idol, a fact that was as yet unknown to us. A black van with tinted windows pulled up on the road beside us and the girls surged forward, provoking the staitioned police to blow their whistles and hold back the growing throngs of young asian girls. A young man stepped out of the car and the screams of adulation increased. He walked forwards then to the joy of all he turned and waved.
When things settled down a bit we asked two young girls holding posters who they were there to see, they gushed a few names, then revealed to us there laminated posters. A handsome young man smiled back form the shiny surface, a headset attached to his wavy black hair. MOst of the words on the poster were in Thai, but beneath these it read in bold black type, 'THE GREAT SINWAN'.
It was the Guy Sebastian of Asia and we had glimpsed him. Exciting stuff.
On the bus back to Bangkok I met Loren, from Holland and later her friend Emily from the UK. We found a triple room to cut back costs and had been shopping on Khao San Road when we had witnessed this Idol mania.
After sneaking into a hotel pool and enjoying the respite form sweltering Bangkok I met up with the girls. We had decided to find a lady boy caberet show. The tuk tuk drivers said we had to go to Patpong, an area of Bangkok I have never visited on my many times here. The communication was a bit limited with the driver telling us he would take us to a ping pong show, said in such an innocent way it almost sounded like he was taking us to a table tennis tournament. We said no, we want to see lady boy caberet. Ahhh. he replies- all the while flying through the nearly deserted streets of Bangok- lady boy on lady boy, sex show. Nooo, we cry lady boys dancing. This confuses him as he stops to call friends. We arrive in Patpong already worried about what we were getting ourselves into. He passes us to a friend who leads in confusing circles before depositing us outside a club called 'Boy Screw', shocked we peer in the door to see a row of men in white underwear parading on stage. We shake our heads and say no Lady Boy caberet, please. Another Thai had joined our little expedition and he laughs saying that is something he too would enjoy and we all head off again. We soon reach a club named Super Pussy, still unconvinced we are herded up the steps and made to sit. We had arrived at a ping pong show. The girls (and Lady boys) swarmed us before we had a chance to point out the mistake. The man who took us to the show was behind us, silently waiting for his 'tip', the club hostess was hounding us for money to see the show and the many girls around us were asking us to buy them coca cola. We gave up, paid the hostess some money after bargaining down the price and the girls soon lost interest in us as a group of middle aged men arrived and had been seated at the podium and the whole charade began again, this time for them.
We stayed for one drink and witnessed the ping pong show. My favourite was the disinterested girl who swayed to the front of the stage, bent forward and little by little extracted a flower garland. Her bored face of course being the most interesting part.
Another interesting night in Bangkok. Time to move on.
