Is SHE Is, or Is HE Ain't My Baby?

Thailand is a favorite destination for men looking for sex change operations. Thai males, because of their small size and somewhat delicate features, seem to be easily transformed into very beautiful women - some of them are stunningly beautiful and can easily fool the most discerning heterosexual's roaming eye.

Phuket boasts a theatrical setting with an elaborate trans gender review that shows off the skills of Thai plastic surgeons. It's called Simon Cabaret and it packs the theater, three shows a night, seven days a week. It's worth the price of admission.

Honeymooners From The Homeland

We’ve enjoyed two sets of visitors over the last month – friends and relatives who filled our digs with the scent of homeland. We were somewhat apprehensive before they arrived. Thailand is not for everyone and many amenities taken for granted in the US are missing. The Thai toilet experience bears little resemblance to genteel ablutions in American bathrooms and the humidity can bear down on the uninitiated. Indeed; we lost a good deal of water pressure two days before they arrived, which meant the upstairs loo and hot shower couldn't be used. (The pressure was restored the day they left!) There is a long litany of annoyances that might bum-out a vacationer here. Fortunately, our guests adapted to the craziness of our routine quite well and we had a wonderful time.

A’s nephew and his wife stayed with us for one week of their honeymoon. Energetic and curious, they drew A into a few excursions that she hasn’t tried.

This elephant sells his work on eBay as Truncated Retro-Expressionism.

Obviously, the baby elephant isn't enjoying the kiss as much as A.

Scuba diving and sea kayaking into island caves were also on the agenda.

There was a large festival in progress at Wat Chalong, a temple close to our house.

Oddly, the yummy carnival snacks at the festival did not appeal to the honeymooners - just not into Thai cuisine, I guess.

However, the beautiful Thai ladies did appeal to the new groom and methinks his bride was happy to get his butt on a plane and out of here at the end of the week.

Saint Valentine Day 2007

Valentine’s Day is a happy occasion in Thailand. This is the second one we’ve celebrated here together. Thais love Valentine’s Day and make a rather big deal of it. It’s likely that most of them don’t realize the day began in honor of a Christian saint.

There are varying opinions as to the origin of Valentine's Day. Some experts state that it originated from St. Valentine, a Roman who was martyred for refusing to give up Christianity. He died on February 14, 269 A.D., the same day that had been devoted to love lotteries. Legend also says that St. Valentine left a farewell note for the jailer's daughter, who had become his friend, and signed it "From Your Valentine". Other aspects of the story say that Saint Valentine served as a priest at the temple during the reign of Emperor Claudius. Claudius then had Valentine jailed for defying him. In 496 A.D. Pope Gelasius set aside February 14 to honor St. Valentine.

Well, origins hardly matter. It’s wonderful to have at least one day of the year dedicated to love. It would be even better if we celebrated the 14th of every month as a day of love. (Florists would certainly support the notion.)