Is She or Isn't She?

It proudly billed itself as 'The original transvestite cabaret show', so how could we not go? I've been told that not going to Tiffany's when in Pattaya is like going to Paris and not visiting the Eiffel Tower. I'm not sure they're quite the same thing but I certainly didn't want to miss out on an entire evening of marvelling at how a man could look so much like a woman. And besides, Thailand is famous for it ladyboys. On the whole, Thai society is far less disparaging towards transvestites and transsexuals than the West, with the result that many live openly, and proudly, as such. There are a great number in Pattaya, and it's often hard to tell them apart from genuine women. The majority of them are slim with smooth skin and glossy hair but they are peacocks - they love showing off and flaunt their femininity in everything they do, from the way they dress to their effeminate mannerisms. So, that beautiful girl sashaying down the pavement, swinging her hips from side to side and grinning and winking at every man she passes, is probably a transvestite, or kathoey.

When you consider all this, Tiffany's really is a must-see for any visitor to Pattaya, which is something the city's tourist board has obviously milked for all its worth considering the sheer number of coaches in the car-park, disgorging its passengers like products on a factory belt. Most of the coaches also managed to turn up late, meaning that the first ten minutes of the show was spent getting up to let people pass down the row and craning our necks to see the stage between the bodies of late-comers sauntering in with their brightly coloured, e-number packed sodas. The theatre is a gaudy looking building, designed to resemble a palace (but one which was built on a tight budget), complete with white columns and lit up like a Christmas tree - I'm sure the Russians love it. The show itself was pretty ordinary -the dancing was amateurish and it was all mimed, however the costumes and set design were rather spectacular, as were the ladyboys themselves. Some were really quite beautiful. And I suppose that is the point of such a show - it's a spectacle and everything was purposefully over-the-top. You don't go to a transvestite cabaret show to watch world-class dancing and singing after all.