Sometimes I refer to Thailand/Bangkok as the Twilight Zone. Meaning the normal rules of the world just don’t apply sometimes. Let me highlight for you a few examples to justify my position on this.
Elivs. In any other part of the world if someone were to walk around dressed like a non-performing Elvis look a like he would usually attract some level of attention. In fact the Lan Kwai Fong (the famous nightlife spot for expats with too much money and arrogant Chinese girls looking for rich boyfriends) area of Central Hong Kong is home to an Elvis impersonator who makes his living by singing off-key Elvis songs using the same melody coupled with 3-4 different lyrics from famous Elvis songs. Both the locals and the expats always get a kick when he walks by. I usually paid him just to go away since I truly loved Elvis and cannot handle a HK Chinese pretending to look like my idol. Back to my point. I was hanging in the Soi 7 beergarden yesterday reading the IHT and nursing my diet coke when I spotted him – an Elvis impersonator not in an Elvis outfit but dressed to kill none the less. You can picture it. Jet black hair with the big scoop in the front married to a huge set of lambchops that seemed to reach down to his ankles. He was wearing some sort of white alligator skin half boot/half dress shoe shoe. Hell if I know what to call them-sansaboots? He was wearing black polyester sansabelt pants – yes you know the kind but it was the shirt that really got me. It was a polyester, somewhat see through, white shirt with a black leopard print pattern. Yes – long sleeve with a big collar. Remember it is hot in Bangkok right now and Soi 7 beergarden only has fans. Just the hint of seeing his naked torso underneath was enough to remind me that today was not the day to have my first meal at Soi 7. Ever been to Vegas? You know those cheap ass big black goldrimmed glasses you can pick up on the street so you too can look like Elvis – he was wearing those. Indoors. What a sight. But given that Bkk is the Twilight Zone and even further to the point that the Soi 7 beergarden is the heart of it – no one gave the guy a second glance. In fact he was getting so little attention that he started talking like Elvis and even waving to the disinterested crowd like he was greeting his fan base before a concert. I almost fell off my stool. Elvis gets no love. 😉