Paradise of sun, sand, and a lack of judgmental stares
- Source: Global Times
- [21:09 January 26 2010]
- Comments
By Michael Knapp
We boarded the plane in freezing Beijing wearing jackets, and then got off a few hours later, looking pretty silly dressed for winter in the heat of Bangkok. Weather isn't the only thing different in Thailand, a favorite vacation destination for both Chinese and foreigners living in China.
In the touristy seaside town of Hua Hin I would have looked almost out of place if my wife wasn't Asian. I haven't counted, but it looks like cross-cultural couples outnumber same-culture ones.
Actually I did count couples one day at lunch. In that restaurant mixed couples really did outnumber same-culture ones. My wife is Chinese but tourists in Thailand just think she's one of the locals, although she's prettier than the others there.
In Beijing even though we're seeing more and more Chinese with Western spouses and boy or girl friends, some people still stare as if we were from Mars. Not so in Thailand, especially Hua Hin. It's a cross-cultural couples' paradise!
Another unique feature is the absence of age-related prejudice. Not only are young and old swimming, playing and eating together, many of the cross-cultural couples have huge age gaps.
In fact, nobody stares at Western men, even above retirement age, with local girlfriends or wives young enough to be their granddaughters.
In many countries, people would really frown on this. But in Hua Hin, nobody seems to notice.
It's not for me to judge them, even if they look different from what I'm used to seeing elsewhere. Perhaps some of the local girls are just looking for rich foreigners. And I wouldn't be surprised to discover some of these older men have wives back home.
And, it's even likely a few of the gals hanging on the arms of Western seniors are being paid for their time. But many of the couples I have seen in Thailand look very legitimate. Some even have kids.
Although some older Western men just take advantage of a chance to be seen with a younger local girl, it's not for me to say they don't have real love, and as weird as these couples may appear in the eyes of some, there's no moral basis for condemning them.
