About the ladies of Chiang Mai

The ladies of Chiang Mai are super mysterious sexy exotic creatures and they really make this city tick! With few exceptions they're charming, friendly, beautiful and hard-working. They will work at any job and I'm convinced that without them, the city would grind to a halt. Thailand has a reputation for it's beautiful women, and most of them seem to be here. Many are students at the universities, studying hard for their degrees and doing various jobs in their spare time, as students do the world over.

You've probably heard some lurid stories about Thai girls and there's no doubt some of them are true. However, these cause a lot of misconceptions. As in most countries, the vast majority of women are educated and well brought up, enjoy a laugh and a joke, love to banter and chat and are usually curious about farangs (Westerners). As is human nature, they're mostly looking for romance and a good life and who can blame them?

Of course, some of them work as bar girls and each has her individual set of values and standard of behaviour. Don't assume however, that all bar girls are professionals. Many are married with children and work part time. They just want to chat and keep you company. They earn commission on drinks that you buy and this is very often a major source of income for them. If you're looking for a bar girl, well Chiang Mai has plenty of these happy to entertain you.

At the same time, it's always best to keep an eye on your drinks. Chiang Mai is probably one of the safest cities in the world but, very occasionally, a rotten apple is found in the barrel and then a tourist loses his wallet or something.

Just a word about the famous 'Lady Boys' of Thailand. Many lady boys are very beautiful and it's sometimes hard to tell the difference. Be attentive and try not to make any silly mistakes. 

Many western men fall for Thai women, marry and live happily ever after and if you're looking for romance, well, Thai ladies seem to favour westerners.

These are not actual pictures of Chiang Mai girls, but stock pictures used to illustrate the point.

Warning - check this out!

Thai culture dictates that if you marry a Thai girl, a dowry should be paid to her parents. The size of the dowry gives 'face' to the girl's family. Depending on the circumstances of the parents, this dowry may be returned later, but check this out before tying the knot. Younger Thais are also expected to look after their elderly parents, so don't be surprised to find that you've married the whole family and are sometimes expected to support them.