Back in the big smoke

I have just returned from a two-week trip to the West, my first visit in a while.

I had forgotten how white they are over there. Some are so pale they are almost translucent.

I spent most of my time in an isolated area, so saw few Asians, and no Thais.

One day in the food court of a shopping centre, I saw an Asian face. A Japanese man, he was serving at a sushi bar. That familiar skin colour...he stood out like a shining light.

He was beautiful, of course, but I doubt most of the westerners around me noticed a thing.

On the way to Singapore, my first stop, I sat next to Rain 2. I call him that, because he was so good looking. I was given an aisle seat, one of three in the middle.

The other two were occupied by Rain 2 and his girlfriend, who gave me a big smile as I approached. Surely her gaydar can't have been that good.

But try as I might to get her partner to engage in conversation, he remained sullen and quiet. At one point he seemed to be searching for a blanket. I offered him mine. 'No...I don't want,' he said in halting English.

Later I put it on his leg, and gave his knee a little pat. Still no interest. While he slept I admired his beautiful features...a striking chin, beautiful forehead line, handsome hooded eyes. At one point his girlfriend caught me looking. She didn't seem to mind.

Earlier, in the departures lounge, I sat next to a tall Chinese-looking man. He was there with his younger brother and an older man who could have been their father. I suspect Mr Tall was used to guys (and girls, no doubt) admiring him. I stole glances in the mirror wall behind us, which gave me good views of his side profile.

He knew I was watching. He knew almost the moment I sat down that I was interested. Where do men get this sixth sense?

Almost two weeks went by, all Asian-starved days (but for the momentary sighting at the sushi bar). Then, on the morning of my departure from the West, I saw a tall, handsome Thai in the queue ahead of me.

I was to share a flight with him - just one agonising row in front, as it turns out - to Singapore. I lost him on the final leg to Bangkok, before he resurfaced briefly at the airport to claim his bag. He travelled alone, and looked shy.

The woman at check-in gave me a seat next to a mixed Caucasian-Thai. He looked more Thai than farang, with a shapely jaw and pretty Thai ears.

However, his western genes had given his face a certain blandness, while his upbringing had given him a western-style brashness. The moment we were in the air, he pulled out a laptop, and started tapping away at what looked like a business letter. Shortly after he moved to another row, where the seats were unfilled.

On the flight from Singapore to Bangkok I was sandwiched between two other laptop users. One, an Asian woman, persisted in using her machine as we prepared to land, even after cabin crew told her to put it away.

An Asian guy to my right also lacked computer etiquette. As soon as dinner was over, he placed his tray on the floor of the aisle so he could resume his laptop tapping.

I expect flight attendants are used to such bad manners...they barely bat an eyelid, even when they practically trip over obstacles left in their path such as this man's dinner tray.

Back in Bangkok, a sudden wave of beautiful faces at the airport salved my irritable mood.

Here, a young guy with classical Thai looks, as good as those of any western film star, toiling unnoticed at a currency exchange desk. Over there, a handsome clutch of young airport workers with Northeastern looks, sitting in the baggage claim area.

Their relaxed demeanour makes a refreshing change from the stressful environment I left in the West.

My airport taxi asked which way we wanted to go home, then fell silent, but for one or two remarks about traffic snarl-ups. Not for him, sweeping statements about the grand vision which Bangkok's new airport presents at night. Who cares?

Still less a rant about the coup, which I am sure a westerner would have served up, had I met one at the airport instead of my boyfriend.

The airport arrivals area, where Maiyuu and I went to find our taxi back to town, was busy. In Thailand, people at work are like people having fun. Outside the airport, two women sitting at a desk found taxis for passengers, while a guy in the middle of the road whistled them over.

A young Israeli guy sat on their desk while he waited for a taxi, as the girls chatted. The scene was busy, but unflustered.

In fact, the Thais in the thick of the action - the guy with the whistle, and several others further down who were marshalling taxis into queues - were laughing.

The crowds of impatient tourists, taxis hooting and attendants tweeting on whistles are just part of the drama of a day.

Thais have a way of making order out of chaos. They can relax when all about is stress and tension. The demands of modern life leave them unmoved. Bangkok may be noisy and chaotic, but its people are serene.