Then there's boys who are girls...

That's the problem. As time has gone by and advancements in cosmetic surgery have improved, it's become very difficult to spot the boys from the girls and the Ladyboy - also there's the Katoey, the one who has gone the whole way and been to the surgeon It's certainly not as easy as it used to be. 

Thailand has two things going for it when it comes to boys who want to be girls 

The country is home to the world's finest transgender surgeons, who mostly work out of Phuket. Not only are the best surgeons based there, but The World's most respected transgender surgeon, Dr Kunaporn, performs his magic reconstructive surgery at the Phuket Bangkok Hospital. 

His expertise doesn't come cheap but there are people who will pay enormous sums to get what they want, and that is sometimes to be as the best looking female as possible. 

The second strange thing about Thailand is that is has a very high percentage of females compared with males, and that leads to a high number of people who are sort of 'in between' – the third sex. Look at any cosmetics counter in a department store, and you wouldn't be absolutely sure if the person behind the counter is male or female. 

Spotting the Katoey is often down to gut instinct and often it's the initial immediate response: 

"She looks too good to be true" 

That is often the case. A tall leggy brunette in stilettos, dressed to kill and waltzing along for all to admire is often a Ladyboy. 

They tend to have an exhibitionist nature so they love to have people look at them. I see three girls every day at the Lad Phrao MRT station, presumably on their way to work. 
They spend most of their waiting time on the station platform pruning them selves, and making sure everything is in order. They love the attention they get. 

To be absolutely certain there is only one way, but that isn't always the most attractive option. 

If there's some doubt and you are a fully heterosexual guy who is really only interested in the real and original thing, then there are a few pointers: 
 

1. The shoulders: Men's shoulders are square (generally) and noticeably wider than the rest of the body 

2. The feet: A Ladyboy will want to wear the sexiest shoes – what female doesn't ? But just take a look at the size!! 

3. The Adam's apple: but that is now being rearranged by the surgeons 

4. The straight, or angled wrist, but difficult to spot. Men's wrists are straight 

5. The voice is the biggest giveaway, so listen carefully to your host. Ladyboys are very adept at disguising the voice, but it is one small giveaway – a bit gruff? 

6. The way to walk. There's often an exaggerated swing of the hips to compensate for the fact that their hips aren't as wide as they should be and that skirt which finishes just below the waist - well say no more! At the end of the day it can be very difficult, and I have been told that some guys reckon the finest oral sex ever performed was by a Ladyboy, not a girl. 

Worth a try? 

Be careful, not only from STD's, but some of the most scary stories of Bangkok and Pattaya revolve around the transgender scene. 

Muggings by associates, robbery and spiked drinks all seem to involve the boys who want to be girls. 

I heard of one Japanese guy who lost some 150,000 Baht and everything he owned in a Bangkok hotel. 

I don't have a lot of sympathy because anyone who carries that amount of cash around and then invites someone to his room (and then apparently left the individual there whilst he popped out to the 7-11), deserves to get rolled. 

But I will always remember one of my earliest times in Bangkok, when out on a trawl with my co workers . 

I was hopelessly unknowledgeable, and as I I looked over at a real stunner, I said to one the more experienced guys I was with 

"Just look at her, absolutely gorgeous" I think I described as "Amazonian" 

"Yes", he agreed, "and she's a bloke"