..In preparing for this trip, I really would have liked to have information about how dreadlocks are perceived in the places where I am going to be visiting. Believe it or not, I couldn't find this information on the internet. I hope that by sharing my experiences in the places I am visiting, others who would like that information will be able to find it. These posts will primarily be geared towards people searching the internet for information, and not for the regular readers of this blog..
Is it hard to have dreadlocks in Thailand? Should I cut my dreadlocks before I visit Thailand? How are dreadlocks viewed in Thailand? Read on to hear about my experiences.
I traveled in Thailand for approximately two weeks. The first week was spent in Bangkok, where pretty much everything goes. I don't think my hair really drew any more attention than it does in most cities in the United States.
I did get a few funny encounters because of my hair, though. The first was with a security guard at the entrance to a mall. I walked past him and got in line at the restaurant by the door. Then I saw him coming over to me, so I naturally thought he would want to check my backpack, which is his job afterall. Instead, he reached out towards my backpack strap. I glanced down and out of the corner of my eye saw what looked like a huge bug! So then I thought, oh he's just going to pull the bug off me and we can all go about our business. Nope, wrong again. When I looked a little closer, I saw it was one of my dreads lying on my backpack strap that the guard was feeling. He sheepishly smiled at me, said something about "hair locks" and walked away.
The second encounter was not quite as humorous, but not negative in any way. At the Royal Palace in Bangkok, another tourist (I believe she was Japanese) asked me whether my hair was "true." After thinking for a second, I realized what she was asking, and responded "Yes, it is my real hair." She thanked me and we went our separate ways.
The second week was spent in ChiangMai and ChiangRai provinces, where I spent some time in small Hmong communities, talking with the teachers of schools. In these communities, I think the attention that people directed to me were as much because of my height, my skin color, and my beard as for my hair.
Bottom line - I did not have any experiences that would discourage me from having dreadlocks in Thailand.
If you have dreadlocks (or traveled with someone who does) and would like to share your experiences about Dreadlocks in Thailand, feel free to post a comment!
..Isaac..
Is it hard to have dreadlocks in Thailand? Should I cut my dreadlocks before I visit Thailand? How are dreadlocks viewed in Thailand? Read on to hear about my experiences.
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| Isaac at Phu Chi Fa waterfall in ChiangRai province. (C) Isaac and Kirstie Bickford |
I traveled in Thailand for approximately two weeks. The first week was spent in Bangkok, where pretty much everything goes. I don't think my hair really drew any more attention than it does in most cities in the United States.
I did get a few funny encounters because of my hair, though. The first was with a security guard at the entrance to a mall. I walked past him and got in line at the restaurant by the door. Then I saw him coming over to me, so I naturally thought he would want to check my backpack, which is his job afterall. Instead, he reached out towards my backpack strap. I glanced down and out of the corner of my eye saw what looked like a huge bug! So then I thought, oh he's just going to pull the bug off me and we can all go about our business. Nope, wrong again. When I looked a little closer, I saw it was one of my dreads lying on my backpack strap that the guard was feeling. He sheepishly smiled at me, said something about "hair locks" and walked away.
The second encounter was not quite as humorous, but not negative in any way. At the Royal Palace in Bangkok, another tourist (I believe she was Japanese) asked me whether my hair was "true." After thinking for a second, I realized what she was asking, and responded "Yes, it is my real hair." She thanked me and we went our separate ways.
The second week was spent in ChiangMai and ChiangRai provinces, where I spent some time in small Hmong communities, talking with the teachers of schools. In these communities, I think the attention that people directed to me were as much because of my height, my skin color, and my beard as for my hair.
Bottom line - I did not have any experiences that would discourage me from having dreadlocks in Thailand.
If you have dreadlocks (or traveled with someone who does) and would like to share your experiences about Dreadlocks in Thailand, feel free to post a comment!
..Isaac..
Cool, thanks, this is exactly what I was wondering about... :)
ReplyDeleteWow, I’m happy to read that! I have dreadlocks and I’m planning to go live in Thailand for about a year. I searched on the Internet if I could find someone to take care of my dreads while I live there (my hair grows really fast), and I read that:
ReplyDelete«While Thais are relaxed about many things and always friendly and helpful, you will find you are treated differently if you have dreadlocks in Thailand»
I was kind of scared, but now I feel better!! hehe :)
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