I liken it to how we think of Japan as the land of ninja, samurai and tentacled robots (anime in the house!). I tell a Thai cab driver I’m from Arizona and he shoots his fingers in the air and hollers “Bang! Bang! Cowboys!” to let me know he’s familiar with the place.
As cool as it would be to sling six-shooters from the back of a bronco, it just doesn’t happen anymore. Most of the cowboys either died or moved on… to Thailand.
Holiday in Thailand
I was told that Europeans tend to holiday in Asia while Americans head to Europe. Being that I hiked up and down Thailand for two months and can count on my hand the number of Yanks I met I’ll agree.
Which makes this a pretty cool “it’s a small world” encounter…
Where cowboys go for a tropical drink
Johnny Crossdraw, cowboy movie stuntman and world champion gun slinger, moved from the States to open up his own western saloon on the island of Ko Samui.
It’s not too odd to think a desert dweller (legendary Arizona dry heat) could fall in love with a tropical island. Especially if he can bring a bit of home with him.
Now, I didn’t know any of this. I was just walking down the street having conversation with a pretty girl and mentioned I was from Arizona. A young kid sweeping the entrance way of a nearby bar heard this, runs over, and tells me I need to meet his boss who’s also from Arizona. Turns out we’re from the same stomping grounds…
Now, to give the whole story an added twist… Johnny’s buddy owns a bar in my home town called the Dirty Dogg Saloon. So, I head over there to check it out.
For some reason I look beyond the big breasted girls wearing hot pants swinging upside down from the rafters (yeah, how’d I take my eyes off of that, right?) and see a photo on the TV slideshow of two folks I also know who live nowhere near Arizona, one entirely across the country.
The world is a small place. Friends and familiar faces are everywhere.
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