Don't Touch My Hair!!!! NO PICTURES PLEASE!!!

I went to Thailand back in March with my gal pals, even though Southeast Asia (or any part of Asia) wasn't yet on my travel radar (I wanna see Africa first...I'm African!). Honestly, I'm not that picky about travel, if someone suggests a place I've never been, I'm usually DTF (down to fly,lol). We started talking about going to Thailand Easter 2015, we actually got serious about it January 2016 and bought tickets not too long after the new year. The goal was to plan our trip around attending the Full Moon Party on Koh Phangan which would be our final stop before heading home...And so our journey began!

Me, Steph, "Tiggs", Savoyé, Patty

Passports ready, we set off for Thailand, with a layover in Taipei. Our first stop, Bangkok "not bangkitty". After about 4 days of temple hopping, we planed it to Krabi, an hour or so after that our ferry arrived in Koh Phi Phi (pee-pee) the land of parties and beaches. Insert ferry ride back to Krabi 3 days later to catch a plane to Koh Samui, our actual final destination. The Full Moon Party which is an all nighter (7p- 7a) is on Koh Phangan, about a 30 minute speed boat ride from Koh Samui.


Before I get into the hairy scary I should mention, Thailand was an amazing experience!! the food was delicious, the sights were breathtaking & the culture was rich. I should also mention China Airlines is probably one of my favorite airlines to date, we were very well taken care of. This post isn't about all that though, this post is about why in 2016 black people with ethnic hairstyles can't travel without being treated like museum exhibits.

This is how I wore my hair while in Thailand...

Maya Bay- Bound

Bangkok, Thailand

Me & My Aunt Josepha in France

This type of protective styling is called crotchet braiding my natural hair is nicely tucked away and protected up under there. This look has become very popular in the states amongst black women. Now, whether or not you live in the states, or you live someplace where you're exposed to people of color, in 2016 no matter where you live on earth, should  anyone be so amazed at seeing black skin or black hair to the point of picture taking. Not only have I had this experience with strangers wanting to touch my hair or take my picture, but my friends and relatives have had indistinguishable encounters. My aunt who wears dreadlocks  and is a dancer has run ins frequently in Asian countries and my friend who just visited Australia had an encounter there.

Golden Buddha Temple

I'll be the first to admit that taken the size of my Thai-do (big hair don't care) I did stand out, but I wouldn't call it a spectacle. From the time we arrived in Thailand, people would reach out and pet my head and others would walk towards me arms stretched ready to go in for a feel.  I got to the point where I would walk in between my friends so they could shield me from curious hands. Then there was the picture taking... some people would secretly take my picture others would ask. One of my earlier encounters at a Thai temple was with an Indian looking man who innocently asked to take my picture after we'd asked him to take our group's picture. I posed for the picture and thought later, and the thought was who was that guy?what's he going to do with a picture of me (a stranger to him)? After that I stopped obliging when asked. There was a woman on Maya Bay who had her husband ask me if she could take a picture with me...I politely said no, they were cool and walked back over to their spot on the sand. By the time we arrived in Koh Samui, you could've stuck a fork in me, cause I was done and by the time the Full Moon Party rolled around all I wanted to do was wear my hair up and get lost in the crowd.

Koh Samui, Thailand

While in Koh Phi Phi we asked a Danish couple staying in our hotel what the fascination was? The only answer they could give was that they only see black people or  black people with interesting hair on TV so to see us and our hair in real life awes them and they love it! I remember being a kid and being told not to stare, it makes me wonder if that's taught in other cultures...doesn't seem so. Here's a sistagirl hair 101 tip: look but don't touch and don't stare. European hair very different from my own hair, but even as a kid I'd never stare let alone as an adult.

While I'm at it, I should mention Egypt, the entire country, on the continent of Africa has a huge problem similar to this but that's more of a racial bias issue and a post for another day.

My mom in Aswan, Egypt getting stares from locals

When I go on vacation I think of it as an opportunity to bring out my alter ego, my Sasha Fierce, "Cachaça". The best way I know how to do that is by changing my hair, unfortunately my fellow humans got me "feeling like an animal with these cameras all in my grill"

Bangkok, Thailand

Salvador de Bahia, Brazil

NaY