The rain delay in Ayutthaya forced us to change our plans a little. Instead of being back in Bangkok in the mid afternoon, we arrived when the sun was barely over the horizon. We took a sunset "cruise" to get to Khao San Road. The sky slowly faded black, and on came the urban lights of Bangkok that casted the shadows of the city's modernity. This was the peak traffic hour for local Thais, so the ferry was very crowded. Nevertheless the cool breeze over the river made the tight space unnoticeable. river b with a day's stress and fatigue.
Khao San Road is what I refer to as the Backpackers' HQ. On this busy pedestrian street, you'll find many backpackers from everywhere in the world. Along the side of the road are restaurants, bars, and shops. And in the middle of the road, there are small street-food vendors. I've particular good and bad experiences with spicy mangoes and coconut-mango-rice puddings - I'll let you decide which is which.
The shops on Khao San Road are far from ordinary, here you'll find all sorts of things being bought or sold, including identities. I've seen driver licenses from a few dozen countries, FBI badges, journalist passes, McGill student ID and even university diplomas. Interestingly, the dealers do not sell any Chinese-issued identifications. I wonder why...
Without the "harassment" from tailors trying to sell you a set of suit, or a masseuse ready to please you in every way imaginable, you can walk Khao San Rd. in under 7 minutes from end to end. At both ends of the street are - you guessed it - tuk-tuks. Of course, getting picked up here by a tuk-tuk driver likely means that you've just overpaid twice the amount to get to your destination.
To save a night's accommodation cost, we decided to take whichever train that's available to head south, as this will give us an advantage over the masses of travelers converging at the Full-Moon party. But with a day's accumulation of rain and sweat, mixed with the night's humidity, I was not looking forward to the long train ride. Weighing all options, I got undressed and got under a "shower" at an extremely unclean public bathroom. I slipped on a set of clean white Tees and pulled up a pair of blue jeans. I felt I was ready to take on the world.
That moment, I realized I was not only surviving; I was living.
The train left at exactly 10:45. I reflected on the images of Ayutthaya and scribbled down some thoughts for this blog. But it wasn't long before fell asleep to the rhythmic chucka-chuckas of the train wheel.
Khao San Road is what I refer to as the Backpackers' HQ. On this busy pedestrian street, you'll find many backpackers from everywhere in the world. Along the side of the road are restaurants, bars, and shops. And in the middle of the road, there are small street-food vendors. I've particular good and bad experiences with spicy mangoes and coconut-mango-rice puddings - I'll let you decide which is which.
The shops on Khao San Road are far from ordinary, here you'll find all sorts of things being bought or sold, including identities. I've seen driver licenses from a few dozen countries, FBI badges, journalist passes, McGill student ID and even university diplomas. Interestingly, the dealers do not sell any Chinese-issued identifications. I wonder why...
To save a night's accommodation cost, we decided to take whichever train that's available to head south, as this will give us an advantage over the masses of travelers converging at the Full-Moon party. But with a day's accumulation of rain and sweat, mixed with the night's humidity, I was not looking forward to the long train ride. Weighing all options, I got undressed and got under a "shower" at an extremely unclean public bathroom. I slipped on a set of clean white Tees and pulled up a pair of blue jeans. I felt I was ready to take on the world.
That moment, I realized I was not only surviving; I was living.
The train left at exactly 10:45. I reflected on the images of Ayutthaya and scribbled down some thoughts for this blog. But it wasn't long before fell asleep to the rhythmic chucka-chuckas of the train wheel.
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