In part two of the epic post I just started, Jennifer and I finally arrive in Bangkok. To be specific, on Khao San Road, which is more of another dimension than a street.

We jumped on an overnight bus from Vientiene and were headed straight into the depths of backpacker heaven...or hell...it's really hard to tell. After a long, although relatively comfortable bus ride, we arrived bleary eyed at five in the morning in the center of Khao San Road. The street is only about 300 meters long, but must have the highest density of bars, guesthouses, prostitutes, dreadlocks and tattoos in the world.

We fell asleep somewhere in rural Thailand and awoke in the heart of darkness. Keep in mind that it is 5:00 a.m. and that the bars are all overflowing with people. Thai girls in ultra-mini skirts patrol in packs and turn a friendly eye on anyone with 100 baht burning a hole in their pocket. Tuk tuks swarm and await fresh meat to scam with their "cheap" rides that take you everywhere except where you want to go.

We sought shelter in a quiet restaurant and had some tea as we attempted to gain some of our bearings. Before we arrived we had feared we'd have to wait around a while before the guesthouses would open and we could check in. Now seeing the hordes of people walking the streets, we could see that wouldn't be a problem. We drank tea and waited until the sun rose. With the early purifying rays of dawn, the drunk travelers and their Thai girlfriends-for-the-night all scuttled away to their cheap rooms. We found a guesthouse and actually had to wait in line as about a dozen others were also checking in.

Our room is clean and comfortable and far enough away from the main drag that we should be able to sleep at night. We're far too old for this up all night craziness. We crashed for a few hours this morning have spent most of the day doing errands like getting cash, buying goods that we've run low on and securing a used Lonely Planet guide to Myanmar, our next destination. After a month and a half of wearing the same two or three outfits, we also bought a few new pieces of clothing as washing could no longer remove the stench from our old clothes. Now instead of a model from an REI catalog, I look like a full fledged backpacker hippy with a lightweight loose shirt and baggy cotton pants. I actually fit in here, but if I return to the real world, I'll probably get my ass kicked.

We're only doing a brief visit in Bangkok. We have some more shopping to do and we're going to try and find our way to a movie theater to see a film or two...something we miss. Apart from that it is simply a day or two to recuperate and then on to the islands of southeast Thailand. And there we plan to stay...for a long time.