My Initiation into the Backpacking Underworld
Over the past few months I’ve been getting disapproving looks from people when I say I’m a backpacker, yet have never been to Bangkok. A few times people have even started stories only to trail off with “Oh, you’ve never been, I forgot…”
Well, I’m finally in the club.
I was expecting big things when I arrived on Khao San Road, the backpacker ‘ghetto’ of Bangkok. A traveller I spoke to in Malaysia said she could only stick it for about 10 minutes and had to get away. Other bloggers have described it as the scariest place they’ve ever seen. This guy had me more than a little nervous. I was expecting a dark gloomy alley where people get to and from their hotel as quickly as possible – like my old haunt, Stuart Lane in Calcutta.
When the swish air-conned bus rolled up everyone seemed to know we’d arrived before the driver sighed, “Yea, this is Khao San, off you go”. He must be pretty tired of stopping at all the other stops, knowing no one gets off until the last one. The whole way from Bangkok’s wonderful airport (I’ll be getting photos on the way back) all we’d seen were clean streets and organised high-ways. Next to that, Khao San looked like a music festival.
After dark the street is closed to traffic and the restaurants pull their tables on to the street. There are stalls along the sides and people in funny costumes selling puppets on a straing. 90s pop music blares from restaurants advertising english breakfasts and I’m guessing all the neon signs use as much electricity in a few days as the average Irish village would in a year. And in the middle of all the fun there’s a guy playing classical music on his cello.
After finding a bed I went in search of food. As I was waiting a guy tried to sell me lasers and lighters, and one gadget that was both! The one he was really pushing was the naked lady one. I sat there as he beamed the laser, which was a full colour naked woman, all over my table. Starngle enough I did not purchase that one.
Even more tempting were the driving licenses on sale. Having never managed to get one the old fashioned way I thought 30 Euro was a great bargain. But I resisted…
First big difference I noticed between Thailand and Malaysia was that in the latter, the Tiger Beer ladies, who go around filling glasses, were wearing a a smart pants and shirt outfit. That wouldn’t do in Thailand; they each wore a figure hugging mini dress when pouring the beer. Now I know why all my male friends love this place.
The next morning Khao San was a different sort of place. Cars were moving and the stalls had moved in. I went sightseeing while waiting for the party to restart.
I wandered around, looking at the many Buddhist temples. Those buildings sure know how to redefine the word ornate. I was looking at a statue, wondering if I could take a photo or not when a lady came rushing over to me. Rather than tell me to put the camera away she launched into the history of the statue and how it was built to commerorate the king, who they all love apparently. We walked around to the back, I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to follow her but I did anyway and she brought me to a temple, which was fairly well hidden. I think that’s the best thing about travelling solo; people have no problem coming up to me and starting a random conversation. We entered the temple and she showed me how to bow. She loved the idea of me taking photos of everything, even got me to pose for a few cheesy ones with Buddha.
We sat in the temple for an hour while the monks in their orange robes hoovered and polished around us. She kept drifting off into into her native language every now and then before she remembered to stick to english. After a while she seemed to think it best I just learned Thai so she gave me a short lesson. As there was no way I was getting to grips with the script in one day she said the words and got me to write it as I think it would be written in my alphabet.
Later we went out to the taxi rank and she got me to practice my Thai, every word of which I had forgotten. She got me a three-wheeled tuk-tuk for 2 hours for the same price I had paid for a short trip. At every monument and temple someone started telling me the story behind it. and what I should do there; at one I had to chose between health, career and love and could ask the Buddha to help me out with one. Not saying which one I chose!
Impression after one day: Thai people are friendly!!
Tags: Khao San Road, Thailand
cybersusst
i love khao san road, my mom and i went there after our trip to ayutthaya and it’s the kind of chaos that keeps me going, it’ really like a carnival and there a great bargains for shopping,