Living on Khao San Road Bangkok, Thailand

Oh how I love Bangkok! I flew to warm and sunny Bangkok after a rather brutal visit to the cold and clammy city of Hanoi Vietnam. I spent a great deal of time in this fantastic bustling city, first stop was the tourist maze at Khao San Road. Like something out of a wild dream this road lights up at night with an electric chaos. Khao San is located a block from Chao Phraya River inside the Rattanakosin district of Bangkok. Backpackers and budget tourists are drawn here by some of the cheapest accomodation deals in Thailand. I found a two bed hotel room for $10 dollars a night. I had been warned by many to avoid all travel deals sold at the shops here as they are notorious for stealing your stowed belongs on route (so take note!)

The street really starts to take shape at dusk. One can find hundreds of street side food stalls with tiny plastic chairs for gobbling up your grub. Bars serve booze in buckets on the street and several signs read “We don’t check ID.” Elephants parade down the streets, wildly creative t-shirts can be purchased into the wee hours of the morning, tranny’s run up and down the street performing for the hoards. Khao San Road is such a shocker for North American and European visitors as it represents everything we were told is illegal (0r wrong) back home. Everyone’s eyes light up at the notion of drinking a bucket of booze on the side of the street for $3 dollars and petting a elephant at the same time while being hollered at by a gang of tranny queens.
The following morning I visited the capital’s most famous temples and the Royal Palace which are just a few minutes walk from this Backpacker hood. There is a strict dress code when entering the Grand Royal Palace and one needs to be particularly respectful when entering Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha). It is considered incredibly offensive to point your feet towards the Buddha so everyone sits with their feet facing the door. Pictures are not allowed so I hopped on my tippy toes outside the main window to get a peek of this famous Buddha relic.

Nearby at Wat Pho (Temple of the Reclining Buddha), home of the world’s largest reclining Buddha image and famed massage school. It is impossible to get a picture of this Buddha in one shot as it is truly massive so I tried to take a few pictures of the Buddha’s various body parts…Buddha’s feet are HUGE!.

No visit to Bangkok is complete without a visit to Khao San Road at night and a full day of lavish gold adorned temples and Palace.