I remember one night many years ago, it was my last night in Asia, and l was sleeping in a 200 bht ($7) room which was more like a cupboard with a fan. But on my last night l was reminiscing of how far l had come, both physically & figuratively. When l saw written on the wall, a farewell from a British girl, dated the year before, on her last night in Bangkok. Her words echoed what was bouncing around in my head & l felt strangely connected to the stranger on the wall. She was silently thanking SE Asia for all the love & laughs she had shared, all the challenging experiences she had encountered, all the life-long friendships she had forged and how Asia had changed her forever. She was leaving Bangkok a better & stronger person. And she was overwhelmed by mixed emotions. She was expressing her deep sadness to leave the comfort that she had created & become accustomed to in her 'life on the road,' She was fearful of returning to the real world, finding a job and settling into suburban mediocrity. She wondered if her family & friends would recognise the capable woman she'd become. She wondered if she would fit back into Britain at all. She promised to return to Asia one day & volunteer.
I wonder if she did. She signed it with just her first name, 'Becky' and a date. I have no idea how old she was but she had been travelling alone like me and l felt every word she expressed. She was probably half my age & from a continent on the opposite of the world. But that night, without her knowing it, she spoke to me. And presumably to many others though there was no comments left nor any 'likes'. If technology & social media had been available then, l doubt that she would have written on the wall. But I'm glad that she did write that night and l will never forget it.
My first night on Khao San Road in 2005, l arrived in the wee hours and was scared witless to walk outside of my hotel and find something to eat. The street was shutting down and there was such a grotty, seedy feeling about the place. What was l doing here?
Now, 9 years later, l love it. I love seeing the locals cleaning up after yet again, another messy but profitable night on Khao San Road. Westerners are staggering blindly back to their beds, some are helped by friends, some are being lead by ladies of the night or lady-boys. More tourists are arriving and some are departing. There always seems to be some kind of constant movement on Khao San Toad, it's definitely a street that never sleeps.
I have a favourite cocktail bar that sets up in the evenings in Rambuttri, sellin $2 mojitos & $1 beers. The bartender remembers me, "Not too much sugar" she says. lm not sure if that is a good thing or a poor reflection of me and how many mojitos l have consumed there.
I enjoy the nightly neon circus of Khao San Road in which everyone is a performer, hawkers & punters alike. People from all over the world, dressed in the same backpacking uniform of elephant pants & singlets, are sucking down buckets of vodka & red bull or eating fried scorpions on sticks while haggling for a faux Rolex and cheering on a busker poorly impersonating Lady Ga Ga.
And the more conventional someone is on arrival, the more extroverted they seem to become on Khao San Road. Fake tattoos, fake dreadlocks, fake identities are all available to temporarily conceal conservatism.
Some holiday-makers sometimes never leave the confinement of the bars of Khao San Road. Consuming only 'safe' burgers & fries, never embracing the culture and then go home bragging about their trip to Thailand. Their memories blurred by buckets of booze.
Then there are those that stay 5 star, prefer to eat in-house so 'you know what you're getting' and visit the Royal Palace for their only cultural encounter. These tourists adore the Thai people & their service and get severely screwed over at the markets without ever knowing it.
We are all the same same but different.
Khao San Road may not be Thailand at all, there is no evidence of its beautiful culture. But it definitely is an eye-opening place to be culture shocked and the perfect place to kiss Asia goodbye.
KHAO DAN ROAD BY DAY & NIGHT
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