One night in Bangkok (well two actually!)

I have been too Bangkok more times than I wish to recall. Somehow it is impossible for me to travel in Southeast Asia without multiple pitstops in Bangkok. But I do have to admit that I love the guilty pleasures that Khao San Road has to offer.

Pancakes with bananas and chocolate are one of Khao San's indulgences

For those who haven't been to Bangkok, Khao San Road is a strange place to describe. In the middle of this hot, bustling, sweaty (did I mention hot) Asian city is this spot where backpackers from all around the world congregate. The main street is a series of ultra cheap and undeniably basic guesthouses, travel agents, internet cafes and restaurants airing the latest in pirated Hollywood blockbusters. Then outside the shops are stalls selling souvenirs and "backpacker clothing" They are the type of articles that all backpackers succumb to purchasing but would never dream of wearing at home. At night the street is closed to vehicles and makeshift bars are setup along the curbside. You can spend the evening sitting on plastic stools consuming a variety of mix drinks and watching your fellow backpackers decorate their bodies with henna tattoos.

Kirsten gets "tattooed"

Within a day on Khao San Road we were able to arrange our visas for Cambodia & Laos, buy bus tickets and even have some new minidiscs created from illegally copied cds. I was ever so happy that this was all done within a one block radius of our guesthouse because after drinking at the above mentioned curbside bars I was feeling pretty average.

In the afternoon I was feeling better so Nadine, Monkey, Kirsten and I hired a tuk-tuk to visit Wat Po. The four of us crammed into the tiny tuk-tuk swerving the streets of Bangkok was quite amusing. Wat Po is my favourite spot in Bangkok as it is the home to the giant reclining Buddha. The Buddha is massive at 46 metres long. I love wandering the grounds of the Wat as it feels so tranquil and secluded with the craziness of the city.

Nadine, Kirsten and Monkey on the Wat Po grounds

While we wandered the grounds this lady pulled us into an area and offered us incense to burn in front of the Buddha. She then insisted that we take pictures of her. The strangeness continued when she proceeded to grab Nadine's Lonely Planet and write her mother's address inside front cover. Nadine was particularily horrified since she absolutely never writes in books of any type. She considers it some sort of sacriledge. When we attempted to escape from this bizarre situation the lady claimed we owed her money for the experience. By this point we were all expecting that the entire escapade was a scam but we gave her a few baht so that we could leave relatively unscathed.

The ubiquitous Bangkok billboards near Wat Po

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