Khao San

These past few days have been a blur as I went through the busy streets of Bangkok. It has been quite the different vacation altogether from Vietnam. If Vietnam were likened to a camping trip in the forest, Bangkok would be the equivalent of camping in your own backyard – all the excitement of a new world at your fingertips, yet all the comforts and pleasures of home. Just around the corner from my hostel, Mcdonald’s, Burger King, and numerous 711s await me, ready to cater to my pleasure.

Today, Khao San Road was in a festive mood. For those who are still Bangkok virgins, the famous Khao San Road is known as the backpacker’s road in Bangkok. Endless hotels and guesthouses dot the 1km street, with bars, food stalls, tailors, vendors and even your odd NLP fortune teller all trying to get a piece of the tourist action.

For the second straight day now, Khao San Road, Soi Rambuttri (Khao San Road’s quieter and more relaxed twin brother), and the main street in between have been pretty much blocked off to vehicular traffic for a celebration of Thai Culture. Named 'Smile Khao San' (if my memory serves me right), the whole section has been one stage after another with Thai performances and shows. Countless food stalls showcasing Thai food from all over lined each street from top to bottom. While Thai street food at Khao San (and in fact, the whole Bangkok) is already a marvel to begin with, today’s showing took my breath away. Between the copious amounts of Pad Thai, mango sticky rice, sausages wrapped in bacon, Chinese sausage, chicken rice, enormous fish balls, banana crepes with chocolate, extremely spicy pork, chicken wings, and even unidentified insects that I ate, I must have gained an equally copious amount of weight.

Throughout my gluttonous state however, there was one thing that I did sorely miss. For a country after whom the dish is named, there is a surprising lack of Thai Bagoong Rice in Bangkok. My favourite, too.