Khan San Road

 We acquired our rooms, showered (Halleujah!) and got some much needed sleep, all 3 zzzzing through alarms. I’ve been to sardine and energy packed Times Square. A 10 minute walk from our hotel is Khao San Road, made famous in the di Caprio movie, The Beaches. It’s a 3 block area where young backpackers, wanderers, nomads, “gypsies, tramps and thieves” gather due to cheap hostels, bars, dope and erotic pleasures. I felt quite the senior citizen pushing through the crowds of teens and twenty somethings. This night there were perhaps more tourists than “hippies”. Although the scene has been somewhat gentrified, we were advice to be aware of pickpockets, drunks and scammers. Many well to do tourists were getting leg/foot massages. Street vendors receive a shout out for concocting delicious looking food (well some not so delicious looking fried snakes on a stick) on small carts and tables. Or setting up souvenir, clothing and perhaps less than legal wares. It was a different assault on our senses than The Flower Market. A walk through for an hour was sufficient. An example of a bad-ass culture transforming into tourist Mecca. Not the high-end commerce of corporate Times Square. Rather a more common citizen/entrepreneur edgy enterprise  

We returned to our quiet street and enjoyed a delightful patio meal. My Pad Med Na-Nuang of stir fried chicken with cashews, dried chili jam, baby corn, carrots and onion spirals perfectly spiced was a perfect way to end the day.