We had both been to Thailand before on our own trips and weren’t keen on spending too much time there, especially in Bangkok. Of course Khaosan has its way of making you stay which I had become well aware of the last time I was there. Madonna said she had stayed in a pretty nice hostel there the last time she was in town and, they had a vacancy. We booked a couple of dorm beds online and made our way to Khaosan in a taxi.
It was reasonably early in the day when we got there and as soon as we stepped out of our taxi an on to the street, all the memories or lack there of came flooding back to me. Here we were in the centre of the backpacking universe on a street like no other- littered with travellers from all over the world (in particular Europeans), street stalls, staffed by the burmese and nepalese, selling everything from Oakley’s and beats to Harvard diplomas, and the aroma of all sorts of delicious and exciting things to eat and drink.
I was anxious though. The beast within me had been brewing since friday night and I had to find refuge. We checked into the hostel, which was expensive by Bangkok standards but likely reasonable for anywhere else. None of this mattered to me though, because the toilet was absolutely pristine and I had rarely before felt such sweet relief. The both of us took a bit of a nap and decided to hit the street later for a bit of food and drink. Nothing too excessive we hoped as we planned to head for Cambodia in the morning.
First things first though, as we left the hostel, we had to book the bus to Cambodia and I had to get some passport photos for the visas. I got the pictures from a combination tattoo parlour and passport photo studio because those definitely exist all over the world, and we set off on a bit of a food tour of Khaosan and the surrounding area.
Intentional Detours 