I ahd a rough sleep last night. it wasn't the sounds from outside, but rather to my neighbours coughing fit (I'm no doc, but I'm pretty sure he had TB). I am actually glad I chose to stay at Khoa San Road. There are a lot of backpackers, but that makes it very accessible, safe (lots of petty theft, but since there are hundreds of people around all the time, it feels safer than some dark residential area) and food and drink readily accessible. KSR is like one big market. there are stalls out 24 hours a day and every door leads to a bar or restaurant. The crowd is overwhelmingly backpacker, but at night you get your fare share of Thais (mostly young ones out to party with the farangs (foreigners). The backpackers are very different to those on the East Coast of Australia, but they are just as cliche. Instead of 18 yr old british gap yearers, you have a mix of travellers bound together by their recently braided or dreaded hair and their baggy "thai stlye" pants that I have yet to see anyone but backpackers wearing. It's like entering a backwards universe where the thais look like westerners and the westerneres look like Thais. However being a large city, it is expected that everyone follows western fashions. It looks like the backpackers don't appreciate the lack of "authenticity" and in protest have done their best to look like "real thais". But they all just look like they have watched "The Beach" too many times.
Anyway, I slept in and decided to go and try to walk and see some of the sights. The main attraction (the Grand Palace) was only open to priests today, so I headed up to check out the Golden Mount, motsly b/c there were a lot of signs pointing in the direction and so i had less chances of getting lost). Walking around was nice, and most of my days excitement came from dodging cars trying to cross the street. I walked passed the Wat Rajnadda and followed the bopping along Germans the Golden Mount.
Outside, I met a security. Now I have been warned about the many scams, and so I was on my guard. But the guy seemed nice and told me that today was a holiday. To boost tourism, the government had given tuk-tuk drivers petrol vouchers, so they were doing rides around the city for 10 Baht. It was an interesting ride and the driver was friendly. Everyone says how scary the driving and the traffic can be, but I didn't really notice. Maybe years at the mercy of NYC cab drivers had numbed my sense of fear. I was taken to see the Lucky Buddha and then of course to a tailor. I know teh scam, but figured for the cheap ride I could sit in a tailors for a few minutes. It was getting late, and all the temples were closed so I headed home.
It's Halloween so I might go for a drink, but travelling alone kind of kills the party urge. But I think there will be some good people watching tonight, so a quick drink might be worth it's weight in gold.
