Slip – Sliding down the Khao San Road

| May 26th, 2009 | Bangkok

Some things never change and the Khao San road is one of them, just as chaotic and vibrant as ever. It was still early when we arrived in Bangkok but we both felt tip top, maybe it was because we managed some sleep on the night bus or maybe it was because we were so excited to be back here either way we new one thing for sure… We both urgently needed coffee and a shower – in that order, so we slipped off down a side alley just off the Khao San road and got ourselves the best little room we’ve ever had in Bangkok. Apart from the usual amenities our guest house also has two of the fluffiest little dogs I’ve ever seen, Georgie almost shits herself every time they’re out!

It doesn’t matter how many times we come to Bangkok and how many times we stroll down the Khao San road there is always so much going on it always takes a while to get our bearings… And the best way to get our bearings… Over a frosty pint at a kirb-side bar!

We took a walk up and down so Georgie could check out the stalls and see what’s hot and what’s not with this seasons hippy bums, earmark any good stalls for when Sarah arrives so they can hit them up and get a few essentials. I desperately needed a new pair of flip-flops because mine have worn down to a fine point at the front and are a good inch shorter than they used to be so my toes drag across the floor, also the second there is a dribble of water on the road I aquaplane all over the place which causes me to swing my arms about like a crazy monkey… Not a good look!

We found a really good food stall round the back of the KSR where the locals eat and pulled up a chair, I went for spicy chicken and Georgie had medium spicy fish… I shit you not it was like eating the sun! It was super tasty and delicious but it was the most intensely spicy thing that we have ever eaten, I sat sucking on ice cubes to try to cool off but in the end I had to dash into a shop and get a bottle of milk to douse the flames.

Feeling properly reacquainted with Bangers we started yesterday with purpose, Georgie needed a haircut and I needed some shorts so we made tracks to the MBK centre… Five shiny floors of shopping madness where almost everything is fake and cheap!!!

Georgie got an appointment straight away for her hair left me wandering about looking for some shorts. After half an hour or so I started to feel the strain of my new flip flops, I hadn’t yet worn them in properly and they had progressed from “rubbing” to “blister” and were in the final stages of “rubbed the blister and off going for bone.” Luckily I’d found somewhere that could sort me out some shorts and offer respite from my uber blister, I wanted cut off jean shorts and although they didn’t have any they did have a resident tailor who took the jeans I liked, the measurements I wanted and altered them for no extra cost, in less than an hour! We didn’t stay long after Georgie’s haircut because Sarah is coming tomorrow and I know full well that when I’m outnumbered I won’t stand a chance of avoiding hours and hours of shopping “fun.”

Again somehow I managed to balls up the flight info Sarah had given us and instead of her arriving today as I thought she arrives tomorrow, so with no need to get up early we decided to go out for a few drinks down the KSR… Georgie hadn’t even finished her first long island ice tea before she was pissed and by the time I’d helped her finish her second she was hammered and rowdy. We had a great night, just us two sitting in the rooftop bar, looking down on all the action and a live band playing behind us. By the time we left it was pissing with rain and the walk up to the falafel stand was nothing short of death defying, due to my new flip flops trying to kill me from the feet up I had opted for my old ones and it was like trying to walk on ice… Pissed! I must have looked like I was doing the funky chicken all the way up the road. We got back to our room with the same slip-sliding funky chicken walk and I got Georgie right where she needed to be… Bed!