For one night a year, the Thais reclaim Khao San Road.

I heard that Khao San Road was a good place to celebrate Halloween, so I figured I would make a pilgrimage to my favorite place in Bangkok. Getting there proved to be an epic saga. The only bus I know of that goes from Siam Square to that part of town is the elusive red number 15 bus. After a half an hour, I decided that this must be one of those times that it is just not going to come. No problem, I’ll hail a taxi. Taxis kept driving by, but none of them had their lights on.

It seems everybody waiting for a taxi was a block down the road, grabbing them as soon as they turned the corner. I walked down there, but still, no taxis came. Strange that the roads are packed with them, but you can never find one if you need to.

So I gave up on that, and walked a block to the other side of Siam Square, where I quickly hopped in one. Unfortunately, asking a taxi driver to take you to Khao San Road is the same as asking to be ripped off. As usual, this guy would not turn on his meter. Strangely, he quoted his inflated price of 150 baht, three times the meter rate, in Thai. Doesn’t he realize that if a foreigner knows enough Thai to understand him, they will also know the real price?

After asking nicely three times, I got fed up and fled, and hopped in the taxi behind him. Looking pissed off and saying “Khao San Road, METER” worked like a charm.

Eventually, I arrived at my destination, among a mob of people. I had never seen so many people there. The street was pack literally solid, from one end to the other. Then I realized that it was packed with Thais. Thais between the ages of 18 and 25. It seems all the hippies had been sent to Viang Vieng, and a mob of Thai college students had been imported.

The attraction was the cleverly named Thai punk band Modern Dog. They were pretty good. Eventually one of the college guys, Nak, started talking to me in poor English. He was surprised when I said I had been here for three months. He introduced me to his friends Neung, Dear, and Noi, none of whom spoke English. I asked him if they came here often, but he didn’t understand. The fact that most Thais don’t understand a word they are saying doesn’t stop most foreigners from happily blathering away in rapid-fire, slang-filled English. But it bugs me, so I try Thai at the first sign of confusion. Unfortunately, I didn’t know how to say that.

After the show we got a table at one of the streetside bars, normally full of farangs, but now packed with Thai students. After it became apparent that my friend originally talked to me because he was gay (an ongoing problem I’ve been having), and I wasn’t interested, I felt a bit awkward, as Nak abandoned me. I tried talking to the lovely Noi, unfortunately girlfriend of Dear (saying “I cannot speak Thai” in Thai is a great ice-breaker), and learned how to ask “do you come here often?” She said they do not come here often. I tried to ask if they only come here once a year, but I didn’t know how.

I stayed until 2, and the taxi home was no problem. Much shorter and cheaper than going all the way out to Chatchuchak. The only issue is that the sois on Rang Nam do not have numbers, and I cannot remember the name of mine, so I always end up going past it.

Victory at last

I don’t know why I stayed in Chatchuchack for so long. Finally, after years of living in the suburban wastelands of Maryland, then the wastelands of Chatchuchak, I am realizing my dream of living in a big city. Unlike Pahayothin, with its car dealerships, tire shops, and garages, Rang Nam is lined with things of interest to me: sidewalk vendors, shops, restaurants, nightclubs, and bars. There’s even a Seven-11. Gone are the days of having to walk 15 minutes to get to the only restaurant. The convenience! There’s a small park a block away that I can jog in, while listening to live entertainment.

If that’s not good enough, I can walk to the Victory Monument itself. With all the people, the booths and vendors, the beer gardens with live entertainment, and the Skytrain above, the area has a Disneyland feel to it.

The only downside is that the people in the house across the soi, a large, nice house, have several chickens. One must accept the fact that while in Thailand, one is never far from a live chicken.

Coming soon: photos.