M-whY

Though this was familiar territory, I wasn't particularly glad to be back. As touristy as you can get, Khao San's only attraction to me is it's convenience. Every taxi and tuk-tuk driver knew where it was. Decent guesthouses could be found, with adequate rooms and clean shower facilities. And the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew are only a short walk away, in case I ever decided to go see Bangkok's two biggest sights.

I checked into the same place I had stayed at last time I was here, this time forgoing air conditioning to save a few baht. A hot shower cleaned off the dirt I had collected while in Laos, then it was off to McDonald's, the place I go to when I'm feeling the slightest bit homesick. (A Big Mac is like the perfect homesick pill for me.) The weather felt like rain, so I returned to my guesthouse and worked on my blog between naps. And that's about all I did until sundown.

Khao San had turned into a neon lit party by the time I emerged from my room. A true freak show is probably the best way to describe it. Grungy backpackers sporting dreadlocks, young kids who's idea of a vacation is getting wasted every night, males of every age proudly showing off the Thai girl that will continue to be his until his wallet runs dry. Revelers weren't just farang, even a good number of Thais show up every evening to partake in the merrymaking. I can't say I enjoyed the scene; it was a bit too hedonistic for me.

I had some pad thai (the local equivalent of fast food) from one of the many street vendors, and walked up and down the repetitive scene of bootleg CDs, souvenir tshirts, and 7-11s. A couple times, during my aimless wandering, escorts would try to latch onto me. "Where are you going?" they'd ask as they grabbed a hold of my shirt, to which I'd respond with the best anti-pickup line ever: Sorry, my wife is waiting. It worked every time. I love my imaginary wife.

A Vietnam visa takes three business days to obtain, and with the weekend sandwiched in between, I'd have to put up with this for at least five more days. The only thing I had to look forward to was seeing Deer, who was back in Bangkok for a few days on business. Somehow she always managed to find time in her busy schedule of meetings and press conferences to meet up with me. Tonight though, she wasn't free until almost midnight.

"You look tired," I told her when we finally got together.

"A little bit."

"You should've just stayed home to sleep."

"No, I'm okay," she insisted.

We had a drink at a bar, where she tried her best to be energetic, but she couldn't quite hide her yawns well enough.

"Let me take you home," I said, and dropped her off at her apartment before taking a cab back to my own room. There was no reason for her to push herself while she was tired. I'm stuck here for a few more days anyways.

Thanks to everyone for their support and comments! Knowing people are reading keeps me motivated to continue the updates!