My Old Self in Bangkok.
Everyone loves Thailand. Thai food is delicious. The Land of Smiles. It's not quite like that lately, but until a little while ago, the cost of living was also low. It's warm (hot), and somehow, it's laid-back and relaxing. The first overseas trip I ever took was to Thailand.
It was a long time ago. Of course, it was the 20th century. It was definitely the 20th century. No mobile phones. No internet. Naturally, no social media either. You probably can't believe it. There was such an era. To go abroad, you would create and carry checks called traveler's checks. It makes me laugh. You can't even imagine it now.
Nowadays, when people talk about Bangkok's airport, they mean Suvarnabhumi International Airport, but this airport is new. It opened in 2006. When I first went, there was no such thing. It was probably just a swamp back then. When people talked about Bangkok's airport, they meant Don Mueang. That airport where the logo floated in the darkness in a dim red, making you worry if they were short on electricity. Neon signs (gas tubes, not LEDs), sticky humidity, orange streetlights. That is what travel sentiment is all about.
And for young people with no money, the place to stay in Bangkok was, of course, Khao San Road. The holy land for backpackers from around the world. It is located in the old town of Bangkok, north of the Grand Palace and Wat Pho, about a 10-minute walk away. It's convenient. Note that at the time, there was no MRT (subway) or BTS (skytrain). So, those without money had no choice but to walk. Otherwise, there were tuk-tuks and endless price negotiations. There were local buses, but they didn't have air conditioning, so you'd be more exhausted from the exhaust fumes and heat than from walking. Taxis sometimes had meters and sometimes didn't. It was pure chaos.
Price lists didn't exist in Khao San hotels. You had to ask the lady at the entrance (there were many women) for the price one by one. They would usually quote a high price. You would try saying half that amount. They would shoo you away as if chasing off a dog. You would do the same thing at the next hotel. You repeat this. After doing it about 10 times, you get a general idea of the market rate. Then you go back to the first one and renegotiate at a price slightly lower than that market rate. Even if they say okay, you shouldn't decide immediately. First, have them show you the room. Is there a shower? Does hot water come out? Is there bedding on the bed? Are there fleas or lice? There are many items to check.
Once you've decided on a place to stay, the next thing is food. Khao San has many street stalls. And they are cheap (though you must negotiate). The sound of something being stir-fried is everywhere. The clinking sound of Coca-Cola bottles being vigorously placed into buckets filled with ice water. Things to eat include Pad Thai (fried noodles), cut fruit, and even grilled scorpion skewers. There might have even been grilled cockroaches (or something like that. It might have been giant water bugs or crickets. I don't want to know). If you just need to fill your stomach, you won't starve in Khao San. Though I would choose to starve to death rather than eat a cockroach.
Khao San at night is also fun. However, it's too noisy to sleep. Music blares at full volume everywhere, and backpackers gathered from all over the world are having a blast on the streets with beer in hand (there are many cheap beers like Beer Singha or Beer Chang). There is also whiskey. Mekong Whiskey. It's apparently not actually whiskey but rum flavored with something, but that doesn't matter. It's a bit medicinal, so you can drink it by mixing it with soda and squeezing in some lime. People used to say it would make you go blind, but I can still see, so it's fine. I wonder if Mekong still exists. Oh, if there is ice in your drink, you will 100% get an upset stomach (the water was bad back then). Groaning in the toilet is part of the nightly course in Bangkok.
Colorful stalls and night shops line the street until late at night, and the brightness of the day continues forever. Definitely fake Nike and Adidas T-shirts, thin and flimsy Thai pants, tour desks for going to the provinces at rock-bottom prices, long-distance bus ticket counters. If you come here, you can find anything. A level of chaos that would surprise even Don Quijote. That was the Bangkok of the 20th century, Khao San Road.
I haven't been to Bangkok recently, but as the country has become economically prosperous, the city must have become unrecognizable and clean, and the Khao San of those days is likely just a story of the past now. I think that's how it should be, and I love clean and luxurious hotels, and I hate price negotiations. I also don't want to be bitten by bugs in bed. However, that energy-filled breeze that used to hang over the old Khao San Road. The smell of Pad Thai and Beer Singha spilled on the street. I feel a bit of nostalgia for that youth I lost. Although I can never go back, I would like to call out to my younger self, who was looking left and right while stopped at an intersection in a one-way life. Writing this essay made me feel that way.