‘Fake on Display’ – An assortment of fake documents for sale on Khao San Road.
Khao San Road is many things to many people. It’s been described by authors as a “Place to disappear” or “a short road that has the longest dream in the world.” It’s the center of all backpacker culture in Southeast Asia, with thousands of people coming and going daily and everything is ‘On Display’.
Travel agencies ship people off to every country in this hemisphere, some ripping the customers off as they do so. It’s an extremely popular night spot, hopping with everything from outdoor drinking cafes to basement dance clubs. People walk the streets in the freedom of open alcohol container laws and eating their roasted scorpions and shawarma. Prostitutes roam the area in the later hours try to get the attention of drunk tourists.
It’s also a 24 hour market selling the most useless trinkets to the generic t-shirts that everyone over Southeast Asia wears. Cheap suit tailors try to get you into their shops. Street food vendors go late into the night. And a few of these stands dot the streets, offering to make fake IDs, college diplomas, press passes, and a slew of other things. I’ve never inquired as to how much a fake document might be, but they are very wary of you getting anywhere near their display with a camera.
