Staying at the backpacker purgatory that is Khao San Road unnerved me further. It has more Internet cafes on one street than KL's golden triangle. Listlessly staring at dreadlocked dudes "chilling" at tattoo parlors, I was about to join the ranks of a cliche: backpack travellers resentful of Khao San's watered-down, pseudo-hipster scene, but nevertheless residing in Khao San for the lack of an adventurous spine.