This is Spooky Alley

We are not sure why this alley is called Spooky Alley, but according to Michael this is what it's called and I just have to take his word for it.  We think the name didn't come from the locals, but rather from Michael's previous colleagues and has been passed down over time.

Is it spooky??  Absolutely not, but it's different, especially for all the foreigners that stay in the many hotels surrounding it. It gives a lot of cultural and Thai flavour to an area consumed with modern hotels and shopping.  

Why did it stand out to us?  Well that's simple, it's interesting and it gave us our first taste of Thailand. Plus the name is super catchy.  Michael walked us through the alley for the first time on a very hot day.  The alley had a few street food vendors and homes open as restaurants during the day by their owners.  

I have to admit our first time walking through the alley we were a bit taken back by all the very heavy and greasy food smells.  It didn't help that meat was laying out in carts outside in the heat and sun.  But we gave it a chance and on every other occasion that we passed through it we noticed something new and interesting, and finally the alley had a charm we couldn't resist.

It is very cool that the homes are open as restaurants and it is very neat to see how at the end of the day the whole family gathers to wash dishes, clean the floors and even bathe the babies, all outside for walkers by to see.  As an aside, it is pretty impressive how clean the streets of Bangkok are, including those of Spooky Alley.

We use this alley to get to the grocery store, to the Nee Sun massage parlour and to one of the major roads around us.  Although the alley is narrow, we share it with many scooters and we have to be careful when walking with the kids. Michael already walks through waving to familiar faces and I am sure we will be doing the same one day.  This is definitely a part of Bangkok I will miss when I go back home.