If you ask a budget traveler and backpacker in Southeast Asia for the name of the most famous backpacker road in the region, you'll almost always hear the name Khao San Road. Located in the Banglamphu area of Bangkok, Thailand, the road is popular not just with visiting backpackers but also with Thais and the occasional upscale hotel resident who has come over to take a peek.

The pictures below are from a Saturday night, taken between 9pm and 4am. They are meant to illustrate that Khao San Road is a great place for people watching.

But to begin, here is a picture of people about to leave Khao San Road. They are waiting outside their guesthouse and in a few hours the three on the right, from Germany, will catch a flight to Manila. The young man on the left, from Holland, will soon be going to Cambodia to teach English.

Skewers of meat for sale on Khao San Road

Fried insects for sale too

Two young women from Switzerland getting a portrait made on the curb

A woman "from Nepal" selling chicken kebabs. Upon further questioning she tells you what most other Khao San vendors from Nepal will tell you: she was actually born in Burma, the descendant of people who came from Nepal to Burma in the early part of the 20th century during British rule. Now she is in Bangkok trying to scrape by a living, since the economy in Burma has been a wreck for so many years.

Various nationalities drinking what are said to be "very strong cocktails"

For about five minutes Muay Thai boxers appeared on the street and started walloping each other, much to the enjoyment of passersby.

Others were nearby getting their hair done.

And still others getting a massage

The people with arms raised are from Cape Town, South Africa.

And these ladies smoking a waterpipe are from Japan

And these folks drinking beer and getting their feet massaged are from Italy

And these two people are from Thailand and are commonly referred to as ladyboys.

Thai youth also descend on Khao San Road on Saturday nights. These three study German together, and when I told the girl that she reminded me of somebody she said, "Maybe Angelina Jolie?"

And here it is getting into the wee hours of the morning and many vendors have dropped the price of their drinks to get rid of their stock before going home. Here two vendors try to cajole a backpacker into another drink. He said no.

Joel Carillet, chief editor of wanderingeducators.com, is a freelance writer and photographer based in Tennessee. He is the author of 30 Reasons to Travel: Photographs and Reflections from Southeast Asia. To learn more about him, follow his regular photoblog, or purchase images, visit www.joelcarillet.com or www.istockphoto.com/jcarillet.