(Back) Packing Them In (Khao San Road)

Member Name: indiecater

Product:	Khao San Road
Date:	25/01/02 (125 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: The Lively Epicentre Of The Backpackers World.

Disadvantages: The Unforgiving Heat & Traffic.

If you ever visit Thailand it is more than likely that your stay will include a few nights in and around the Khao San Road (KSR). The KSR is where most backpackers and budget travellers operate out of in Bangkok. It holds a legendary status amongst many and is perhaps the closest thing you'll get to a backpacker village in all of South East Asia.

The first thing that strikes you about KSR is how short it is. You could quite easily walk from one end to the other and wonder what all the fuss was about. The thing you've got to understand is that the magic of the place takes place behind the scenes. The KSR exudes youthful endeavour, unbridled energy and a genuine feeling that life's great adventure begins there.

The KSR and it's environs are neatly squeezed into the Banglamphu district of Bangkok and provides an excellent base from which to explore the rest of the city. In fact the city's greatest attraction, the Grand Palace, is within walking distance or a short trip by river express. The Thai National Museum is only around the corner and there are several Wats (monasteries) to explore in the area. Chinatown with its myriad of streets, markets and gourmet opportunities can also be easiy reached with the aid of a good map.

The KSR is famous for its enormous selection of accommodation from stinkingly (quite literally in some cases) dirt cheap dorms to good value for money air conditioned rooms. Prices are incredibly low and it is easy to pick up a decent flophouse for around 300 baht (7 euro). Many of the hotels and guesthouses are quite noisy so it often makes sense to get a room on one of the surrounding streets. Thanon and Soi (laneway) Rambutri provide an excellent selection, each resembling mini KSR's in their own right.

Many people get their first taste of Thailand on the KSR It's not exactly flush with authenticity but it provides a neat, i
f a little coined, introduction into the Asian way of life. All the western conveniences you have become accustomed to (Boots chemist!) stand beside uniquely South East Asian compromises (the squat toilets!). There are normally more foreigners than Thai's drifting about, thanks to a large extent to those scenes from 'The Beach' where Leonardo Di Caprio was seen wandering hazily through the maddening crowd.

The street traders and hawkers on both sides of the road sell everything you'd ever need at the cheapest of prices. T-shirts, remarkably good CD copies (although Hanoi in Vietnam has the cheapest), jewellery, beach attire, tattooing, fake journalist/student cards, roasted insects and banana pancakes are in plentiful supply. Avoid the latter if you're striving for a trim waistline, but I guess the intense heat will beat it out of you soon enough so who cares?

There is an endless selection of places to eat on KSR offering Thai and western dishes. If you feel that's not enough, McDonald's, KFC and Pizza Hut are within easy reach. There is a good mix of late night entertainment also. Some of the pubs show movies (Oi Hungry!), others dazzle with beer promotions and loud music (Gulliver's Traveller's Tavern), the choises are almost unlimited. It is just so enjoyable to sit at a bar and watch the kaleidoscope of life drift by.

As you'd expect where large, sometimes naive, crowds of young people gather there are quite a few scam merchants operating. The more common scams involve you buying cheap jewellery that you can supposedly sell for 10 times the price back home. When you get home the stuff turns out to be worthless and there is absolutely no come back. Thankfully the Thai Tourist Police (TAT) are there to protect farangs (us). They are incredibly helpful and have an office just off the KSR

You can find every conceivable service in
Banglamphu. Internet cafes proliferate and the rates are a fraction of the cost at home. International call rates are the cheapest in South East Asia as are the transport facilities. To reach the fabled island of Ko Pha Ngan should only cost 450 baht (12 euro) with a VIP bus and boat joint ticket. Where else could you travel so cheaply (well Malaysia actually!)?.

If you are arriving at Bangkok International Airport getting to the Khao San couldn't be easier. If you have money to burn then take a taxi but then again if you are going to stay KSR that's highly unlikely. The best way to reach KSR is to take the public bus (A2) that departs from just outside the arrival terminal. The cost is negligible and the 30 minutes journey provides an eye opener into what makes Bangkok tick.

KSR has its detractors but even if you are staying elsewhere you'll find enough to keep your senses amused to make the journey worthwhile (take a tuk tuk). If you are about to begin your South East Asian adventure soak up the atmosphere, the heat, the bedlam and prepare yourself for the journey of a lifetime.

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