Khao San Road - The New Normal

[2long]

I appreciate that many TVF members are not frequent visitors to Khao San Road, but the place does hold fond memories for many of us, possibly due to our first visits to the country as backpackers.

Anyway, most of the businesses there are 'restaurants that sell booze' instead of clubs in places like Silom & Sukhumvit. I am presuming that with no curfew and booze being allowed to be sold in restaurants, that the area will be 'allowed' to return to normal, albeit without any tourists. 

I was just wondering if anyone has been there in the past few days, and how is it? I'm planning on popping down on Friday or Saturday evening, as this is when it's likely to be busier, with Thais. ????????????

All helpful comments are welcome, but those who want to slag the place or people off might just want to save their keyboard energy for another thread. ????????????

[Keyser Soze666]

No idea about KSR but can you not use the now very tiresome phrase 'new normal' It's very cringe.

[tonray]

16 minutes ago, 2long said:

but those who want to slag the place or people off might just want to save their keyboard energy for another thread.

Man..you are really limiting me today...ha ha ha

[Neeranam]

I loved KSR before the Thais took over in the late 90s.

[2long]

9 minutes ago, Keyser Soze666 said:

No idea about KSR but can you not use the now very tiresome phrase 'new normal' It's very cringe.

I socially distance myself from your unprecedented comment. ????

[steven100]

KSR is a backpackers delight .... dreadlocks and all the trimmings. Probably won't be the same from here on in. Cheap hotel rooms and second hand pool bars blasting Bob Dylan and the zombies. 

Not everyone's scene, I took a cab over to check it out 25 yrs ago ..... i got outta the cab ... took one look and got back in. 

[Keyser Soze666]

8 minutes ago, 2long said:

I socially distance myself from your unprecedented comment. ????

*Bumps 2long's fist

[OneMoreFarang]

Just a general thought: What happened to all those public web-cams?

There was a time when lots of public web cams were in lots of places and it was easy to see on the internet live what was going on in those places.

Do many of these public web-cams still exist? That would be a perfect way to see "personally" what is going on.

[daveAustin]

18 hours ago, steven100 said:

KSR is a backpackers delight .... dreadlocks and all the trimmings. Probably won't be the same from here on in. Cheap hotel rooms and second hand pool bars blasting Bob Dylan and the zombies. 

Not everyone's scene, I took a cab over to check it out 25 yrs ago ..... i got outta the cab ... took one look and got back in. 

Shame you didn't get back on that flight. 

[samsensam]

18 hours ago, steven100 said:

KSR is a backpackers delight .... dreadlocks and all the trimmings. Probably won't be the same from here on in. Cheap hotel rooms and second hand pool bars blasting Bob Dylan and the zombies. 

Not everyone's scene, I took a cab over to check it out 25 yrs ago ..... i got outta the cab ... took one look and got back in. 

 

fascinating anecdote. 

[nausea]

Yeah, my SO went through a phase of getting her hair plaited there, with extensions, I'd spend my time browsing through the bookshops, those backpackers certainly had eclectic tastes, and just drinking and enjoying the spectacle at that bar that was behind the temple. We'd usually end up drinking a margarita at a cocktail bar before taking the bus home, or getting a pizza and a bottle of red wine. Need to go back sometime, though I fear it's lost its charm. Nice memories for sure.

[UPDEHSOI]

22 hours ago, steven100 said:

KSR is a backpackers delight .... dreadlocks and all the trimmings. Probably won't be the same from here on in. Cheap hotel rooms and second hand pool bars blasting Bob Dylan and the zombies. 

Not everyone's scene, I took a cab over to check it out 25 yrs ago ..... i got outta the cab ... took one look and got back in. 

I got off deh bus about 28 years ago. Took one look, went to deh Buddy guesthouse...stayed there for about two weeks before moving up to Chiangmai. One of the best two week parties I ever had.

[steven100]

40 minutes ago, UPDEHSOI said:

I got off deh bus about 28 years ago. Took one look, went to deh Buddy guesthouse...stayed there for about two weeks before moving up to Chiangmai. One of the best two week parties I ever had.

did you meet some barefoot hippies with dreadlocks and silver rings in every part of their body, and they have clothes that resemble a potato sack with holes cut for the arms and were they all smoking marajuana. If that's what you saw then you were definitely at KSR. 

 

 

 

[ChakaKhan]

One night was enough...next

[Darkside Gray]

There will be no New Norm, It will eventually be same same but different!

[connda]

On 6/17/2020 at 9:36 AM, steven100 said:

KSR is a backpackers delight .... dreadlocks and all the trimmings. Probably won't be the same from here on in. Cheap hotel rooms and second hand pool bars blasting Bob Dylan and the zombies. 

Not everyone's scene, I took a cab over to check it out 25 yrs ago ..... i got outta the cab ... took one look and got back in. 

Now they'll go to Pai, well, if they ever open the borders of Mae Hong Song province to dirty, Covid-carrying farangs again that is. 

[Burma Bill]

recent photo of Khao San Road:-

 

[owenm]

Khaosan Rd and Soi Rambuttri last weekend. Absolutely deserted like a ghost town. Two staff were preparing to open Nat Bar and Restaurant when the government allows.

 

Khaosan has had a huge facelift completed during Covid times. The walkway footpaths and road surface are now totally level with metal bollards on both sides of the road. Drainage channels on  oth sides of the road. Will be interesting to see whether Khaosan can handle a torrential downpour or whether a new klong is created. The Khaosan traders have really suffered with Covid and the sooner they can open the better. Open air restaurants also selling alcohol should be allowed to resume their businesses, albeit without many farang customers. They're not nightclubs or bars. 

[2long]

46 minutes ago, owenm said:

Khaosan Rd and Soi Rambuttri last weekend....

Thanks owenm for the pics.

Unless it rains tomorrow/Friday evening, I will get a better idea of how the first weekend nightlife will be. Certainly not expecting much, other than some young Thais, as there are no tourists left.

Let's see....

[daveAustin]

8 hours ago, owenm said:

Young lady on post seems to be magically balancing in mid air. Very impressive!

 

Did KSR in the '90s. Totally different now of course, devoidness of people aside. Shame to see it 'beautified' and lose that edginess. Par for the course I guess.

[torturedsole]

53 minutes ago, daveAustin said:

Young lady on post seems to be magically balancing in mid air. Very impressive!

I don't want to say too much but that's MJ.

[owenm]

15 hours ago, torturedsole said:

I don't want to say too much but that's MJ.

The magic of leaning on a bollard that suddenly disappears.. 

[dluek]

Walked down it the other afternoon and almost everything was closed. I wouldn't expect much even on a Friday night. More depressing than fun I reckon. 

[kekalot]

On 6/18/2020 at 1:11 PM, connda said:

Now they'll go to Pai, well, if they ever open the borders of Mae Hong Song province to dirty, Covid-carrying farangs again that is. 

It's open now from what I read

[2long]

Khao San Road on the Friday night was depressingly dead. I mean DEAD! 

There's a posh bar that was open and a film crew making some scene made up for most of those there. I have no idea if it opened for the film crew or not. https://g.page/Theonekhaosan?share

95% of businesses were closed, including all 7Elevens and McDonald's has closed DOWN!

Khao San Center was sort of open at 8pm, then rolled its shutters down.

Chart had no customers until we arrived and charged 165B/large Heineken. When we left there were about a dozen Thai customers.

Tom Yum Kung looked nice but they only sold Chang draft, but apparently that changes as of today.

Buddy was open and had some customers.

Nat Guesthouse was the best, and the large Heinekens were 90B!  

Round in Rambutri alley, it was the same story; 95% of businesses closed.

 

[elgenon]

On 6/16/2020 at 7:36 PM, steven100 said:

KSR is a backpackers delight .... dreadlocks and all the trimmings. Probably won't be the same from here on in. Cheap hotel rooms and second hand pool bars blasting Bob Dylan and the zombies. 

Not everyone's scene, I took a cab over to check it out 25 yrs ago ..... i got outta the cab ... took one look and got back in. 

I thought the government sanitized it. No? They lied?

[steven100]

KSR as shown in the pics is dead, it's a ghost town. No tourists, no customers and things are closing down one by one. It's alot like Pattaya is as well. No flights equals no tourists and now tourists may choose Vietnam over Thailand. 

RIP ksr.

[thaibeachlovers]

On 6/17/2020 at 2:36 PM, steven100 said:

KSR is a backpackers delight .... dreadlocks and all the trimmings. Probably won't be the same from here on in. Cheap hotel rooms and second hand pool bars blasting Bob Dylan and the zombies. 

Not everyone's scene, I took a cab over to check it out 25 yrs ago ..... i got outta the cab ... took one look and got back in. 

Had you visited more recently you might have noticed that the rooms were not cheap, nor the <deleted> stuff being sold to naive bagpackers.

For cheap rooms one had to stay in a side road off KSR.

Anyway, it lost any charm it might have had once the Thai money men took it over.

[thaibeachlovers]

On 6/24/2020 at 4:18 PM, steven100 said:

KSR as shown in the pics is dead, it's a ghost town. No tourists, no customers and things are closing down one by one. It's alot like Pattaya is as well. No flights equals no tourists and now tourists may choose Vietnam over Thailand. 

RIP ksr.

LOL. KSR died long ago. Only the reputation still lived on.

To make The Beach, they used Krabi town instead of the real place and that was in 2000.

[2long]

I went back on Wednesday this week.

Things are more open, but I'd say only 50-60% of the businesses are open for business, but the majority of them were quite busy, in fact there were several that were packed.... with Thais.

The famous Khao San Center has changed to bean bags out the front and it was quiet (customer numbers) but very very far from quiet for music volume. It felt louder than a Friday or Saturday night in 2019. Seriously loud. ????????????

Accidentally got in a taxi going the wrong way home ???? only to end up in Cowboy, which was the same (50-60% open and plenty of ladies)... some bars offered 90-100B beers, which was nice, but the lady drinks were 190B, meaning 'one for you and one for her' comes to the same as it used to be.