webfact Posted November 13, 2021 Share Posted November 13, 2021 McDonald's clown mascot stands inside an empty burger joint on the famous Khaosan Road in Bangkok, Thailand. (Photo: Pichayada Promchertchoo) Pichayada Promchertchoo While international tourists are again visiting Thailand, places that rely on nightlife to draw people have yet to reap the benefits. BANGKOK: The McDonald’s clown mascot stares blankly at the empty road outside the restaurant. Its wide red grin and big lifeless eyes were visible through the glass window. “Open 24 hours”, reads a blue sign on the door. But there was nobody inside the burger joint. The business has closed as a result of the pandemic, a grim fate shared by many others on Bangkok’s landmark street where they are all located - Khaosan Road. The 400m stretch is well-trodden by visitors from around the world, once drawn to its active nightlife, cheap street food, shops and hotels. Full story: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/thailand-khaosan-road-covid-19-nightlife-businesses-struggling-2307656 -- © Copyright Channel NewsAsia 2021-11-13 - Whatever you're going through, the Samaritans are here for you - Follow ASEAN NOW on LINE for breaking COVID-19 updates 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post richard_smith237 Posted November 13, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted November 13, 2021 The area more popular with ‘budget’ tourists (back-packers) is hardly going to get busy over night as most of those who would usually stay in the area are ‘transient’ tourists who may be visiting Thailand in addition to many other countries. These ‘type’ of tourists are simply not travelling at the moment due to the difficult and costly entry requirements of many countries combined with prevalence of local restrictions and then of course the actual health risks. 11 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post grain Posted November 13, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted November 13, 2021 Well KSR was basically a young budget traveler hangout, and it's unlikely many, if any, backpackers are currently coming in, so KSR will remain a graveyard for a long time yet. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post jvs Posted November 13, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted November 13, 2021 KSR was already changing before the pandemic, They "improved "it so much it nearly collapsed onto itself. It worked well,there was no need to fix it. Bangkok will never be Singapore. 27 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Chad3000 Posted November 13, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted November 13, 2021 7 minutes ago, jvs said: KSR was already changing before the pandemic, They "improved "it so much it nearly collapsed onto itself. It worked well,there was no need to fix it. Bangkok will never be Singapore. I'm totally with you on this but I think the travelers changed and had become much more soft. They'd come to need air conditioning and western food, smoothies, clubs and pub crawls. I'd often wondered why they bothered leaving home. Aside from evening beer/s when I was traveling hard a Magnum was a splurge. Really hard to shed a year for those businesses. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post ezzra Posted November 13, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted November 13, 2021 This country is littered with tourists graveyards broken lives and business in the millions and they still wont open until the 16th of Jan if they will that is.. Way to go Thailand... 10 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post SheikYabodyline Posted November 13, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted November 13, 2021 A victim of its own success; in their wisdom, the powers that be decided Khao San Road, heaving night after night with partiers, was a blemish on their vision of a shiny new Bangkok, replete with cleaned up klongs and vendors swept off the streets. Much that made Bangkok the mecca it was has disappeared, never to return. Such is the way of the World. 16 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post KarenBravo Posted November 13, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted November 13, 2021 (edited) 27 minutes ago, jvs said: KSR was already changing before the pandemic, They "improved "it so much it nearly collapsed onto itself. It worked well,there was no need to fix it. Bangkok will never be Singapore. What happened in KSR, Singapore did to Bugis Street. It became as sterile as the rest of Singapore and customers stopped going there. Edited November 13, 2021 by KarenBravo 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post khunPer Posted November 13, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted November 13, 2021 Quality turists don't hang out in places like Khaosan Road... The kind of Khao San Road-visitors won't come back as long as it's complicated and costly to enter Land Of Smiles, and they might in my modest opinion never come back in big lots if the tourism-recovery is based on mainly wealthy quality tourists...???? 6 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Will B Good Posted November 13, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted November 13, 2021 Years ago a car bomb went off in Bangkok and the RTP were on high alert (if there is such a thing). The police were all lined up in the street at the end of KSR (at that time they didn't even have full uniforms...some in jeans, some wearing trainers). A car broke down nearby and was being pushed down KSR and the police had to make way to let it through! What a weird sight.....on high alert for car bombs and then making way for a car to be pushed through their ranks. 2 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post mommysboy Posted November 13, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted November 13, 2021 26 minutes ago, Chad3000 said: I'm totally with you on this but I think the travelers changed and had become much more soft. They'd come to need air conditioning and western food, smoothies, clubs and pub crawls. I'd often wondered why they bothered leaving home. Aside from evening beer/s when I was traveling hard a Magnum was a splurge. Really hard to shed a year for those businesses. When I was there just before the pandemic it was still a really vibrant place. There's more to the area than KSR. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will B Good Posted November 13, 2021 Share Posted November 13, 2021 3 minutes ago, mommysboy said: When I was there just before the pandemic it was still a really vibrant place. There's more to the area than KSR. I remember the streets around there were lined with those brightly lit cocktail VW campervans, blasting out music......I imagine they have all gone now. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FritsSikkink Posted November 13, 2021 Share Posted November 13, 2021 35 minutes ago, Chad3000 said: I'm totally with you on this but I think the travelers changed and had become much more soft. They'd come to need air conditioning and western food, smoothies, clubs and pub crawls. I'd often wondered why they bothered leaving home. Aside from evening beer/s when I was traveling hard a Magnum was a splurge. Really hard to shed a year for those businesses. Nothing to do with hard or soft but with having money and willing to spend it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post thaibeachlovers Posted November 13, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted November 13, 2021 1 hour ago, grain said: Well KSR was basically a young budget traveler hangout, and it's unlikely many, if any, backpackers are currently coming in, so KSR will remain a graveyard for a long time yet. Used to be, till the greedies sought to profit from the reputation and ruined it, IMO. Ask the Bkk trendies why they are not there anymore. Perhaps it is no longer "the place" and they have moved on, which is what trendies do. The bagpackers were relegated to the back streets around KSR. IMO the best thing to happen to KSR would be a very large bulldozer. 2 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post thaibeachlovers Posted November 13, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted November 13, 2021 16 minutes ago, Will B Good said: I remember the streets around there were lined with those brightly lit cocktail VW campervans, blasting out music......I imagine they have all gone now. Good news if true. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post thaibeachlovers Posted November 13, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted November 13, 2021 35 minutes ago, khunPer said: Quality turists don't hang out in places like Khaosan Road... The kind of Khao San Road-visitors won't come back as long as it's complicated and costly to enter Land Of Smiles, and they might in my modest opinion never come back in big lots if the tourism-recovery is based on mainly wealthy quality tourists...???? KSR had morphed into a Thai trendy place that was too expensive for most real bagpackers. The area around KSR was the bagpacker ghetto, no longer the road itself. Happened many years ago when I couldn't find a cheap hotel on the road itself, and ended up staying in some place down a little lane. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post thaibeachlovers Posted November 13, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted November 13, 2021 40 minutes ago, KarenBravo said: What happened in KSR, Singapore did to Bugis Street. It became as sterile as the rest of Singapore and customers stopped going there. It became a popular restaurant street, but yes sterile and boring, like the rest of the city. Happy days there in the 70s when it rocked till after dawn ( didn't even really start till after midnight ). I spent many a night there till the tables were removed and the cars started driving through. That toilet block should have been preserved for posterity, given what happened on its roof. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thaibeachlovers Posted November 13, 2021 Share Posted November 13, 2021 57 minutes ago, Chad3000 said: I'm totally with you on this but I think the travelers changed and had become much more soft. They'd come to need air conditioning and western food, smoothies, clubs and pub crawls. I'd often wondered why they bothered leaving home. Aside from evening beer/s when I was traveling hard a Magnum was a splurge. Really hard to shed a year for those businesses. They went there as the first stop on the way to the bucket and drugs parties on Had Rin. Before corona Had Rin had shed it's cheap places to stay and become a flashpacker hell hole complete with foam parties and black moon parties. Sad times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post scubascuba3 Posted November 13, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted November 13, 2021 Without backpackers it will lack atmosphere. It was always a ball ache to get there, nowhere near sky train, maybe that's changed I haven't been for a while, but it was only good because of backpackers 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post RichardColeman Posted November 13, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted November 13, 2021 2 hours ago, webfact said: While international tourists are again visiting Thailand, places that rely on nightlife to draw people have yet to reap the benefits. Just reflects the rest of thailand with the thai in the ass pass remaining in place, the slow drip of only thai returnees and expats with links to thailand will save no businesses 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JensenZ Posted November 13, 2021 Share Posted November 13, 2021 1 hour ago, jvs said: KSR was already changing before the pandemic, They "improved "it so much it nearly collapsed onto itself. It worked well,there was no need to fix it. Bangkok will never be Singapore. And thank God for that ("Bangkok will never be Singapore"). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post JensenZ Posted November 13, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted November 13, 2021 37 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said: Without backpackers it will lack atmosphere. It was always a ball ache to get there, nowhere near sky train, maybe that's changed I haven't been for a while, but it was only good because of backpackers It might never come back - just like Walking Street in Pattaya. A relic of times past. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad3000 Posted November 13, 2021 Share Posted November 13, 2021 1 hour ago, FritsSikkink said: Nothing to do with hard or soft but with having money and willing to spend it. I'd rather have another two days on the road than a night out at the pub with a bunch of strangers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KhunLA Posted November 13, 2021 Share Posted November 13, 2021 (edited) oops???? Edited November 13, 2021 by KhunLA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Chad3000 Posted November 13, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted November 13, 2021 11 minutes ago, JensenZ said: It might never come back - just like Walking Street in Pattaya. A relic of times past. It's often forgotten that along with these bankruptcies and broken businesses there are people becoming fabulously wealthy. Biding their time. They will move in and start new businesses on top of the carnage of decent, hard working folk. IMO this is the future. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billd766 Posted November 13, 2021 Share Posted November 13, 2021 1 hour ago, KarenBravo said: What happened in KSR, Singapore did to Bugis Street. It became as sterile as the rest of Singapore and customers stopped going there. I remember Bugis Street in the late 1960s an early 1970s. 57 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said: It became a popular restaurant street, but yes sterile and boring, like the rest of the city. Happy days there in the 70s when it rocked till after dawn ( didn't even really start till after midnight ). I spent many a night there till the tables were removed and the cars started driving through. That toilet block should have been preserved for posterity, given what happened on its roof. The toilet was a place where even guys would not go on their own, It was a katoey hangout and the smell was bad enough to keep people away unless they were really desperate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Lemsta69 Posted November 13, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted November 13, 2021 31 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said: Without backpackers it will lack atmosphere. It was always a ball ache to get there, nowhere near sky train, maybe that's changed I haven't been for a while, but it was only good because of backpackers the last time I was there was in 2014 and it was a shodow of its former self. I first visited there quite late in the piece, towards the end of 1997. I believe the heyday was a few years before then. I hung out on Soi Rambuttri with an eclectic bunch of farang. there was a document forger who also sold pot, a drunk on his ass Yank who claimed to have down F4s out of Urban, English teachers, a crazy drunken Irish dude who claimed to be a bodyguard for Hun Sen, guys who claimed to have spent time in both Indian jails and IDC. they used to go out the back and snort heroin lol. one dude got called away in handcuffs by the BiB for slinging dope lol. the dirt-cheap hostel we hung out had a bar but it was 'expensive' so we'd head out into the laneway where the owner of a little shop right next to the hostel had set up chairs and tables next to the temple wall. he had a big metal box full of beer and ice which he protected with a chain and padlock. oh, and an Alsatian for good measure. he was allegedly the sworn enemy of our hostel's owner. he had seven amulets on a chain around good neck and he scared the hell out of me. other dudes would turn up with tales of smoking opium up on the Mekong and shooting AKs and RPGs on an army base outside of Phnom Penh. good times ???? I knew that the sky was falling in the following year when a group of young flashpackers turned up and went happy listening to Kiss FM (if memory serves) so they asked the barmaid to put on their Kylie Minogue cassette. the horror, the horror! I've been back since and enjoyed it but it doesn't quite have the same edge as back in the "good old days" ???? 5 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemsta69 Posted November 13, 2021 Share Posted November 13, 2021 1 hour ago, thaibeachlovers said: It became a popular restaurant street, but yes sterile and boring, like the rest of the city. Happy days there in the 70s when it rocked till after dawn ( didn't even really start till after midnight ). I spent many a night there till the tables were removed and the cars started driving through. That toilet block should have been preserved for posterity, given what happened on its roof. I got there in 1997 and encountered said sterility. no thanks Singers you can jam it. the only reason I stayed for six weeks was because there was a halfway decent bunch of reprobates living at the Waffles Homestay, now Cosy Corner Bagpackers on North Bridge Road. so more stories about the old days please, everybody know they were better ???? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post JensenZ Posted November 13, 2021 Popular Post Share Posted November 13, 2021 11 minutes ago, Chad3000 said: It's often forgotten that along with these bankruptcies and broken businesses there are people becoming fabulously wealthy. Biding their time. They will move in and start new businesses on top of the carnage of decent, hard working folk. IMO this is the future. I never fogot this. The world's wealthy have increased their combined wealth by about 50% since the pandemic began. I'm sure that goes for Thailand's billionaires too. However, the wealthy who acquire real estate in KSR and Walking Street might have different ideas of what to do with it. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmsally Posted November 13, 2021 Share Posted November 13, 2021 12 minutes ago, Chad3000 said: It's often forgotten that along with these bankruptcies and broken businesses there are people becoming fabulously wealthy. Biding their time. They will move in and start new businesses on top of the carnage of decent, hard working folk. IMO this is the future. That is exactly what is happening. However I think there is a miscalculation on their part as to who the consumers might be. I think their "vision" is clouded by greed. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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