Kao San Road

[beethoven79]

TWIMC:

Where is Kao San Road? And: What is there?

Dean(beethoven79)

[LaReina]

Bars, bars, bars, restaurants, live bands, street vendors, back packers, and locals.

Cheap strong drinks...

Just a walking street full of people.

[leisurely]

It is (in my opinion) one of the most horrid roads in Bangkok. Full of 'I'm not a tourist I'm a traveller" types having nasty dreadlocks sewn into their hair and drinking cheap beer till they puke or p1ss themselves (or do both at the same time something I never want to witness again)

This seems a rather strange question to ask in the ladies forum by the way.

[sbk]

Moved to the travel forum, not related to the Ladies section...

[Mahout Angrit]

More info on Khao San Road here

[Jockstar]

KSR is not for everyone. Especially some of the old gits. :D But i have spent alot of time around there. In my first year of living in Bangkok. My gf at the time worked there so i was there just about every weekend.Got a bit over it. But after giving her the boot. I would only go now and then. I began to enjoy it again. It is what you make it. I know alot of the people who work there. So i enjoy popping down for a Sangsom fuelled night now and again. :D

[sunreader]

Don't be tempted by the very poor quality CD's and DVD's! But the road is fun to walk down when your stonned out of your box. Spend a couple of hours there then get out, preferably on a tuk-tuk at full speed being driven by yaba fuelled Somchai.

[colino]

Bars, bars, bars, restaurants, live bands, street vendors, back packers, and locals.

Cheap strong drinks...

Just a walking street full of people.

And lots of hostal's plus many bars with pool tables with strange rules

Edited July 1, 2007 by colino

[chavy]

The hole in the wall bar is ok for a cheap night, but to be honest I have never seen people puke or p**s themselves like somebody said in an earlier reply. The back packer joints are not what they use to be now Koa San has gone more up market

[davethailand]

Went there for the first time on wednesday with the wife.

Walked to the end, drank half a coke in Gullivers, walked back to the other end, got in a cab and got the **** away from there.

[meadish_sweetball]

It caters mainly to younger people. Just like lower Sukhumwit, Pattaya, Phuket or Koh Samui it will not teach you much about Thailand - it is a zone to itself.

That being said, it is not a bad place for people watching and a few brewskis every now and then.

I haven't been there for a few years now, but it used to have bars popular with both Thai university students and backpackers (generally not the same ones, though). It used to be quite cheap, but since about the turn of the century, an increasing number of upmarket restaurants and guest houses have appeared.

[madjbs]

I don’t like Khao San Road itself or Rambutri, but the surrounding areas I think are really nice and have a Chiang Mai feel to them. Lots of nice cheap fusion, Thai and western food available and some nice little bars. Especially Thanon Phra Attit and Thanon Samsen and their sois.

Jake

[Chung noi]

Howdy,

If you get to Bangkok, and can't find Kao San....ask a friendly tuk tuk driver. Never met a tuk tuk driver yet that was'nt ready to help out a lost farang on his/or her first trip to the big city.

Chung *j*

Edited July 2, 2007 by Chung noi

[farangsay]

Went there for the first time on wednesday with the wife.

Walked to the end, drank half a coke in Gullivers, walked back to the other end, got in a cab and got the **** away from there.

Shrewd move , Dave.

Stayed in a hotel on Rambuttri on my arrival last year and after a couple of days I was walking the long way round to avoid KSR.

Edited July 2, 2007 by farangsay

[brahmburgers]

TWIMC:

Where is Kao San Road? And: What is there?

Dean(beethoven79)

It's ok with me. Among other things, it's a way, as david Crosby might say, 'to let your freak flag flow'

It's a celebration of youth. For many of the young folks there, it's their first time far away from home, so it's an exciting way to spread their wings and feel a new sort of independence - in a strange land with lots of like-minded fun-loving folks around. It's a hodge podge of humanity. the good the bad the ugly the stoned the bottom-feeders, the monks, the Thai schoolkids who strut and act like it's nothing out of the ordinary - you name it. I once shouted at a very fast van driver to slow down - he was peeling at about 40 mph down the crowded road at mid-day. He slammed on the brakes and followed me threatingly on foot. One thing I miss there: one of the best things was a swimming pool a few years ago. I also miss the giant white brahma bull who hung out at the wat on the north end.

kao san folks interact with locals much more than high end tourists. For every farang there, KSR is a stepping stone from one place to another.Many of the future big shots in suits and initials after their names (MBE, PhD, CEO, PM, etc) were once shuttled through the magical miasma that is Koa San Road.

[madjbs]

Its also great fun to watch all the backpackers who think its ok to smoke illegal substances on the street getting dragged into the police station! I was there the other week and there was 2 in about half an hour being escorted to the cells. I wonder if they are still there?

Jake

[Tinkelbell]

TWIMC:

Where is Kao San Road? And: What is there?

Dean(beethoven79)

It's ok with me. Among other things, it's a way, as david Crosby might say, 'to let your freak flag flow'

It's a celebration of youth. For many of the young folks there, it's their first time far away from home, so it's an exciting way to spread their wings and feel a new sort of independence - in a strange land with lots of like-minded fun-loving folks around. It's a hodge podge of humanity. the good the bad the ugly the stoned the bottom-feeders, the monks, the Thai schoolkids who strut and act like it's nothing out of the ordinary - you name it. I once shouted at a very fast van driver to slow down - he was peeling at about 40 mph down the crowded road at mid-day. He slammed on the brakes and followed me threatingly on foot. One thing I miss there: one of the best things was a swimming pool a few years ago. I also miss the giant white brahma bull who hung out at the wat on the north end.

kao san folks interact with locals much more than high end tourists. For every farang there, KSR is a stepping stone from one place to another.Many of the future big shots in suits and initials after their names (MBE, PhD, CEO, PM, etc) were once shuttled through the magical miasma that is Koa San Road.

Former UK Premier Tony Blair met his (furture) wife right here in this tourist ghetto...KSR. After he became PM, a year later he and his wife came back to LOS for their second honeymoon.

[keebone]

Former UK Premier Tony Blair met his (furture) wife right here in this tourist ghetto...KSR. After he became PM, a year later he and his wife came back to LOS for their second honeymoon.

So it's always had it's share of ugly Farang women then

Too many Farang kee nok there for my liking, gap year students with rich parents who like to pretend they're poor by not washing their clothes often enough and living on 100 baht a day.

[lnb203]

Former UK Premier Tony Blair met his (furture) wife right here in this tourist ghetto...KSR. After he became PM, a year later he and his wife came back to LOS for their second honeymoon.

So it's always had it's share of ugly Farang women then

Too many Farang kee nok there for my liking, gap year students with rich parents who like to pretend they're poor by not washing their clothes often enough and living on 100 baht a day.

I've never understood the whole smelly unwashed backpacker myth. It isn't the 70's anymore... I've been to Khao San a number of times in the past few years, and to be honest, the overwhelming majority are just normal young people having a good time. Fair enough, you get a small number of 'characters', but they are easy enough to avoid if thats what you want to do.

I'm actually quite a fan of the place. It may not be the 'real' Thailand (whatever that means), but it has a unique atmosphere and can be a great place to meet interesting people of all nationalities (including Thai). It has a bad rep with some of the older crowd, but personally I find there are some far worse places to hang out in when in Bangkok.

[game4shame]

gap year students with rich parents who like to pretend they're poor by not washing their clothes often enough and living on 100 baht a day.

spot on.

.....although you forgot the bit about wearing tye-dye linen, having shit dread's and discussing ''spirituality'' & itineraries.

[bonsaimax]

wayyyy too congested for my taste

[Suszzy]

is it that bad?

seem to me that not many people like ksr anymore.

any good words for ksr....anyone?

[lazeeboy]

The hole in the wall bar is ok for a cheap night, but to be honest I have never seen people puke or p**s themselves like somebody said in an earlier reply. The back packer joints are not what they use to be now Koa San has gone more up market

agree with you 13 years ago was for backpackers and long time travellers ,went there last year for a look after 10 years ,wow nice restaurants and mac ds really come on since i stayed in 100b a night hostel ........

[technocracy]

Went there for the first time on wednesday with the wife.

Walked to the end, drank half a coke in Gullivers, walked back to the other end, got in a cab and got the **** away from there.

- that perfectly describes my one and only visit I made to the place as well (although I necked a bottle beer Singha)!

[ercorn]

KSR cracks me up, I go there now and again to exchange my english books.Takes me all of about 30 mins and I am very happy to leave the place.I guess if I was 19 again I would have loved the place but then again when I was 19 I was in Bali and that was alot better in thoses days than KSR has ever been.

[stiggy]

KSR now seems to have more flashpackers than backpackers.....

The original real traveller dudes and dudeets left Thailand in search of undeveloped cheap non commercial shiteholes years ago.

[Jimjim]

It's a place for young travelers with extremely cheap guesthouses and a few good restaurants in the area.

[tolsti]

Hong Kong has the Jardine Building (Connaught Centre) that has been know for a long time as the ''House of a Thousand Ars@holes''. Bangkok has Kao Sahn Rd. '' The Road of a .......'''

[dantilley]

a few good restaurants in the area.

A few, but not the Thai ones. Only one good Thai restaurant on Khao San, called Tom Yam Kung. Most Thai food in the area is lousy, and the street food is generally poor too.

A very lively place at the night time, especially in the high season. I pop down from time to time for a piss up and usually have a lot of fun.

[madjbs]

Actually there is a number of very good thai places around KSR (not on the road itself). Look along Phraatit road.

Jake