What happened to Khaosan Road?

[Dolf]

2 minutes ago, CG1 Blue said:

So 97% Thais all around 20 yrs old, and clubbing.

I'm 54. I like a party but I don't think it would be my scene. 

20 to 30. Be hotties there. If you can speak Thai you could pull a 23yo hottie. 

Edited March 13 by Dolf

[Prubangboy]

Why can't you use the brains that god gave you (albeit in limited supply) and enjoy the surprisingly good dining options there?

 

-The Israeli place down an alley around the corner. As good as I've had in New York.

 

-The historic, very solid Indian restaurant with beautiful old wood paneling in the middle of the block (up a flight of stairs).

 

-That whole Japanese-oriented street two blocks way, teeming with izakaya's.

 

-The legendary old-style Thai restaurant just outside by the monument that both Anthony Bourdain AND Mark Wiens went to.

 

-The tourist restaurants on the main drag that ALL deliver good value for the money due to cut throat competition.

 

-The legendary seafood night market by the canal that you could practically hop on one foot to.

 

-The Lonely Planet-famous roti-place 2 blocks away.

 

-Finally: The crocodile meat vendor on the main drag. I had crocodile in Siem Reap that was half, the portion, half the quality, and twice the price. Of all the stuff that "just tastes like chicken", crocodile is the best.

 

Face it Bob, you're a lazy sod who's not fit to kiss the you-know-what of this great land.

[NativeBob]

Yes, KSR changed bigly. Many places had. Less fun.
The biggest disaster in Bangkok was Royal City Avenue or RCA. second MC-Square.

Anybody remember NASA Disco?

Miss those so much!

[roo860]

1 hour ago, Dolf said:

Why is silver cheaper there?

Cost of labour is the factor, been buying wholesale sterling silver jewellery for over 20yrs. 

[Dolf]

47 minutes ago, Prubangboy said:

Why can't you use the brains that god gave you (albeit in limited supply) and enjoy the surprisingly good dining options there?

 

-The Israeli place down an alley around the corner. As good as I've had in New York.

 

-The historic, very solid Indian restaurant with beautiful old wood paneling in the middle of the block (up a flight of stairs).

 

-That whole Japanese-oriented street two blocks way, teeming with izakaya's.

 

-The legendary old-style Thai restaurant just outside by the monument that both Anthony Bourdain AND Mark Wiens went to.

 

-The tourist restaurants on the main drag that ALL deliver good value for the money due to cut throat competition.

 

-The legendary seafood night market by the canal that you could practically hop on one foot to.

 

-The Lonely Planet-famous roti-place 2 blocks away.

 

-Finally: The crocodile meat vendor on the main drag. I had crocodile in Siem Reap that was half, the portion, half the quality, and twice the price. Of all the stuff that "just tastes like chicken", crocodile is the best.

 

Face it Bob, you're a lazy sod who's not fit to kiss the you-know-what of this great land.

Thanks for the tips

 

Shoshana restaurant is the Israeli one
 

Edited March 13 by Dolf

[jts-khorat]

8 hours ago, bob smith said:

i'm sure that many locals in that area are not happy with what is currently going on

 

It is those same locals who make the really big amounts of money that can be earned in a concentrated amusement mile.

 

Property prices for those who own are astronomic. Nobody would want to change that.

 

But this is not just Bangkok: as many city planners around the world have found, better to have the 'amusement zone' concentrated, than a noisy bar here or a loud disco there. Also much easier to police, as this is for obvious reasons also always a crime hotspot (maybe this will change one day, if weed instead of alcohol would become the preferred drug in usage).

[richard_smith237]

4 hours ago, bob smith said:

 

also the kind of people that frequent KSR now, the general demographic seems to have changed.

 

Nobody talks to strangers anymore, everyone is so engrossed in their instagram posts that they can't be bothered with genuine human interaction.

 

 

The demographic hasn't changed - its still young travellers / backpackers / party goers / young holiday makers.... 

 

What has changed is that you are now older....   its not that everyone is so engrosed in their phones, is simply that no one is engrossed in talking with older guys trying to crack on to young skirt in a area popular with young people....  

 

You, and I are now the oddity in these area's....      young tourists don't have much to say to people like you and myself, and I don't blame them... they want to talk with other young people... 

[Prubangboy]

1 hour ago, Dolf said:

Thanks for the tips

 

Shoshana restaurant is the Israeli one
 

Uh-huh.

 

Gotta be 12+ very satisfying meals for me there over the years. Very amusing older Thai women staff who are very fluent in hummus-ology. That whole alley is good; a 4* Indian outdoors place is right across from it.

 

And the Chabad Israeli community house restaurant around the corner for hummus-comparison purposes. Burger King is on the same corner for the likes of you-know-who.

 

Used book-wise, KSR is a shadow of years gone by. But I picked up 5 Gammaglobule-level modern novels and 4 useful, regional old Lonely Planets last year with change back from 2,000 baht.  I bought a large art book about the Bon (animist) religion of Tibet for 500 baht. That's a $300 book on Amazon.

 

Also: easy access to the very convenient ferry and the strip of modern fusion-ish Thai restaurants adjacent to it, a few of which are recco'd in The Time Out Guide. That whole area is turning into a restaurant row. Tourist $$$ and middle class Thai people add up to creative dining options.

 

5 minutes in a cab brings you to various historic buildings, forts, royal homes, major museums, top 10 Wats, and the canal boat.

 

You gotta be a saddo, drunken, Johnny No-mates desolutely staring into the bottom of a Chang Beer glass to have a bad time there.

 

Does any specific name fitting that bill come readily to mind?

Edited March 13 by Prubangboy

[Dolf]

44 minutes ago, Prubangboy said:

Uh-huh.

 

Gotta be 12+ very satisfying meals for me there over the years. Very amusing older Thai women staff who are very fluent in hummus-ology. That whole alley is good; a 4* Indian outdoors place is right across from it.

 

And the Chabad Israeli community house restaurant around the corner for hummus-comparison purposes. Burger King is on the same corner for the likes of you-know-who.

 

Used book-wise, KSR is a shadow of years gone by. But I picked up 5 Gammaglobule-level modern novels and 4 useful, regional old Lonely Planets last year with change back from 2,000 baht.  I bought a large art book about the Bon (animist) religion of Tibet for 500 baht. That's a $300 book on Amazon.

 

Also: easy access to the very convenient ferry and the strip of modern fusion-ish Thai restaurants adjacent to it, a few of which are recco'd in The Time Out Guide. That whole area is turning into a restaurant row. Tourist $$$ and middle class Thai people add up to creative dining options.

 

5 minutes in a cab brings you to various historic buildings, forts, royal homes, major museums, top 10 Wats, and the canal boat.

 

You gotta be a saddo, drunken, Johnny No-mates desolutely staring into the bottom of a Chang Beer glass to have a bad time there.

 

Does any specific name fitting that bill come readily to mind?

Khlong boats are fun

[Jonathan Swift]

11 hours ago, bob smith said:

over the weekend I was in Bangkok visiting an old friend and he took me out for the day.

 

We landed at Khaosan road around 4pm.

 

for the first 2/3 hours it was OK,

the smell of weed was in the air and everyone was pretty chill.

 

then nighttime came.

 

the first big speakers were wheeled out in front of us and the music was deafening.

then next door did the same,

then the next bar,

and then next next.

until it was a complete mish mash of noise and blare. 

the music on offer was a horrendous mix of EDM and pop song remixes.

Laughing gas was being tooted right out of the cannister by almost everyone around us.

it was so loud we could no longer hold a coherent conversation over our beer and I could hardly hear myself think.

 

We lasted 20 minutes in that atmosphere before we got in a taxi and headed back to his place.

This was the first time I had been to khaosan road in years.

 

What has happened? is this chaos being organized by someone?

is there some kind of committee that meets up and allows this to happen?

 

i'm sure that many locals in that area are not happy with what is currently going on,

not to mention holidaymakers with hotel windows facing directly on to the road itself..

 

bob.

It's a big mistake to ever think that anything in Thailand will remain the same over the years. That's actually one of the first things I learned about the place. What you describe as to Khao San Rd is no different that similar changes everywhere, especially after Covid forced everything to wilt, reseed,  and regrow. Someone said that well, son, you grew up, it's a young people's place now. That may be partially true, but the sense of change isn't simply because you can't change with the times, the times are changing faster than anyone can fully keep up with. You just have to let it happen, whether you join in or not. There are still plenty of worthy things and places in thailand, just cross this one off your list and move on. I've been living here 10 years now, first went to Khao San in 2013. 

Edited March 13 by Jonathan Swift

[it is what it is]

12 hours ago, bob smith said:

I prefer the old 'dump' to what is currently on offer.

 

I wont be going again that's for sure.

 

bob.

 

and i'm pretty sure those that enjoy hanging out there will not be going to the places that you hang out. horses for courses, live and let live, don;t moan so much just get on with life and be happy.

[Fat is a type of crazy]

Delete

Edited March 13 by Fat is a type of crazy

[thrilled]

I’m fine with Sukhumvit, Silom rd or riverside. 

[Gottfrid]

19 hours ago, Nick Carter icp said:

Its a place for young people , not really a place where old people go  .

You are not  teenage backpacker anymore , you have grown up 

The road is visited by a wide range of young, middle aged and old people. It has changed very much to the worse, whish is what Bob tried to tell. I do not think they have licenses nor are allowed to do what they are doing today, so just to hope the authorities will step in and make it better.

[TigerandDog]

21 hours ago, bob smith said:

I went to Khaosan road for the 1st time when I was a teenager and it definitely was nothing like that.

 

bob.

When you were a teenager loud speakers like that didn't exist and neither did cars or motor bikes. Khaosan road has been like that for yonks. I was actually watching a video on YouTube last night about Khaosan road that was posted 5 years ago. My first visit to Khaosan road was back in 2006 and it was exactly like that. Your reaction to all the noise just shows that you've become a sad old fart.

Edited March 14 by TigerandDog
additional information

[Thingamabob]

23 hours ago, bob smith said:

over the weekend I was in Bangkok visiting an old friend and he took me out for the day.

 

We landed at Khaosan road around 4pm.

 

for the first 2/3 hours it was OK,

the smell of weed was in the air and everyone was pretty chill.

 

then nighttime came.

 

the first big speakers were wheeled out in front of us and the music was deafening.

then next door did the same,

then the next bar,

and then next next.

until it was a complete mish mash of noise and blare. 

the music on offer was a horrendous mix of EDM and pop song remixes.

Laughing gas was being tooted right out of the cannister by almost everyone around us.

it was so loud we could no longer hold a coherent conversation over our beer and I could hardly hear myself think.

 

We lasted 20 minutes in that atmosphere before we got in a taxi and headed back to his place.

This was the first time I had been to khaosan road in years.

 

What has happened? is this chaos being organized by someone?

is there some kind of committee that meets up and allows this to happen?

 

i'm sure that many locals in that area are not happy with what is currently going on,

not to mention holidaymakers with hotel windows facing directly on to the road itself..

 

bob.

What has happened is that with the passing of time since your last visit you have joined the ranks of us oldies.

[George FmplesdaCosteedback]

Noise pollution in Thailand? Cannot be, surely this is just a normal entertainment area.

I lived in Patong during the early 90s and the bar streets were just the same as you describe Khaosan now.

Amazing Thailand, nothing changes, well maybe the "music" isn't very musicale any more.

[DonniePeverley]

There are some surrounding areas that are a bit more chill. 

[richard_smith237]

11 minutes ago, DonniePeverley said:

There are some surrounding areas that are a bit more chill. 

 

Absolutely agree....   There are loads of area's that are a lot more chill.... 

 

And when those areas become more known and commercialised 25 years later they'll be less chill....   

 

.... then when we go back 25 years later we will have forgotten about trying to use the disgusting hole in the floor bathroom and chewy cheap food and other annoying pretenders trying to 'out chill one another' in their quest to become 'more back-packer' and encounter greater hardships on their global and self discovery than those around them etc... 

 

... We'll just remember the chilled vibe that no longer exists because we are 'no longer that same chilled person'....  we don't want the noise or to poop in a hole in the floor !!! 

 

 

[thaibeachlovers]

On 3/13/2024 at 6:48 PM, scubascuba3 said:

25 years ago was great as a backpacker hub, haven't been for about 20 years sounds like not worth it

It was only good for cheap places to stay ( off KSR itself ) and contacts to hang out with while traveling. Far as the street itself was concerned, it was where silly youths paid too much for "ethnic" clothing that looked ridiculous, bought bus tickets from rip off private travel companies, watched VDO movies and told other people BS stories about all the adventures they made up.

 

Apparently the trendies discovered it some years ago, and in true Thai style it was bought up, and destroyed by greedy developers, just like they destroyed every decent beach in LOS.

[thaibeachlovers]

20 hours ago, George FmplesdaCosteedback said:

Amazing Thailand, nothing changes, well maybe the "music" isn't very musicale any more.

You obviously didn't hang out on Thai beaches for 30 years. All the decent ones I used to stay on got concreted over trying to get the flashpackers to stay at their grotty resort, just so they could make more money.

Phi Phi before and after the tsunami is an example of greed destroying the very reason people went there in the beginning.

 

Early days Hat Rin was actually a decent beach ( probably one of the most beautiful in Thailand ), but jump forward twenty years and the grotty concrete hotels and the "soap party" places had completely ruined it as any sort of decent beach to enjoy.

 

The wonderful place I stayed at in the 1990s with a large rock occupying part of the bathroom, had been destroyed so a big concrete monstrosity could be built, no doubt with hot water, AC and cable tv, so the trendies could feel like they never left home.

[Kinok Farang]

On 3/13/2024 at 10:57 AM, bob smith said:

over the weekend I was in Bangkok visiting an old friend and he took me out for the day.

 

We landed at Khaosan road around 4pm.

 

for the first 2/3 hours it was OK,

the smell of weed was in the air and everyone was pretty chill.

 

then nighttime came.

 

the first big speakers were wheeled out in front of us and the music was deafening.

then next door did the same,

then the next bar,

and then next next.

until it was a complete mish mash of noise and blare. 

the music on offer was a horrendous mix of EDM and pop song remixes.

Laughing gas was being tooted right out of the cannister by almost everyone around us.

it was so loud we could no longer hold a coherent conversation over our beer and I could hardly hear myself think.

 

We lasted 20 minutes in that atmosphere before we got in a taxi and headed back to his place.

This was the first time I had been to khaosan road in years.

 

What has happened? is this chaos being organized by someone?

is there some kind of committee that meets up and allows this to happen?

 

i'm sure that many locals in that area are not happy with what is currently going on,

not to mention holidaymakers with hotel windows facing directly on to the road itself..

 

bob.

You got old.It happens to us all.