Tags
[I had not intended on posting a This Is Thailand article again so soon, but bad planning, New Year’s Eve, New Year’s hangover, and the hot guy I really need to get back into bed with got in the way . . .]
Backpackers deep within their haze of discovery while wandering the world on the cheap seldom realize what a rip-off Khaosan Road in Bangkok is, anyone else visiting the infamous street quickly realizes prices are twice what they are elsewhere in town. But then everyone else also realizes backpackers are easy prey and deserve all the bad luck that seems to seek them out. Being a backpackers means instant karma. And thanks to them the land sharks who make their living off Khaosan Road visitors are a well-fed bunch.
Khaosan is a must-see for visitors to the Big Mango in my book if for no better reason than it is the only place in town where you’re guaranteed to not see any of the famous Thai smiles. Even when a vendor sells a 99 baht T-shirt for 300 baht, they are still so pissed at having to spend their days surrounded by the scum of the earth that the best they can do is to frown less.
Maybe a recent addition to the street’s scene will help lighten their mood. If nothing else it should serve as a warning to the backpacking crowd. Though in reality I’m sure some enterprising Thai will figure out a way to charge them for having their photo taken here instead.
The ‘Jaws Eats A Backpacker’ bench is street-side in front of the shopping mall at Buddy’s Lodge. It should have been installed a bit further down where the ‘fish massage’ place sits instead. I’m not sure how long the installation will last, it’s actually an advertisement for Ocean World at Siam Paragon. Because out of all the areas in Bangkok where touri hang out, your best bet for drawing the type of visitor willing to shell out big bucks for a third-rate aquarium in a mall filled with expensive name brand shops would be the folks staying in 500 baht non air-conditioned rooms with a shared bathroom in Khaosan. Yup, This Is Thailand . . .
Related Posts You Might Enjoy:
A Fishy Experience
On A Wing And A Prayer
Bangkok’s Creatures From The Black Lagoon
i sometimes wonder where you are coming from … are you saying back packers shouldnt be allowed out of there home towns ? most of these would be people on gap years from uni .. who are taking an aventure that they probably cant afford .. yet do so anyway because once they start school again they wont find the time for the next 10 years or so …
and along comes a guy with plenty of money who may well have done the same thing 30 or 40 years ago … saying we dont want or need your sort here .. you are scum .. go home ….
thats the sort of comment id expect from beachy . … there you go .. maybe we are all a bit strange huh.
Heading out to discover the world in your late teens to early twenties is a great idea. I think if more Americans did so we’d have a bit better of an idea about what life is really all about. And there is nothing wrong with doing it on the cheap either. The danger is in falling into the backpacker mentality. The result then is not about discovering how other people live, but rather discovering how other young people just like you fry their brain cells. Which is an experience you can get without ever leaving home.
Khaosan has little to do with Thailand. It is a separate world; it is a small world created to keep the type of people Thais would rather not associate with out of the rest of the city. And I’m glad Khaosan exists for them. Just like I’m glad Pattaya exists for those who flock there.
I spend a lot of time on Khaosan, and as I do everywhere I go I spend a good amount of time meeting and talking with both locals and touri. The majority of backpackers I’ve met on Khaosan mean well and love to tell you how much they are immersing themselves in the local culture. But when you get into details, they’ve been following the step by step instructions of Lonely Planet, taking over-priced bus trips filled with other backpackers to dubious ‘Thai’ attractions, and getting ripped off daily. I’m not saying their way is wrong – it is perfect for many of them – I’m saying there is a better way to see and learn about a foreign land than hanging out with a bunch of other Westerners.
Next time you are in Bangkok, go spend an afternoon on Khaosan Tim. Then you’ll know what I mean. Then stay into the night and party your ass off with the scum of the world – because that can be fun too.
each to there own i guess … im happy to say ive never been anywhere just because ive read it in a guide book .. nor gone into a bar because ive been told its a great bar .. i tend to do my own thing .. and lets others do what they want as well … i try not to judge others … tho i couldnt give a shit if others want to judge me.. cause im the only one who really knows me !!! live and let live .. long as no ones getting hurt .
but i do wonder why do you go there if you know what its all about ? same as the zoo maybe’s ? if they keep away from the rest of us then its even better.
I spend so much time on Khaosan because a) I do lots of business there, b) that’s where Bangkok’s best blues club is, and c) just because the average backpacker is an idiot doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy partying my ass off with them. Which I do. Often.
Face it, I’m a very judgemental person. But as long as you don’t come down on the side of puppy-drowning evil, I’m going to find something about you I like and enjoy that, you, and life.
I just haven’t reached a conclusion yet on you Tim.
🙂
I don’t see Khao San Road in such a negative light, and I think summarily labeling the people staying there as scum is over the top. For many young travelers, it’s one of their first stops in Asia, if not the very first, and some of them have never traveled abroad before at all. So, yes, it’s a Disneyland version of Thailand, but it’s not realistic to expect from newcomers to completely immerse themselves in cultures that are nothing but alien to them. So staying at a place where (a) there are plenty of other like-minded travelers and (b) the locals have a higher level of tolerance to their antics does make some sense for them, I think.
There’s always the chance to venture out of the ghetto, or to come back again later for a more authentic experience, once a genuine interest in the country, its people and its culture have been triggered. So, not all is lost.
Personally, I’m glad that I never staid there, because I was a bit too old when I came to Thailand the first time and because I had my personal Thai tour guide (wink wink). But while I think that’s the better approach, I don’t think it’s suitable for the majority of young travelers. I go to Khao San Road once in a while to party there, and nowadays many Thai Bangkokians are doing the same. It adds to Bangkok’s very diverse charms, more than anything else.
Well of course it is over the top Alex, did you forget which blog you were reading?
🙂
But then again the vibe given off by the locals tells you a lot about those they have to deal with daily, and on Khaosan it’s not good. I don’t think anyone is required to immerse themselves in the culture of the lands they visit, but then don’t pretend you are when your hanging with a bunch of white folk either.
I do think everyone should visit the street because it is a part of Bangkok and an unusual one at that. And low-lifes or not, for the most part I enjoy the people I meet and party with there. And to be fair, if you asked any of them about Soi Twilight, they too would probably refer to the scums and low-lifes who spend all their time in a small ghetto that has little to do with the real Thailand.
Right, how could I forget… 🙄 Great point regarding Soi Twilight! For most “regular” tourists, both the place and most of the people there must be quite an awful sight.
For some of us sex tourists many of the people on Soi Twilight are quite an awful sight.
🙂
same same
hmmm now how did this end up here in the wrong time and place ???
how rude .. again.
lol
Damn gin!