Bangkok/Khao San Road
From Imakoopedia
Khao San Road (also spelled Koh Sarn) is, technically speaking, a small street about three blocks long located about a block from the Chao Phraya River in the Banglamphu district northwest of downtown Bangkok. Backpackers and budget tourists are drawn by some of the cheapest accommodation in Thailand - most guesthouses charge around 150 baht a night and a bowl of noodles is 20 baht or less - and great bargains on tour and transport.
The first business to open on Khao San Road was a small hotel aimed at serving civil servants from the provinces who came to Bangkok on business. The hotel was followed by Sor Thambhakdi, a shop selling monks' accessories. It was followed by four similar businesses, and khao San became known as a "religious road".
Word soon spread about the easy lifestyle and friendliness of the locals. Friends told friends, and before long the owner of the house started to charge 20 baht for food and lodging. The first commercial guesthouse, called Bonny, opened with six small bedrooms.
On a more practical level there are also pharmacies, internet cafes, money changing booths, ATMs, shoe stores, laundry, and optometrists.
Accommodations and restaurants are hard to recommend, since places spring up and disappear on a monthly basis.
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Get in
Khao San Road is fairly easy to get to from anywhere in Bangkok. Taxis, buses, and river ferry are your main options. The hourly airport bus, A2, arrives and departs from the corner of Khao San Road. Buy a ticket from the booth at the airport, or on the bus.
See the Bangkok section for info on arriving in town.
Do
There aren't any sights to speak of on the road itself -- head south to Rattanakosin for that -- but Banglamphu is just an interesting place to walk around for a glimpse of Thai life.
The Banglamphu park, just beyond Khao San Road, has a great view of the Chao Phraya river and the ultra-modern Rama VIII suspension bridge.
Buy
The Banglamphu market is a good place to pick up cheap Thai knock-offs of everything from jeans to Italian sneakers, as well as a few posh Thai silk stores. Food stalls also abound in this area. Just wander around and get good and lost. When you're done, just ask around for Khao San and people will point the way out.
Eat
Khao San Road food is generally some of the least interesting in Bangkok. Various street vendors sell decent Pad Thai, quail eggs and other street food, while backpackers who prefer non-Thai food can eat falafel, hummous and other such Western delights. Restaurants aimed at backpackers tend to be worse than the street stalls, while those looking for truly good food would be advised to head elsewhere, to Chinatown or an area aimed at more affluent tourists.
Drink
Khao San Road has some of the cheapest bars in town, and these days even some Thais head down to knock back a few.
Sleep
Keep in mind that anything on the main drag will be loud, and anything with exterior windows will get hot. Try walking a block or two off Khao San proper to find something with a little personality-- or at least a little quiet. The street past the police station end of the block (Soi Rambuttri) has reasonable little bars and restaurants that are starting to spill out onto the sidewalk. The road gets darker and quieter as it wraps around the wat (temple) grounds. The post office end also has a few original spots-- including a great veggie restaurant and cooking school.
- Sawadee House
- Khao San Palace
- New Merry V
- New Siam Guesthouse Clean rooms and singles starting around 150 baht per night (without airconditioning).
The area just beyond the park has a number of small river-front guest-houses which can be an escape from the noise and chaos of Khao San.
There are two better class hotels in the area, priced just over 1000 baht for proper hotels with swimming pools, minibars, etc. The better one is the Royal Hotel, while the Vieng Tai is also a popular choice.
Get out
Cheap tourist bus, mini-van, and airline tickets are available at any of the dozens of travel agents in the area. Visas for other Southeast Asian countries can also be obtained on your behalf. Popular destinations include Chiang Mai in the north, Phuket in the south, Angkor Wat in the east (in Cambodia), and various islands off the coast. See also the One month in Southeast Asia itinerary.
Warning: While convenient, honest to a certain extent (ie. if sold a ticket to Siem Reap, you eventually will probably get to Siem Reap) and seemingly cheap, many of the agencies operating here have turned scamming into an art form. The "VIP buses" you are promised turn into clapped-out minibuses, you are likely to be hit for extra charges for various dubious services along the way and many operators will intentionally slow down the journey so you arrive in the middle of the night and can be coaxed into choosing their guesthouse — invariably the crappiest place in town which just happens to pay the agency the highest commissions. Worst of all, since you have paid in advance, you have no recourse of any kind when this happens! It will generally be faster and cheaper to arrange your own tickets directly.
External links
- Khao San Road — self-proclaimed official site (http://www.khaosanroad.com/)
