Whatever category you fall into, there’s no denying that this is a lively place; a street with an electric atmosphere provided by the buzz of experience-hungry backpacking travellers united by their shared goals and plans and by the common clothing combinations considered de rigueur by many.
It is fair to say that Bangkok’s Khao San road is a haven for hippy-types, bohemian characters and backpacking tourists, but this does not mean that it only has something to offer those of that ilk. Indeed, the cheap accommodation, food and drink as well as the large selection of both essential and leisure products is of appeal to a much wider audience. Those visitors happy to mingle with the alternative crowd and the clichés that surround them can take away plenty from a stay or visit at this most famous of streets.
Khao San road’s fame, or infamy, is global and there are few travel-oriented characters around the world that are not aware of what this road is all about and its leanings towards those of particular subcultures. Its reputation ensures that backpackers and travellers of specific persuasions continue to flock here and business owners continue to tailor their good and services to the needs of this community.
The street’s role as a provider of cheap accommodation arose during the city’s 1982 bicentennial anniversary celebrations, during which time foreign visitors were unable to find hotel rooms and resorted to paying locals for rooms in their houses for the night. Since that time, Khao San road Bangkok has done everything it can to nurture its position as a mecca for those travelling around Southeast Asia on a shoestring and has taken on a cheap carnival-like environment.
Besides cheap accommodation, Bangkok’s Khao San road serves a number of other useful purposes for those who frequent it, one of the most important of which is providing a centre at which travellers can meet, either as a rendezvous point for those already acquainted or as an environment which fosters new friendships.
Secondly, the street dulls the potential for culture shock by offering visitors a gentle introduction to Thailand and its idiosyncrasies. The street’s Thai-western mix is an agreeable blend for those having never ventured beyond Europe or North America. Thai food in restaurants is tailored to suit foreign palates, western beer brands are available in bars and décor in either type of establishment is hardly typical of the east.
Thirdly, Khao San road Bangkok offers backpackers everything they need to plan, organise and execute their onward travel agendas, be it trips around Thailand only or the famous Southeast Asian circuit. Independent travel agents and the booking desks of almost every guesthouse and hotel in the area are well equipped to offer the gamut of travel related services aimed at backpacking holidaymakers.
Should you wish to find fault with Khao San road, then it would not be that difficult, with opportunities to criticise at almost every level. However, why bother? If the street’s eclectic mix of Thai and western restaurants, purveyors of fake designer goods, bookshops, travel agents and abundance of care-free, thong-footed individuals is not your thing, then steer well clear and leave it to those for whom it is.
It is fair to say that Bangkok’s Khao San road is a haven for hippy-types, bohemian characters and backpacking tourists, but this does not mean that it only has something to offer those of that ilk. Indeed, the cheap accommodation, food and drink as well as the large selection of both essential and leisure products is of appeal to a much wider audience. Those visitors happy to mingle with the alternative crowd and the clichés that surround them can take away plenty from a stay or visit at this most famous of streets.
Khao San road’s fame, or infamy, is global and there are few travel-oriented characters around the world that are not aware of what this road is all about and its leanings towards those of particular subcultures. Its reputation ensures that backpackers and travellers of specific persuasions continue to flock here and business owners continue to tailor their good and services to the needs of this community.
The street’s role as a provider of cheap accommodation arose during the city’s 1982 bicentennial anniversary celebrations, during which time foreign visitors were unable to find hotel rooms and resorted to paying locals for rooms in their houses for the night. Since that time, Khao San road Bangkok has done everything it can to nurture its position as a mecca for those travelling around Southeast Asia on a shoestring and has taken on a cheap carnival-like environment.
Besides cheap accommodation, Bangkok’s Khao San road serves a number of other useful purposes for those who frequent it, one of the most important of which is providing a centre at which travellers can meet, either as a rendezvous point for those already acquainted or as an environment which fosters new friendships.
Secondly, the street dulls the potential for culture shock by offering visitors a gentle introduction to Thailand and its idiosyncrasies. The street’s Thai-western mix is an agreeable blend for those having never ventured beyond Europe or North America. Thai food in restaurants is tailored to suit foreign palates, western beer brands are available in bars and décor in either type of establishment is hardly typical of the east.
Thirdly, Khao San road Bangkok offers backpackers everything they need to plan, organise and execute their onward travel agendas, be it trips around Thailand only or the famous Southeast Asian circuit. Independent travel agents and the booking desks of almost every guesthouse and hotel in the area are well equipped to offer the gamut of travel related services aimed at backpacking holidaymakers.
Should you wish to find fault with Khao San road, then it would not be that difficult, with opportunities to criticise at almost every level. However, why bother? If the street’s eclectic mix of Thai and western restaurants, purveyors of fake designer goods, bookshops, travel agents and abundance of care-free, thong-footed individuals is not your thing, then steer well clear and leave it to those for whom it is.
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