Khao San Road & The Great Unwashed

[dirtydog]

So off to Khao San Road by the Chao Phraya Express Boat to see the REAL Thailand, here we are speeding up the river with the Rama VIII Bridge in view.



So what is Khao San Road famous for? Off-hand I can think of fake documents, ie degrees that the English TEFLer teachers like so much, pirate goods which the back packers like so much, apart from that it could be any popular back packers stop over town any where in Asia, food basically caters for farangs rather than being aimed at the Thai market, hotels and guest houses are slowly going more upmarket with things like solid walls in bedrooms rather than plywood where you can hear your neighbours fart, and watch out if your bird is a screamer, the whole place will get to listen to the show, might even get a round of applause if your any good.

Our stop we want is the Phra Arthit pier and then after a short and confusing walk and we will be mixing with the beasts of Europe, taking in the smells of sewage, sweating, unwashed bodies and other aromas the great unwashed give off, the drains don't smell that good either, Khao San Road, the real Thailand where it is easier to get a kebab than a Thai Fried Rice, where beads, braided hair and fake tattoos are always in fashion, fisherman pants are a must, bartering at the local 7/11 for a bottle of water is seen as quite normal, yes, Khao San Road, THE REAL THAILAND.

Time is running out for entries into the "How many backpacks can you carry Festival," for this your going to need some proper food if you want a chance of winning, is that a nice greasy chicken kebab I can see, got a ton of calories and stuff in them, but at 60 baht each would that be a bit too much? How much can they be bartered down to if I order 2 of them? Shall offer him 50 baht a kebab and tell him I will buy one everyday from him, he's sure to fall for that and I am off to Phuket in 3 days,hahahahahah, well sadly Justin ended up paying the 60 baht full price even after bartering for 2 hours, but you really can't beat a nice kebab can you.



Being the real Thailand sometimes Quentin would treat himself to some Vietnamese inspired spring rolls to really get the feel for Thailand, he did think he was being over charged paying 10 baht each for them though.



Pad Thai with an egg on top at 30 baht, without the egg 25 baht, 5 baht for an egg that only costs 3 baht in 7/11, charging 2 baht for cooking it and putting it on a plate seems a tad expensive, bet she spends most of her day bartering with the great unwashed.



Really can't go wrong with fruit in Thailand, must be the cheapest in the world, note they also do musli, honey and yoghurt so are catering to the backpackers, wonder if they eat that rubbish in there home country.

That's actually quite a wide selection of fruit on that menu sign.



So you got 10 days in Khao san Road taking in the real Thailand and then it is off to Chiang Mai for 2 days, what you gonna do?

Gullivers Traveler's Tavern, the trendiest night club on Khao San? Thai women dressed to thrill in the hope of earning some money in exchange for sex, male back packers sipping slowly on that expensive beer in the hope of pulling a Thai stunner and getting some free sex, its a dead lock and nothing will happen.



Have you seen the menu and food prices at Gullivers? Not sure if the Khao san road does food, but at the prices they charge they really do need to re-locate to a more classy area, not many back packers will be willing to pay 320 baht for a English breakfast I reckon, and if they are pork sausages the Israelies wont be queuing up, albeit they can't barter at a night club, at least I hope not.

So what should they do for there 10 days of living the life? This is an easy one, booze buckets, lots of them, hold on the insecticide though.



Line up the booze buckets and off to the drum and guitar stall, time to impres everyone with your musical skills and tell them stories of how you nearly made it in the music business, time to travel Thailand and annoy the fuck out of everybody



If you find you need to save money and are bored of sitting in that tiny heat stiffling box they call your room, the one with the window that faces onto an unrendered wall just over 1 foot away, the brochure did say the views wern't very good didn't it, rather than sitting at a restaurant or bar spending 2 hours sipping a beer sit on the front of a shop that isn't using the outside as a business front, bottle of water and a packet of crisps from the 7/11 and your set up for the day.

Plenty of people watching going on here, what with all the restaurants, bars, market stalls, thinking about it it has just about everything you could want, probably quite a good place for a night out.



For shopping obviously it is best to go to one of the big shopping malls ion Bangkok, plenty to choose from and if you like shopping then you can spend a week just visiting the main ones.

But Khao San Road has a lot of market type stalls and of course many shops which are aimed at the tourist market, so if your not an addicted shopper it should be fine for you.

Choosing some beads and bangles.



Plenty of things to do here and of course to buy here.




Coming next, restaurants, bars and massage in Khao San Road.

[deathstardan]

In my mid-twenties I had a brief period of going to Khao San every weekend for about six months. I used to love it there.

Then I realised most of the farangs were pretentious, do-gooders who looked down on the likes of me. Simple folk who bathed regularly and enjoyed boosting the fortunes of many a dusky maiden. Let the great unwashed have Khao San. I will stick to Sukhumvit.

Nice photos by the way, DD.

[dirtydog]

Thailand is famous for its massages, rumour has it due to the happy endings, can't imasgine there are too many happy endings at these 2 types of massage place though

Charlies massage place is so busy they have them doing foot massages on the street, never had a foot massage as my feet are way to sensitive and ticklish, I would be rolling all over the pavement as soon as they got near me.



But it seems some can handle it better than others, bet this farang was a bit upset and shocked when he got a bloke to do his massage, he was probably eyeing up some cutie in the hope it wouild be her and he ended up with Butch.



Fish spas have really taken off in Thailand, and if you can charge 10baht a minute your not doing to bad, although it can't be too good for the fish eating putrid human flesh everyday.



Should chuck a couple of pirhana in there to liven things up, would make a good show.



Of course, I think most of us have tried the oil massage and know where that can lead to, the famous "Happy Ending."

[sunsetter]

^ 1 dollar in siem reap, and you get a free beer

[dirtydog]

Sadly it seems fast food outlets are opening faster than Thai food restaurants, the likes of KFC, McDonalds and Subway already having outlets there competing against the Tom Yum Kung Thai restaurant and Pick Thai Restaurant amongst many others.



McDonalds.



Khao San Road even has at least two Irish bars, does it really need two, has a Mulligans and the Shamrock, not one for themed bars it makes no difference to me, just seems a bit strange to open a Irish bar in the middle of Bangkok in a back packers tourist area, still each to there own.

[dirtydog]

I wasn't going to include the Khao San Road pizza as the photos aren't very good, but waking up starving hungry after a good nights sleep sure does make those pizza slices look inviting, and at 50baht per slice wont break the bank, anybody for a slice of pizza?



You want anchovies with that?

[dirtydog]

A few questions before we carry on, so this black building, what is it, ie what business does it carry out? It certainly looks nice, lots of outside dinning in the area, so curious to actually know what it sells or does.





This building with the Egyption type motif, open for business and what does it do?



The Thai flags across the road, was there a festival or is this just a normal display for the Khao San area?

Nice Porshe.



Looks about the most inviting and professional area on the Khao San Road. Spent some time and money planning this one out, worth it in the end.

[dirtydog]

People watching is cheap and fun, and Khao san Road has a Soi full of restaurants with outside dinning, so you can be seen if you have just bought the latest mobile phone and want everybody to know just how trendy and with it you are, or just sit back, sup a beer or 2 and watch the dregs of society pass you by whilst you play dumb games on that new mobile pretending that you really are selling stocks and shares on it, yes we know it is Sunday, just placing your Monday orders wern't you

First up is Golf Bar, not sure what that is about not checking ID'S, seems a very dangerous posistion for serving underage, nobody needs to bring problems like that on themselves for such small amounts of money, the cost of a cocktail.

Flimsy tables and chairs that wobble, it wont catch on.



La Casa, speaks quality, nice high end tables and chairs, Italian and Tapas, bet they charge for this luxury, this is the place to show off that new phone, leave the buckets, drum and guitar in your hovel of a hotel for the day.



Not to bad, would change the umbrellas to beer ones though, probably have lots of problems trying to keep the sun off the customers, although holiday makers are probably after a bit of a suntan, but locals and expats don't want skin cancer just yet.



Another Thailand Hub, this time a dormitory on the Khao san, do people still use them? Never done that before, really couldn't handle it, probably end up with a physchotic axe murderer sharing the room.

Whats he doing sitting on the kerb? Doesn't he realise how uncool that looks, get yourself to the 7/11, 1 plastic bag and a bottle of Lao Khao, do it in style man.



Party time on the Khao San Road, all in all I got to admit that Khao san Road looks like a fun place to spend a few hours, plenty of eating and drinking choices, maybe get a farang bird for the evening, just got to make sure the idiot back packers don't latch onto you, apart from that it looks pretty damn good to me.

[The Fresh Prince]

We used to play a game down Khao San. You and a drinking buddy have to sit in a street bar facing opposite ends of the street. The first person to spot a backpacker wearing no shoes/barefoot, walking towards your direction wins, and the other person has to pay the beer tab. Great game and can last all day.

I designed that 'M' logo btw.

[Thetyim]

First up is Golf Bar, not sure what that is about not checking ID'S, seems a very dangerous posistion for serving underage, nobody needs to bring problems like that on themselves for such small amounts of money, the cost of a cocktail.

Maybe they serve fruit cocktails with no alcohol

[dirtydog]

Big yellow and black sign on the bar says we serve very strong cocktails, fruit isn't going to get you pissed

[The Fresh Prince]

fruit isn't going to get you pissed

Unless it's turned into cider.

[Thetyim]

The sign says strong, as in lots of fruit, it doesn't say alcoholic.


Need to read the menu really and see if there is a choice of vodka, gin etc

[The Fresh Prince]

La Casa, speaks quality, nice high end tables and chairs, Italian and Tapas, bet they charge for this luxury, this is the place to show off that new phone, leave the buckets, drum and guitar in your hovel of a hotel for the day.

Ate there once. Wasn't that impressed with the pasta but I didn't try the pizza. The bar just next to it with the nice tree is a great place to sink a few afternoon beers.

[dirtydog]

Did you masturbate last night Manuel? Were you thinking about the cute Thai waitress? You dirty bugger Manuel, get yourself down the local Temple and ask for some good Catholic forgiveness from those saffron robed priests, and don't let them touch your winkle, you know what those priests are like.

Yes Khao San Road does have a Temple or 2 for the sinners and those that wish to win the lottery, welcome to Wat Chana Songkhram, it's down opposite the Khao San Road police station if you feel that you should visit it, but your in Bangkok and Bangkok has a million Temples anyway.

The main building.



Do they keep the bodies in the white building? Maybe just bits of the bodies, ie big bones and stuff?



This looks quite nice, I like the mess of it all, stuff placed where ever with what seems to be without a care in the world.



Not sure about the Christmas tree lights, still it is Thailand and the basic Christian concepts are only known in the tourist areas.



Another mess, another Buddha statue to pray at, looks pretty good I reckon, worth a visit.

[david44]

Hum and hummer,If you find the yoof loud offensive silly and smelly you are clearly to old to be care free.Spoiled western brats on gap year texting,twattering away to the real world almost no interaction with locals other than monetary,like sexpats without the sex

[pickel]

I designed that 'M' logo btw.

Haha, it looks like a pair of spread legs.

[farmerfloyd]

I spent Halloween there 3 years ago, was very entertaining with all the painting of broken body parts and everybody happy and no fights like you might see in US if everybody could drink on the streets, I love it. cant get wife to go for the 5th trip. thanks for the memories!!

[terry57]

First lobed on Khao San in 1997. Had a brilliant time spinning out around the place.

Can still enjoy a few coldies there these days purving at the sexy backpacking wenches and its far more entertaining than being in a beer bar with a bunch of drunken sex pats.

[Goober]

Lived in S.E.A. for 10 years, been in Bangkok countless times doesn't sound like I missed much. I Think I'm stick to my old haunts on Sukhumvit Road Soi 15. Where your right in the middle off all the fun or crap depending on how you look at it.

[Goober]

Maybe I never went there, because when I got my TEFL way back I had a degree. Ended up my first job in Bangkok was as a G.M. with a 1M Baht salary ++. Never did teach English, always could if I needed too one day.

[tonyroma]

thirty years ago it was the ants pants ....now just a hangout