Joe Louis makes friends on Khao San Road
Certain neighborhoods are backpacker neighborhoods. They are characterized by ubiquitous budget hostels, easy access to alcohol, and rowdy 20-something crowds at night. Bondi Beach in Sydney attracts a young surfer crowd as does San Juan Del Sur in Nicaragua. Thamel in Kathmandu is full of shops selling counterfeit winter clothes for budget travelers looking to go on a trek. But moreso than any place I have been, Khao San Road epitomizes the backpacker neighborhood.
The area, stretching out from Khao San Road itself is littered with cheap hostels of varying cleanliness and cost (but mostly dirty and very very cheap). During the day, the streets aren’t too crowded but are lined with vendors hawking cheap merchandise, mostly flip flops, humorous t-shirts, and other clothing that will disintegrate after a few washes. You can get an outdoor massage for just a few dollars and a full meal of street food for even less (scorpion is a regular delicacy here). As many persistent salesmen will tell you, you can get a custom suit for under $100, but I wouldn’t trust the aggressive, sleazy looking pushers.
At night is when the party really gets going. The streets fill boisterous foreigners in good spirits. Don’t bring your family out for a visit though as the parties and vendors are Rated R at minimum. But definitely pull up a chair, order a Chiang beer, and raise your glass to the Germans, French, and Australian backpackers at the table next to you.
See what other blogs are saying about the backpackers of Khao San Road:
“Be it day or night, the street is a pulsating mass of humanity. Tourists and travelers meander down the street watching vendors grill scorpions or looking for the cheapest, biggest bucket of booze they can find. Among them are the locals, some hawking their crappy wares and others preying on the unsuspecting. This is ground zero for pickpockets, scams and general thievery, the dishonest few knowing full well the value of an unprepared foreigner.”
–Landlopers
“Every night the place turns into a giant outdoor backpacker party covering a couple square blocks. Food options of all types seem to be represented, with a focus on the inexpensive. It’s just bustling with people and energy, the overwhelming majority 20-somethings from some developed nation. I still can’t imagine anywhere else quite like it, and I love it for its constant energy provided by generations of wanderers and vagabonds.”
–Notes from a Big World
