Anthony and Karen seem to fit right on Khao San. They arrived in Bangkok three days ago, and are “having the wildest experience.”
Anthony’s T-shirt reveals his new forearm tattoo — the words sabai sabai, Thai for fun. “It’s my life philosophy,” he confides.
Like a piece of abstract sculpture, Karen’s head is covered in wires: their guesthouse’s staff set her red hair into dreadlocks last night. Karen is satisfied with the work, but worries that the dreadlocks will fall apart when they go swimming in Phuket. Thus far the couple has not left the Khao San area, a maze of streets no bigger than two city blocks. “Why go anywhere?” asks Karen. “This is the most fun part of town…this is Bangkok.”
Actually, Khao San is not Bangkok, in that few Thais live there — it is an enclave populated by travelers. Yet for a number of visitors, Khao San is an integral part of the Bangkok experience. Many people form their first impressions of Thailand in a taxi on the way to a Khao San guesthouse. Some travelers love Khao San so much that they never use the return half of their airplane ticket. Several area guesthouses are full of long-time residents. And when “The Beach,” a “Lord of the Flies” update that stars Leonardo DiCaprio and that takes place, in part, in Khao San, hits theaters this winter, the district’s popularity will boom.
It is difficult to imagine how much more popular Khao San could become. Arriving for the first time from my flat in east Bangkok, the exhilaratingly crowded neighborhood reminds me of an eclectic, surreal version of Disney World’s International Village: stores and restaurants cater to every nationality. A pseudo-French bistro advertising pommes frites competes with Israeli falafel joints that show “Seinfeld” tapes subtitled in Hebrew.
All upper-story real estate has been converted into guesthouses. At street level, hundreds of foreigners dressed in everything from business suits to thong bathing suits lounge at cafes. Even though it is low season, the street is so full of people that tuk-tuk drivers have given up moving their vehicles, and many guesthouses display “No Vacancy” signs.
To understand Khao San’s appeal, I spend several days commuting to the area and learning its history from long-timers such as Piyapong Jantaravong, manager of CH2 Guesthouse. “Twenty years ago, Khao San was nothing,” says Piyapong. “Just a couple guesthouses.” But in the 1980s, Thailand started promoting its tourism industry, and young travelers flocked to the kingdom.
As the country’s tourism industry blossomed, the Lonely Planet “Thailand” guide praised the few Khao San guesthouses for their location and services. Although Lonely Planet was a young company, its guides had already gained an audience. Lonely Planet “Thailand” became the most popular book in the series. As backpackers moved around, word of mouth spread about the Khao San area. Soon new guesthouses and shops sprung up along Khao San Road itself and in surrounding alleys.
By the early 1990s, Khao San was as much a part of the Bangkok tourist scene as spicy curries and kaleidoscopic markets. Some backpackers complained that Khao San was overcrowded, passe. A few people gravitated to other areas.
But pessimism about Khao San did not last long. In recent years, entrepreneurs have opened cybercafes along Khao San alleys, making the area an Internet-access hub. Close to Khao San, Phra Athit Road has become the center of a burgeoning Bangkok arts scene, as young Thais convert 19th Century villas into gallery cafes. Skilled Thai chefs have opened vegetarian restaurants on Tanao Road, a two-minute walk from Khao San — now this small street is a center for vegetarianism.
And Alex Garland’s ultrapopular novel “The Beach,” the basis for the film, has found its way into adventurers’ backpacks. Khao San is cool once again.
After chatting with old Khao San hands, I am a store of history, but I still don’t get it — I don’t understand why Khao San is so enduringly popular. What draws people and keeps them coming back? I need to live the life. So I move to Khao San.
Khao San clearly is a place to cut loose. On my first day as a Khao Saner, I watch British insurance salesmen pay Thai schoolgirls to weave beads into their hair. The next morning, Israelis fresh from army duty dance around my guesthouse’s restaurant in shirts that read “Love Not War.” Young Danish couples frolic in the street to songs coming from cassette-vendors’ massive stereos; Khao San is the best place in town to buy inexpensive music.
This vibrant ethnic mix and carefree, convivial atmosphere probably are Khao San’s greatest attractions. Visitors from all over the world meet while buying soda at Khao San’s convenience stores, booking buses to Krabi at its numerous travel agents, or watching rugby at its open-air bars.
Korean graduate students demonstrate how to eat kimchi. Spanish and Italian football fans debate for hours at the Royal India restaurant. Khao San is just a terrific spot to enjoy others’ company. At night the small area boasts hundreds of tiny bars and cafes — often no more than chairs, drinks and a man yelling, “Hey! Sit here!” One could spend weeks just in Khao San without trying all of them.
Yet except for Anthony and Karen, everyone I meet has ventured beyond Khao San.
On my third night at Lucky Beer Guesthouse (I couldn’t resist the name), I meet David and Steven, Israeli brothers who are fascinated by Thailand. “Whenever we come to Bangkok we always go to a temple, or walk through Chinatown,” Steven says. “And we try authentic food, street stuff….It’s nice to learn about Thailand some.”
In fact, contrary to my preconceived notion that people flock to Khao San because they want a foreign experience that’s like home — an exotic place in which you eat baguettes at every meal — most Khao Saners display significant interest in Thailand’s culture and environment. Everyone else in my guesthouse wakes up one morning at 6 a.m. for a grueling all-day tour of Bangkok’s markets. The Australians in the room next to mine study Thai boxing at a gym near Khao San. Most people I meet have visited many temples and galleries.
Many forgo the Khao San area’s western-Thai “fusion” restaurants to venture into the older Rattanakosin area of town, where most menus are written in Thai and few places go light on the chilies. One afternoon during my Khao San stay, I have lunch at Choejitr, an old, hard-to-find Rattanakosin Thai restaurant that I love that sees few foreign customers. Ravenously slurping my soup, I watch, amazed, as two Swedes from the guesthouse next to mine walk in, ask for “whatever is good,” and enjoy Choejitr’s delicious yam makhuea (eggplant salad.)
I am not an itinerant traveler. I get tired of sleeping on a guesthouse mattress, eating restaurant food. I yearn for my latte-maker. So, 10 days after I check in to Lucky Beer, I return home.
Yet from the short time I spend in Khao San, I begin to understand its attraction.
Like all neighborhoods, it is different things to different people. Some people do come to Khao San for an exotic experience that’s just like home. For other travelers, Khao San is the closest they can find to the fabled nirvana of the 1960s — a place where you shimmy in the street, pick up a nameless lover and take a Buddhist meditation course all in one day. For others, Khao San is simply an exciting, inexpensive spot to meet fascinating people. And for many people, the neighborhood is a place of temporary refuge in a chaotic city.
Khao San satisfies all of these travelers’ needs. The neighborhood can feel very familiar: For me, the hamburgers are just good enough to make me think about how much better they are in America. Khao San does have a carefree, 1960s vibe. The neighborhood is undeniably vibrant, garish and diverse.
And for travelers like Steven and David, who treat Khao San as a jumping-off point rather than a confining space, the area is perfect. Khao San provides services (e-mail, airline reservations, tours to local craft workshops, cheap beer), is located near major attractions and offers a comfortable cultural environment in which to start and end the day.
From Khao San, they explore Bangkok.
IF YOU GO
GETTING THERE
Bangkok is a major hub for airline traffic. You can fly to Bangkok from Chicago on several airlines. In general, the cheapest flights are on All Nippon Airways and Thai Airways, both of which offer round-trip tickets for as low as $650. China Airlines, EVA Air, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, United and Northwest also fly from the United States to Bangkok. All require connections; there are no non-stops from the U.S. Quality Web sites that regularly offer discounted flights to Bangkok include www.airsaver.com, www.travelocity.com and www.counciltravel.com .
GETTING AROUND
Khao San is about 17 miles from the airport. An express bus service into the city costs about $1.75 (at a conversion rate of about 37 Thai baht to the U.S. dollar); ask the staff which route is best for you. If you wish to go by taxi, ignore the touts in the arrivals hall offering unmetered taxis and proceed to the taxi stand. There, ask the stand staff to write your destination in Thai for the driver. Taxis to Khao San should cost about $7.
Bangkok’s traffic is legendary, and traveling around the city can be slow going. But if you are innovative, you can reach your destination in a relatively short amount of time. Many travelers take taxis everywhere. Taxis are metered, and rarely cost more than about $4. Bangkok’s bus system is extensive, and a bus map is essential. Buses cost between 10 and 50 cents. The Bangkok elevated rail “Skytrain,” which was inaugurated on Dec. 5, 1999, has two lines. Fares range from about 25 cents to $1. Stations are clearly marked in English.
WHEN TO GO
Late October to early March is the coolest, most enjoyable time to visit Bangkok. However, these months also are Thailand’s high season for tourism, so hotels and flights are more expensive.
LODGING
Bangkok has an enormous variety of places to stay — more than 60,000 rooms — and there is bound to be lodging that suits your needs. There are two schools of thought regarding where to stay around Khao San. Some people like to stay on Khao San Road itself, since the main drag is the center for nightlife. Other visitors prefer to stay on nearby streets, where accommodations are quieter and more comfortable. Some of the best places on and around Khao San (when calling from the U.S., add 011-66-2 prefix):
Au Thong (78 Rambutri Rd.; 629-2172). All rooms about $8. Exceptionally friendly and serves tasty food in its garden cafe.
Backpacker’s Lodge (85 Sri Ayuthaya Rd.; 282-3231). Rooms $4 to $13. A few blocks north of Khao San Road, several guesthouses are clustered around the intersection of Sri Ayuthaya and Samsen Roads. Backpacker’s Lodge is a fine choice: clean rooms, chatty staff, interesting guests.
Khao San Palace Hotel (139 Khao San Rd.; 282-0578). Rooms $7 to $18. A rung above Khao San guesthouses, the Palace offers large rooms with private baths.
Pra Arthit Mansion (22 Pra Arthit Rd.; 280-0744). Rooms $21 to $28. An excellent choice in the middle of this trendy street, just off Khao San Road. Large, clean, comfortable rooms with cable TV, international direct dial phones and minibars.
Royal Princess Hotel (269 Lan Luang Rd.; 281-3088). Rooms from $90. East of Khao San, the Royal Princess is the closest luxury hotel to the area. Rooms — which all have IDD phones, minibars, cable TV, spacious baths and other amenities — are often discounted by up to 50 percent.
Sawasdee Bangkok Inn (126/2 Khao San Rd.; 280-1251). Rooms $3 to $11. Set just off Khao San Road, Sawasdee is a great value. Comfortable rooms (many with in-suite baths and cable TV), helpful staff and a garden courtyard make it the No. 1 choice in Khao San itself.
DINING
Thai food is a highlight of many trips to Bangkok. Outside of the luxury hotels and some tourist-oriented restaurants, it is virtually impossible to spend more than $8 on a meal in Bangkok. Khao San boasts some fine eateries. Definitely the best value food are the phad thai vendors — a takeaway dish of everyone’s favorite noodles costs about 25 cents.
Near Khao San, the Rattanakosin neighborhood is the best place to find traditional Thai restaurants with long histories and great food. Some of the best include:
Chochana (86 Chakrapong Rd.): Dinner for one about $1 to $4. The city’s best Israeli restaurant. Chochana’s falafel and hummus are authentic — they have to be, since the place is patronized by Israeli backpackers.
Mai Kaydee (117/1 Tanao Rd.): Dinner $1 to $2. A small shop with streetside tables serving tofu sandwiches and vegetarian versions of Thai staples like phat khing je (stir-fried tofu with ginger.)
Saw Ying Thai (corner of Bamrungmuang and Tanao Roads): Dinner $2 to $6. The best tom yam kung (hot and sour soup with prawns) in town, although other dishes can be hit or miss. The English menu is limited, so bring a Thai speaker along.
Serii (87 Peng Phuthon Rd., off Tanao Road): Dinner $2 to $4. High-quality central Thai food. The gaeng som (orange soup) is particularly tasty.
Information
Thailand Tourist Office, 5 World Trade Center, New York, NY 10048; 212-432-0433.
