Korean Job Discussion Forums

[tfunk]

I visited Thailand about 4 years ago. There was a thread on here somewhere that suggested things were getting a bit edgy and more expensive.

As a one day visitor to Kao San Road, here are my experiences...

I think things are more expensive than last time, but not dramatically so (given the global economic situation).

The touts are not as pushy.

The airport bus to Kao San road now has a person announce all the stops, estimated arrival time, timetable for the alternative routes etc. I don't remember that the first time.

The streets around Kao San road are becoming more like Kao San road.

James Blunt, John Mayer and Dido are still on repeat here (did somebody say the Korean playlist was repetative?).

Tourists are still going around with bewildered then striking, attemptingly daring looks with clever lines like 'I saw this down the shop for a lot less'.

[tfunk]

spoke too soon. singha, a local bottle of beer costs the same as cass...room is half the price here, dirtier, smaller, no tv and higher risk of theft.

[tfunk]

It's over 2,000 Won an hour at the internet cafe here on one of those old clunky monitors.

[thrylos]

Before you head even further down the slippery slope of today's LOS, get on a tuk-tuk of some sort and head off to Laos and/or Cambodia. You'll be much happier and closer to Thailand circa 2004.

[Hornbill]

There are definitely some attitudes around. The land of smiles isn't what it used to be. People are a little less likely to smile and accept whatever you offer for something down on KSR.

I believe Thailand has become less welcoming to foreigners for two reasons:

1. Lack of professional courtesy
Immediately after the Tsunami, western insurance companies sent in their own investigators and medical examiners. These trumped a native lady-pathologist, who is held in high regard here, and the entire Thai medical profession. Thais lost face. Uh-oh. Somebody in Asia lost face. That is never good. Something of this sort also recently happened on Phi Phi. Two western women died mysteriously after staying at the same guest house, and their families didn't accept the Thai line that 'they drank too much and died from alcohol poisoning'. And of course, there is David Carridine's case.

2. Acting like westerners
During last year's red shirt takeover of the airport, many westerners were stranded because of cancelled flights. A LOT of these folks went completely ape-manure in the confusion, became rude, and simply talked/shouted down to their hosts. Their shenanigans were caught on camera and broadcast around Thailand on TV. Ooopsss.

So. Next time you head to Thailand and the people seem a bit edgier and less accommodating, remember 1 and 2 above. Cut 'em some slack.

[tfunk]

Actually things are priced pretty much the same, it's just the Korean Won/Dollar that has gone down a lot.

[Yaya]

Better yet, avoid Khaosan. It's a slimepit.

[alwaysbeclosing100]

agreed khao san is a slimepit but the food and hotels are cheap......you can find the same in many other parts of the city

[AsiaESLbound]

If you want something like the Thailand of the past, go to Myanmar. One Australian traveler living on Bali I met at Bagan said it's like Thailand 50 years ago. I found Myanmar to be very 19th to early 20th century like with amazing classical arts. It's Thai style tapestries, teak wood carvings, and marionettes, but of much higher quality with incredible detail at better prices than in Thailand. This Australian traveler explained to me how many of the souvenirs for sale in Thailand are Myanmar's and Indonesia's mass produced junk for export to Thailand. Myanmar is very traditional old style, but is composed of an extremely open minded people eager to meet foreigners. I was surprised to see 80 year old women chatting me up in fluent English in Yangon just to talk over tea. The better part of my trip involved interacting with locals rather than just seeing sights and chilling out with other foreigners as I was the only foreigner in most instances. In fact, it was extremely rare to see another foreigner except at the tourist restaurants, but tourist numbers are very low due to the bad reputation the military junta government black marks the country with. I'm impressed by how well Myanmar people can speak English and connect with Western travelers. While the sights and arts are amazing, the people are incredibly nice and trustworthy. Go if you want things the way they used to be.

Before I took my flight to Yangon, I spent 3 nights in a guesthouse on Rambuttri behind Khao San road last month and it's just popular mass tourism. I enjoyed riding boats up and down the river, walking for hours on the side Wat Arun is on away from where most tourists go, eating very tasty food, and getting Thai massage behind the royal palace near a ferry pier. KSR is good for foreigner food, Thai tourist food, partying, jamming to European techno music, and buying over priced tourist crap. Soi Rambuttri is a nice touristy are which has several very nice bistro style cafe's with awesome live bands every night cranking out new versions of really old classic American songs and some not that old. I love those BBQ'd bananas on the street corner. KSR is one happening place with the throngs of mostly European tourists elbow to elbow every night. Try to find a room further away from KSR as the loud booming bass techno goes until 4 to 5am. Rambuttri away from KSR is good, but not the part where Star Dome is located immediately behind the best part of KSR. KSR is a great place to start your tuk tuk adventure.

[interestedinhanguk]

Khao San Road is a travesty, especially when it comes to the food and shopping.

[Perceptioncheck]

[koreabust]

kaosan {MAIN ROAD} is the same place. I was there in 2005 and 2010
the side roads arouind kaosan are still laid back and cool to hang out. much more quiet and chill than main road. Main road is terrible.
the prices have always been high. but they can be barted down.
anyway best to do shopping at Silom, mbk, platunam, weekend market.

[hogwonguy1979]

I love Khao San for the people watching its a freak show of farangs beyond description. i could kill entire evenings at one of the tables set up in front of the 7-11s offering 50 baht singa drafts.

the days though of the 100 baht/night guesthouses are long gone though, i've seen it transform into more upscale places with pools etc in the 1000 baht/nite range.

the area behind the wat is where i usually stay and its much quieter. whats funny is there are a couple of guest houses that cater to younger koreans (erawan house is a prime example)

the tailors though are a real annoyance, they seem to be getting more aggressive in recent years. btw most are burmese i've worn a couple of tshirts with burmese on them and that seems to draw them like mosquitos to a light

[captain kirk]

I stayed on KSR at Wally's (170 baht a night) which is right in the middle, an old teak mansion divided into rooms for guests. Teak floors, high ceilings, saloon doors. Yes, very noisy. From about 9pm to 3am. I found, out near Chinatown (nice) a place that sold soundmufflers airport employees where, like headphones. There were also tiny biting flies that came thru the screen (this was the second floor). But cheap, so WTF. In the morning get breakfast at a bar which had their version of a double espresso. I don't know how they did it, but it ended up being like a combination of espresso and cowboy coffee (cowboy coffee; REALLY strong coffee that, as well as making your gut ache, send you into a highly, dangerously caffeinated state).

And I'd walk nearly flipped out by this hyper-coffee for an hour or so, towards the canal, beyond the rotary. And there was this canal-side fleamarket every day, especially on the weekend (more sellers) but every day. Also, on the large rotary island is an evening fleamarket where sellers had spread out on the sidewalk their goods in the dark. Browsers brought flashlights. One particular fleamarket item stands out. The seller, very mellow poor seeming almost old fellow, gestured to a buddha figure he had on his sell-mat. Signalled it was ok I pick it up to examine it. Bits of it fell to the ground. It was SO OLD that it was falling apart. I imagined it had been dug up out of the jungle where time and termites had got at it.

Yes (back to Khaosan), it's a 'slimepit' or can be perceived that way but it's also grand central station to all the backpackers that go thru. So everything is there; used bookstores, Thai massage places, cheap rooms. It always has been Khao San. And it always seemed a cheap, happening place to motorbike taxi back to at the end of a day out elsewhere in Bankok. And the room price at Wally's (170baht) hadn't changed since the last time I was there five years ago. Consider 150baht is the price of a big bottle of beer.

Regarding Kao San in 2005 vs 2010 I noticed more side streets that mimic Kao San's function, or try to, but they have less character and distracting 'happening freakiness'.

[definitely maybe]