Khao San Road

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Chao Phraya - The Chao Phraya River is the lifeblood of Bangkok. It is a huge brown river and winds its way among all the temples and buildings - canals run into this main river. Sometimes the Chao Phraya provides at least a breeze to help break up the sometimes heavy humidity. Longtail boats and river taxis ferry passengers up and down and across this river. Major temples are located near its banks including Wat Arun, Wat Po and the Grand Palace. Two of the most highly rated hotels in the world grace her banks - the Oriental and the Peninsual. Consider taking a night river cruise and meal on the Chao Phraya. Khao San Road - For a slice of Bangkok that really doesn't seem to feel like Bangkok visit Khao San Road.   Khao San is the backpackers hub for travel in Thailand - helped made more famous by the movie The Beach with Leonardo DiCaprio. This road has really changed over time. There are no longer as many guesthouses right on Khao San (Nearby Rambutri road now serves as the guesthouse hangout). While here you will get your fill of foreign backpackers, tattoo parlors, massage parlors, hair weaving vendors, shops that will create fake ID's, driver licenses, international driver licenses, press badges and any of numerous other illegitimate licenses, Internet cafe's and other shops that appeal to budget backpackers. However note that relatively speaking, Khao San Road is no longer as cheap as it used to be although it is still one of the bargain areas in town. This area is a great place to meet fellow budget travelers and it has a great International feel with people coming here from all over the world. The main road here is now blocked off to outside traffic due to the great number of pedestrians here (it never used to be blocked off and served as a normal road. In more recent years there is a good police presence and some of the riff raff vendors have been relocated elsewhere. At night this road is a glitter of lights, music, and crowds. During one trip here I was interviewed by a team of journalism students from a local university. They were recording opinions that tourists have of Bangkok and of Khao San Road in general. Apparently in their opinion, nearby Rambutri might become the next Khao San Road. In our opinion, leave Rambutri Road as is, it provides a quieter alternative to Khao San Road.     Near Khao San Road - next to the Phra Athit Pier on the Chao Praya River I happened upon an English lecture by two young guys, Phil & Frank from Ireland. They had an audience of about 30 Thai people of all different ages lined up on the steps. They were teaching people slang English with the help of portable speakers and a white board. The Thai's were listening so intently - hanging on their every word as if it were a formal English lesson. After Phil & Frank finished their dialogue the students had to practice speaking to one another in the slang English. Whats up? Hows it going. How ya doing?  It was all quite amusing. Say NO to guesthouses that do NOT serve Thai people. Some guesthouses in and around Khao San Road, including the Rambutri district either advertise blatantly that they do not service Thai people or if you are with a Thai person they will refuse that person entry to their guesthouse. Always ask your guesthouse if they service Thai people. Two guesthouses to stay away from are Bella Bella and the Sawasdee Inn - both located on Rambutri Road. Need other guesthouses in the Khao San area? Visit our Lodging Page. The Pat Pong District has a wild reputation for risqué sex shows and "after hours" sexual entertainment. There are still many risqué sex shows at night but it is also an evening market - and you will see people from all walks of life here. It is not dangerous - I've seen families with children browsing the night market. The shows are plentiful - the salespeople with their "sexual show cards" will walk up to you and try to get you to see their particular show - these cards list what you will "supposedly" see inside. A common card they show tourists is one that lists "DVD's, CD's, & Sex"! From a financial standpoint, be very careful if you go to one of these shows - the outdoor salesperson may tell you the show is free but that you need to purchase a beer once you get inside. Once you are inside a waitress will show up asking for your order. Ask her how much the cost of each beer is. Ask this question several times. After you have downed most of your beer what typically happens is a big man and a lady will walk up to you and sit next to you. These are not the people that took your order originally. They will demand payment and at this point its most likely NOT the original price you were quoted. They will typically quote you a price of at least 1000 baht per beer and then if you insist on this "new" price being wrong they will pull out a card that says the new price. They may even tell you the person outside who introduced you to their bar does not work for them and therefore his price is not correct. Umm yea! However you are in the right - this high price is not what they quoted you and was not listed on any menus. It takes some serious guts but all you have to do is pay the original price and then start walking out of the dance bar. If you have to, tell them you will go to the police. This usually shuts them up. We've been through this exact situation a number of times and always end up walking out of the bar after almost yelling at the money collectors. We do NOT pay their inflated prices that they hit us with after we have finished our beers. More information here: www.thailand.com/travel/nightlife/nightlife_bangkok_patpong.htm and the ultimate nightlight scene website is Stickman: www.stickmanbangkok.com  Silom is the heart of the financial district in Bangkok - and as a result see's less backpackers, is generally cleaner and quieter than some areas of Bangkok. One of the Skytrain main lines serves much of this area. Sukhumvit is the heart of hotels in Bangkok. Many travelers stay here - many cheap and more luxurious hotels are merely walking distance from one of the Sukhumvit Skytrain stops. There is a plethora of of nightlife, massage parlors, restaurants, and street food.