Possibly the most frequently visited street for backpackers in Thailand – if not in the whole Asia – is Khao San Road. As soon as the night in Bangkok starts falling, the bright neon boxes advertising all sorts of businesses light up, and Khao San comes alive. While the street is not much longer than 250 meters, the amount of street vendors, travelers, and backpackers alike make it seem endless. If you are looking into meeting the maximum amount people from all ends of the world in the shortest time possible, we don’t think there’s a better place to go than Khao San. We went for a walk from one end to another with some of Asia Exchange students studying in Bangkok, and wanted to share a couple do’s and don’ts.
Don’t: Leave too late. The traffic in Bangkok gets busy on most evenings, so if you are planning on meeting someone at a certain time, leave early.
Don’t: Selfie-stick. Just don’t do it, mmmm-kay…
Don’t: Not go if you don’t have any friends to go with. Khao San might be the easiest place to make new friends!
Don’t: Eat at McDonald’s. Come on, we know you like it but did you really come all this way for a BigMac?
Don’t: Fall asleep. You would be likely to wake up three hours later and have to pay for the extra time
Don’t: Bring durian back to your hotel. It smells, and many international hotels will actually give you a hefty fine when they find out about your fragrant possession.
Don’t: Keep your feet on the table; it is considered very impolite and disrespectful in Thailand.
Don’t: Get frustrated if you lose your count – there are just too many of them, we think.
Big thanks to every student who joined us for the Khao San night walk! Have an amazing semester everyone!
