Khao San Road

You either hate or love this world-renowned backpacker haven

Thai noodle and pancake vendors compete for precious space with gourmet coffee outlets and Western fast food chains; two-dollar-a-night guesthouses are being overtaken by multi-story hotels boasting gleaming lobbies and rooftop swimming pools; and the experience of queuing for much-anticipated mail at the local post restante is but a distant memory amidst the fire-wire atmosphere of Kaosan’s countless air-conditioned cyber cafes. Some internet shops boast computer keyboards in Korean, Japanese and Hebrew – an internationalization mirrored just outside by swanky food stalls serving up sushi, hummus and falafel. And the street’s most recent incarnation as a pedestrian promenade means no more tuk-tuks jamming the road in search of customers for gem shop tours or Pat Pong brothels.

[Extract from Bangkok Inside Out by Daniel Ziv & Guy Sharett, Equinox Publishing]