Planning a Visit to Thailand's Khao San Road on a Backpack? Listen to a Traveller's Experience

chillibreeze writer — Shaizia Jifri

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Some might say that Thailand is among the most overdone holiday destinations on the planet. A trip to Bangkok’s Khao San road confirms this belief. This is backpacker central. Anyone who has ventured out to explore Asia with everything they could possibly need strapped to their back, has landed up here.

I was twenty-one when I first landed up at Khao San. A wide-eyed lass still wet behind the ears, I was hardly prepared for the paper-thin walls in my seedy hotel that let through sounds of all my neighbour’s nocturnal activities. Sleep deprived and groggy, because the Russian occupants in the next room sounded like they were going to come through the wall along with their squeaky metal cot, I decided to don a pair of rather dark sunglasses and make my way into Bangkok.

Hot, smelly and putrid are words that spring to mind when describing Khao San road. Two blocks down from my dodgy hotel was a roadside restaurant serving “Pad Thai” for breakfast. Holding on to my bag and sanity for dear life, I tried to look nonchalant and ignore the heroin addict on the next table staring at me over his bowl of papaya. I was naïve and inexperienced in the art of indifference. Khao San is no place for a rookie traveller.

My breakfast was terribly over-priced and this place was leaving me feeling a bit cheated. I was to take a bus to Hua Hin that day. Sun and sand sans smelly sewers beckoned. I was ready to split.

A tuk-tuk ride takes you to Sai Dtai bus station. 166 bhat will get you a ticket for a three hour bus ride to Hua Hin. Buses leave every forty minutes and they are all air-conditioned.

Hua Hin is not just a destination for travellers, but a haven for all the rich and famous of Thailand including the royal family. Hua Hin has three seasons in a year. The dry season is between March - September, the rainy season is between October and November and it is warm between November and February. It is the sort of place that you can visit all year round. It gets the lowest recorded rainfall in Thailand and the sea-breeze makes the heat bearable.

I arrived on a weekend and stayed in a modest little guesthouse, walking distance from the beach. On the weekends, Hua Hin caters to travellers like me with outdoor cafes and restaurants. It’s a lot friendlier than Khao San road and suddenly my fear of travelling melted with a Swadikaap and a smile. My four day stay in Hua Hin made it clear that this place has a distinct split personality. On weekends the German, British and East Europeans throng the beaches and boulevards. But come Monday there is a transformation. Rich folk in their Jaguars and Mercedes flaunt their wealth and zip around with an air of self-importance. The beaches empty out and this becomes the Cote d’azur of Thailand.

Sitting in a popular bar just off the beach, being served cocktails by Thai women dressed like Japanese school girls, I decided my next trip to Thailand would require a travel companion and a booking to somewhere a little off the beaten track.

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—About our writer:

Shaizia is a freelance writer who spends much of her time driving long distance. She finds it difficult to sit still and has an opinion on almost everything.

Planning a Visit to Thailand's Khao San Road on a Backpack? Listen to a Traveller's Experience

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