In 2005, during my backpacking year, I started from Thailand, and at some point made my way to Bangkok. Everyone warned me not to start from Bangkok, so I actually directly flew in to Chang Mai and only after about two months made it Bangkok. I could see why folks warned me to not start in Bangkok, it seemed like a crazy city. Like most backpackers, I first made my way to Khaosan Road and found a crappy cheap hotel, and from there tried to explore Bangkok as much as possible. For me, since then, Bangkok has been Khaosan.
Last year, 15 years later, I made it back to Bangkok in a very different travel mode, and saw a lot more of the city. Still, wanted to go see that area, and whether I’d recognize things. I remembered an adventure, a dirty disorganized mess with hippie travelers, but what I found was a very touristy and fairly well-developed area. Sure, there were lots of travelers of all backgrounds and budgets, but the sense of adventure wasn’t there any more.
Not too far away is China Town. Back then, I didn’t know anything about China, but after 15 years, many of those in Asia and living in Taiwan and Hong Kong, I wasn’t sure what my visiting the Bangkok China Town would feel like. Well, the sense of crazy adventure I was lacking in Khaosan was still there in China Town. Though I’ve seen many China Towns, there’s something especially wild about the one in Bangkok, and it’s quite fun.
Let’s have a look…
Khaosan Road
Location:
China Town
Location: