What happened to KHAOSAN ROAD in 2024?! 

Khaosan is completely unrecognizable from when I used to travel to and live in Banglampoo (circa 1990 - 2005). Not only has the backdrop changed, but the flavor of people seems to have changed as well. The travelers who made it to Khaosan "in the day" were a unique, lively and colorful breed. Now, ever since phones got smart, a more boring clientele of digital zombies follow the dictates of others to go everywhere with little of the original flair or enthusiasm. Cry the beloved Khaosan!

Thank you so much for posting this

Woah, I was last on Khaosan back in 2009.. things sure have changed! Just found your channel. Awesome vids 👍

Thanks Cal for the tour. The atmosphere is very pleasant to walk around. ❤️❤️❤️😍

You say gauntlet, I say midway. The more I watch these Bangkok street videos, the more these side streets look like a carnival midway to me. It's not a compliment

Keep it up with great content and the subscribers will come. I will be there soon and I won’t have anything to compare it to cause first time looks fun to me.

Another comment about Khaosan 20 years ago. Used to be able to get counterfeit college degrees from prestigious American universities and authentic looking journalism credentials from street vendors here, LOL.

Thanks for making this video. Currently fixing my itinerary! Booking a hostel or a hotel near Khao San Rd. At least I have an idea of what it’s like there! More travels to you!!!

Oh Dear. Khao San road used to be pretty wide, with a very relaxed hipster type of vibe, loads of Bars and Clubs: With ramshackle appearance that Tourists loved. Now it's got extremely narrow streets, full of Touts in your face, and is looking horribly rigid, over organised, and very boring/ plain. Just the kinds of things that Tourists don't like!

Things always change i used to be there early 2000s first place I went in Thailand or outside of Europe it was amazing some of the best memories of my life. Its not for me anymore but thats probably because I'm a 44 year old fat bloke. But I hope people are still making memories there

Have travelled to Thailand for over 20 years and Khaosan is terrible now, mainly due to overcrowded. Last time I was there two competing bars across from each other had their dance music so loud to try to outdo one another it almost ruptured my eardrums!

I heard that Thailand is a very safe country , just like Singapore Japan Taiwan and S Korea

I like when u show how do u go back to MRT. Really happy to watching this video, Thx a lot 🙏🏽

I agree with you on Khao San. I was in Bangkok in August for two weeks. Outside of the Covid era I was there at least twice a year after moving to Korea from there in 2015. It was never my favourite area, but my Korean wife has a sentimental attachment to Rambuttri. We avoided Khao San and "The Gauntlet" at night but still liked chilling down by Rambuttri Village and watching people go by. There are still some falang characters down there trying to do what they can for free drinks or a baht.

So Many foreigners , almost from all over the world , that's why Bangkok is the most visited city in the world

Oh damn that's horrific, what have they done to it!

Great video. The main Khaosan road has always been a bit chaotic, the side roads such as Rambuttri, and down by the Temple have always been a more pleasant place to sit and chill. I remember when there was the midnight curfew and people used to sell bottles of Chang out the back of laundry trucks on mats. The removal of the old street stalls has definitely made an impact on the flow of the street, making more room for the nightclubs to take over. Even the removal of the huge iconic signs Such as the D&D & Buddies sign has changed the skyline around there. Bangkok is trying to be more modernised and it's starting to look like any other major city, which loses some of its charm. I still prefer the KSR over some of the other tourist areas, so I wouldn't completely write it off - it's sometimes just hard to keep up with hyped-up expectations or to let go of old sentimental memories of a place.

Hi Cal! At 06:00, I thought they installed those metal bollards to keep vendors from spilling out into the road and blocking traffic. Apparently, it's not working!

Back in the day,we all retreat to when it was... Thanon Khao San,1999,spit and sawdust bars,cats on hot tin roof s opposite. Mini mii asking me what order I would like the dvd movies to play in. New people,old acquaintances and great memories.

It looks like it's okay to walk the streets at night there. No curfew? Safe? I like night strolling but I don't know if it's okay there especially in those quiet areas.

YES Khaosan before is great and now music is so loud

All the southeast Asian red light districts are trying hard to become like Korean nightlife areas such as itaewon and hundreds others in Korea. They recently modelled after Korea. Such as loud music and lights and nightclub vibes even though khao San road is mostly bars. But the vibe is totally different. The crowds in southeast Asia do not match the surroundings.

We found the same when we visited! We didn't know how the bars could afford to put that many people outside when no one was in there drinking! 😅

I was there in 1999. KSR in 2023 is KSR in name only. No vibe, no sketchyness; it's basically a middle-class Thai hangout and a place for Westerners to go because they've read about it as a must see place. Find a new scene or swallow the fact that proper backpacking has died in Thailand.

Khaosan used to be the party place but now it looks boring af. Where's the new party spot?

Looks totally different now. what went wrong ?

Is Nana Plaza area better than Khaosan St?

I miss the roadside sellers with their cassettes😅.

That is what our "leaders" call the "new normal". After C19 I changed to Pattaya, a right decision for me.

Spent some of the best and worst nights of my life there in 2011. Sad to see what it's become.

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Hi Cal. How can I slide you a DM? Hope to hear from you

Lived on a side street to Kao Sad Road in 2011. Gonna return in one week. Would love to meet up!

whats this guys accent wheres he from?

Taxi tip should be, take a grab dont get scammed.

The street looks obnoxious now with Thai dudes waving menus in your face and bars with annoying laser lights blinding you. To hell with all that.

I used to go to Khao san every week. Then stopped. it's been many years. By the look of things, I won't go back.

I saw a comment here promoting Itaewon, South Korea. Don't be fooled. Itaewon has become a fully Korean place since the withdrawal of U.S. troops seven years ago. There used to be a lot of Westerners, but now there are a lot of blacks and Muslims among the few foreigners. In comparison, everywhere in Thailand and Khao San Road are predominantly Westerners. And in the 60s~70s, the U.S. soldiers stationed in Korea went to Japan or Thailand to enjoy nightlife.(Nightlife in Japan and Thailand has a longer history than Korea.) Since the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Itaewon, Itaewon and Khao San Road have nothing in common. If you go to Itaewon, you will see that it is full of Koreans. In particular, the proportion of Korean men on the streets is too high.. If you watch the video of the stampede accident in Itaewon, you can see that most of the Korean men are on the streets. It's not a place for Westerners anymore. However, even though Khao San Road has changed a lot, there are still too many Westerners. My friend is Thai, and when Westerners disappeared from Itaewon, she went back to her country, Thailand. The commenter(She?) disparages Khao San Road as having a lot of older Westerners, but it is not true, there are many people in their 20s~30s, and older Westerners have more Pattaya.

was there in the early 90s looks total different now and not for the better

Thanks for showing this street, now i definitely do not want to go here.

Hi Cal, could you do a video on paying tips, and the culture about it, I find it hard to determine how much is a fair tip, or too little or too much - I think 380 bath is minimum wage for some people ?

Khao San in the 80's and 90's Was just as packed with people.

But why would anyone want a eurpoean vibe feeling street while being in Thailand? The best part of going aborad is the culture differences

You should get a better camera. Maybe the latest iPhone or Samsung ????

Taxi? Tuk tuk? Ever heard about Grab?!?

Great videos. Yeah I think Khaosan stared to lose it in about 2019. Too much greed on the parts of the bars and street vendors ect

Even Siam square recent redevelopment was influenced by myeongdong in Seoul. Koreans also run many of the red light districts in southeast Asia. I'll say khao san road is currently in state of confusion and transitioning from a red light district/bar district to a more of a nightlife district modelled after Korea. But it cannot have the same vibes and crowds. The crowds in southeast Asia can never become true nightlife crowds like in Korea. So that's why khao San road is in state of confusion. It's in a mess right now. When you fake something forcefully it becomes a wreck. Real nightlife is formed naturally not forcefully.

What's with all the cannibis establishments? I thought thailand had zero tolerance to drugs. That's just so in your face!

Its Asia not Europe so go to Europe!

wow that looks horrible. too many touts.

Way too many touts.

Just went to Khaosan Road 2 weeks ago. Had never heard of it and had no idea what to expect.... There can be no place like this on earth. Its absolutely wonderful in every way. I was completely blown away. It might be the best experience I ever had. Thank you Bangkok!

They want to clean it as opposed to to leaving it dirty and unorganized. Well…. Attempt to

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