Khao San Road D-Day! Transformation set for August 1st

[trianglechoke]

More money lost for the poor I suggest............. Damn it, are they trying to make Bangkok completely <deleted> and full of desperate people?.............. The online dating sites have never had so many part-time hookers trying to get by...... Full time hardened ones don't count

[Jonmarleesco]

5 hours ago, jvs said:

Yes i think you are right,when they cleaned up the sidewalks around

Sukumvith the charme and romance went with it.

There should(could) be a balance to keep it attractive.

With the best will in the world, Sukhumvit pavements (sidewalks) could never be described as romantic.

[SupermarineS6B]

Here we go again,  the Pongos have already killed Sukhumvit making a night out in BKK a miserable expensive experience, now they're going to start on Khao san....... What a shame, i saw the same in Singapore, Hong Kong and now Bkk........ Ironic really coming from the military, mind you it's the Pongos and not the Navy, least them lads appreciate a good night out....... Bye Bkk it was laugh while it lasted.....

[jvs]

44 minutes ago, Jonmarleesco said:

With the best will in the world, Sukhumvit pavements (sidewalks) could never be described as romantic.

Maybe you are right but i was just trying to get a point accross.

[Galactus]

total bulls.it. lets see how many tourists goes there after this ban on street food!

i am sure this is imposed my famous mafia guys invading all streets of Rambutrri and Kaosarn Road. they dont want to share their profits with street vendors it looks like.

also imposed for valuable and rich! chinese tourists so their tour busses and large groups can pass from Kaosarn and Rambutrri!

some vendors are there for many decades and really no where to set up a tent zone for them to sell food around there.

yeah lets kill Bangkok and make it a hygienic and boring Singapore and tourists never come here again.

[VBF]

4 hours ago, holy cow cm said:

Kosan Rd needs to be left alone, even though it is not my cup of tea.

 

Sorry I fully disagree with you. The circus needs to stay and hermits need to stay in their shells. I visit Nana several times a year, go there sit to drink beer and watch all the freaks walking around. I have taken many o people visiting from the US business and tourists and they all love it. I have been enjoying that area and place for over 26+ years now. So, if you live in that vicinity or stay when you are on holiday coming here, then I suggest pick a nice quiet dull area to go to and stop picking on a sanctuary area.

Well i "thanked" you for that post, and I haven't been to BKK for years with no plans to go.

 

Why did i thank you then?  The general "cleaning up" of fun areas all around the world should stop. Leave them with their character for those who enjoy them - those of us who don't have other places to enjoy.

 

I remember Patpong in 1985 - what fun it was!  Then it was "cleaned up" and became expensively boring almost overnight.

 

Live and let live, fellas.

[fathersicksendmoney]

4 hours ago, holy cow cm said:

Kosan Rd needs to be left alone, even though it is not my cup of tea.

 

Sorry I fully disagree with you. The circus needs to stay and hermits need to stay in their shells. I visit Nana several times a year, go there sit to drink beer and watch all the freaks walking around. I have taken many o people visiting from the US business and tourists and they all love it. I have been enjoying that area and place for over 26+ years now. So, if you live in that vicinity or stay when you are on holiday coming here, then I suggest pick a nice quiet dull area to go to and stop picking on a sanctuary area.

I would go there more often but those big vats of bubbling oil balanced delicately on plastic stools kind of freak me out even more than the crotch grabbing lady boys.

Although Im estatic about the clean up of lower sukhumvit I dont think soi 4 needs it. Its only short and not many Thais live there excluding hookers

[SupermarineS6B]

2 hours ago, Emster23 said:

I think you in part answered your own question ?  Newbie backpackers often don't compare prices of what available elsewhere in country, but rather "It's sooo much cheaper than at home!" Yep, they are clueless, being newbies and all... at least there was no internet back when I started coming, so I somewhat had an excuse... there was no Khao San action either. Most was up by Malaysia Hotel... I think there is also factor of "I want to go to Thailand so I can say I went, but I want to hang around with people just like back home".

Served me time around the Malaysia and Soi Sri Bamphen........ Them were the days......   Blue Fox ?       

[africasiaeuro]

Wow !

And how will Tourists react to this?

Without Hawkers no Khaosan. Death sentence for PhraArthit, Samsen, Soi Rambutri inclusive.

Wise decision Mr. Governor ? I doubt it very much.

Sometimes we must weigh decisions such as this.

They have a great impact on the Economy.

I have seen moves of this sort in African countries too.

Some president wants to tax the streetbeggars for example.

Looks like another move of the World Elite in order to get a bigger share of the market.

 

 

[fathersicksendmoney]

"The area is so cluttered with vendors, sidewalk booze shops and traders of all description that should emergency vehicles need to get through there would be a major problem "

 

Gee all the selfish bleeding hearts wanting the "charm" (cant believe anyone with think it charming) to stay and dont give a toss about fires or medical emergencies

[VBF]

12 minutes ago, fathersicksendmoney said:

"The area is so cluttered with vendors, sidewalk booze shops and traders of all description that should emergency vehicles need to get through there would be a major problem "

 

Gee all the selfish bleeding hearts wanting the "charm" (cant believe anyone with think it charming) to stay and dont give a toss about fires or medical emergencies

As one of the "bleeding hearts" I would say that there should be a middle ground rather than just effectively shutting a place down by clearing it out as is proposed here.

[fathersicksendmoney]

2 minutes ago, VBF said:

As one of the "bleeding hearts" I would say that there should be a middle ground rather than just effectively shutting a place down by clearing it out as is proposed here.

You missed it?

 

An alternative area will be zoned off - a tented area has been suggestedd.

[captainhornblower]

2 hours ago, fxe1200 said:

Close Khao San and some other vendor-busy roads for all traffic, including taxis. Make those streets walking streets. Problem solved. Referring to the waste problem. All foodstuff could be wrapped in Banana leafs, or paper bags made out of recycled paper, whilst soup could be served in bowls of china or melamin on site. Where there is a will, there is a way.

 

I think that you have identified the real problem - in Thailand there is no real will to implement the plastic free policies.

[VBF]

8 minutes ago, fathersicksendmoney said:

You missed it?

 

An alternative area will be zoned off - a tented area has been suggestedd.

That goes some way to alleviating the clear out, but a sterile tented area isn't really a replacement. And tents...in the Thai hot season...really?

Surely the answer is to reduce the number of vendors, and mark out an access area (in red?) that if, blocked results in a massive fine - 10,000 Baht perhaps?

 

After all if they can threaten to fine people for smoking on Pattaya Beach......

 

Trouble is, threats and "earners" is all it would be.

[wealthychef]

5 hours ago, NCC1701A said:

all these policies over the last four years to clear out vendors from public spaces are subject to what I call the "weed effect".

 

looks good right after you clear the yard, but the weeds slowly grow back.

 

 

Except in this case, they kill the most attractive plants, which are the vendors, and will no doubt leave the weeds, the highest bribe-paying scum to peddle their wares.  That's how Sukhumvit has gone.  Wanna buy a watch, a bong or a dildo?  No problem.  Want a piece of chicken?  ILLEGAL.  

[fathersicksendmoney]

1 minute ago, VBF said:

That goes some way to alleviating the clear out, but a sterile tented area isn't really a replacement. And tents...in the Thai hot season...really?

Surely the answer is to reduce the number of vendors, and mark out an access area (in red?) that if, blocked results in a massive fine - 10,000 Baht perhaps?

 

After all if they can threaten to fine people for smoking on Pattaya Beach......

 

Trouble is, threats and "earners" is all it would be.

They could but it wouldn't be fair to the 50% that will be culled. I think they mean those little tent stands that are open and lined up in rows like the the food markets on beach rd jomtien and the occasional food festivals beach rd pattaya. it looks great and those markets do a roaring trade

[VBF]

11 minutes ago, fathersicksendmoney said:

They could but it wouldn't be fair to the 50% that will be culled. I think they mean those little tent stands that are open and lined up in rows like the the food markets on beach rd jomtien and the occasional food festivals beach rd pattaya. it looks great and those markets do a roaring trade

IF that's the case then it might still be attractive to those who enjoy the area, but would still be sterile by comparison, as indeed the world is becoming in the name of "health and safety"

 

As for the 50% "cull" the logical side of me suggests a sort of raffle with the winners getting the prime spots and the losers relegated to the "new" areas.

However as TIT I suspect that brown envelopes might be the MO. 

[NoshowJones]

5 hours ago, sammieuk1 said:

Will the fake document vendors be rehomed ok.

I hope so, I always visit the fake document guys before I go on holiday to the UK.

[Sir Dude]

You would have thought they would have something more pressing to sort out than trying to sanitize the character of one of their most famous tourist draws in BBK. KS Road is not my cup of tea either but it is on the list of many visitors for some reason. Guess the killjoy squad are in overdrive these days though.

[Formaleins]

8 hours ago, Darcula said:

It's official. New catch phrase of the week is D-Day.

 

 

"D" is for DUMB.

[cookieqw]

First D- Day was up at the cave

[cookieqw]

27 minutes ago, Sir Dude said:

You would have thought they would have something more pressing to sort out than trying to sanitize the character of one of their most famous tourist draws in BBK. KS Road is not my cup of tea either but it is on the list of many visitors for some reason. Guess the killjoy squad are in overdrive these days though.

But I guess the train track market is still operating 

[digger70]

So what about the rest of the country?  Not important Hey ,,,Only look at Bangkok ,,, the rest of the Country Don't Count.

[Aupee]

7 hours ago, bprinceuk said:

Its on the tourist visit list, they will lose revenue. Singapore had Bugis street 1950 to 1980, admittedly a little more on the wild side, they decided to clean it up. After demolition the original Bugis street, they woke up and realised how big a tourist attraction it actually was. 

Yes was in Singapore for three years late sixties Bugis St was night life place to go always something different to see and if you were so inclined plenty to do not on the scale of Pattaya but the same pleasures always on view. Went back in the nineties . Dead nothing to offer anyone. In fact the whole island had just turned into a money making Machine for the rich Chinese. A very disappointing holiday was glad to get out to the beaches in Malaya all culture  was just western.

[The manic]

9 hours ago, nausea said:

"When you clean up the city, you kill it,"  Bukowski. A sanitised Khao San? Won't that be attractive. If truth be told by day it's pretty boring, half its charm is the night-time chaos.

They killed off Lower Sukhumvit

[The manic]

8 hours ago, mercman24 said:

next stop soi 4 NANA , PLEASE,  get rid of vendors and those bloody scooters virtually making it a one way street now. having to walk in the road as pavements blocked, and buses travelling up it to go to various tourists hotels make it very dangerous.  

No! And bring the vendors and hawkers back to Lower Sukhumvit.

[duanebigsby]

9 hours ago, nausea said:

"When you clean up the city, you kill it,"  Bukowski. A sanitised Khao San? Won't that be attractive. If truth be told by day it's pretty boring, half its charm is the night-time chaos.

Khao San has charm? Bunch of backpackers seeking Western style bars and cheap food.

[holy cow cm]

3 hours ago, VBF said:

Well i "thanked" you for that post, and I haven't been to BKK for years with no plans to go.

 

Why did i thank you then?  The general "cleaning up" of fun areas all around the world should stop. Leave them with their character for those who enjoy them - those of us who don't have other places to enjoy.

 

I remember Patpong in 1985 - what fun it was!  Then it was "cleaned up" and became expensively boring almost overnight.

 

Live and let live, fellas.

Yes, Pat Pong used to be a 24 hour off the wall blast. Gone are those days, even the off the wall Nana days, but there is still much of something that lives on. Agree with you too: leave them alone.

[Zack61]

We bag the officials for not taking safety seriously. Phuket boat tragedy as the latest example. Now when they try to improve safety standards we bag them also. Sounds like people want to have a whinge about anything no matter how contradictory to previous stances taken. 

If there were a fire there tonight and the fire trucks couldn’t get in because of the vendors we’d be bagging them for incompetence for allowing it to happen. 

Khao San used to be charming and an exotic draw card but not sure it still is. Cheese and chalk compared to 30-40 years ago. I agree with their reasoning for rezoning but understand it will impact on quite a few people. They are damned if they do and damned if they don’t. Ultimately it’s going to be a policing problem and that’s where it may fall flat. 

[wvavin]

These blokes really have no clue on how Thailand makes money!