"We are not coming back" : Tourists give the thumbs down to Khao San Road changes

[Vacuum]

8 hours ago, webfact said:

"We are not coming back"

Fine with me.

[Yeahbutwhytho]

1 hour ago, NextStationBangkok said:

But lot of Thais especially youngsters happily sitting on the side walk and get beer from 7-11 and happily drinking.

They probably went to check it out saw that ksr is now dead they ofcourse had a few drinks by the road.. but they won't be returning - no ones going to come all the way to Khaosan to sit on the sidewalk, something they can literally just do anywhere

[manarak]

the government brings order to the wrong places and not to the places which would need more order.

[CLW]

This clueless military government continues destroying the olden charm of Bangkok and killing the livelihood of the less fortunates along the streets.

I hope they get their comeuppance in the next election.

[cardinalblue]

Young backpacking types don't return anyway or at least for a long time....Asia trips Are nothing but a stop gap measure for these groups b/f beginning their career and life....

[LongTimeLurker]

In 23 years in Thailand I've never felt the need to go to Khao San Road.

[Sir Dude]

You would have thought that all those pseudo cops in that picture of KS Road would have something better to do than harass local traders trying to make a daily $. Seems odd that eradicating Thai street culture takes priority over the myriad of other things that need attention, like street drug trade or the foreigners hookers plying the flesh trade etc. I guess they are probably acting on orders from rich locals and property owners that have a change in mind.

[Knocker33]

Apart from the Chinese I think many tourists have had enough of Thailand. Way over priced and boring now

[farcanell]

“We are not coming back" : Tourists give the thumbs down to Khao San Road changes”

 

lol.... seems to me more like the vendors etc, displaced by the city ruling, are the ones giving the thumbs down to the changes, not the tourists, given the sources of comments quoted

 

not only that, their civil disobedience over the issue, seems to be accepted, to the extent that they plan to make their own rules.

 

THEY plan to make their own rules..... yes... wonderful.... unenforceable vendor rules vs city and policing rules.

 

gotta love it.... 

[RyanWalker]

8 hours ago, Thaiwrath said:

Should start with Sukhumvit Soi 3 !

Lol you think? I'm sure they all have visas and work permits in soi 3 and 5 and 4 and 11. Rather catch the teachers working and let Nigeria do their business.

[CLW]

In 23 years in Thailand I've never felt the need to go to Khao San Road.

I've been there during my very first holiday here years ago. To be honest I just did go there because I followed the crowd (guidebooks and Internet recommendations). Already at the end of the trip I had no desire to back there as I found much more better places on BKK.
Some like it, some not. Maybe a bit like Full Moon Party. One time is nice and a good experience. A second time is just foolish.

[JennaBurrows]

Governor Sakoltee Phattiyakul doesn't have a single clue what attracts tourists to Bangkok. It's not like neighbouring Singapore who are spending billions on Sentosa, Universal Studios, Golf resorts, Marina Bay, etc - and still get nowhere near the tourist numbers of Bangkok. 

 

This is a clue for Sakoltee - it's not shiny clear pavements. 

 

How a man like that ever got into a position of power is beyond parody, go read up in his rather dodgy history. It's all about saving face now, there is no way he will back down and look stupid (which he is).  He is going to hope no one creates a fuss with the 6pm-12am plan and forgets it - as he ruins one of the greatest cities in the world. 

 

Bring back the street food to Sukhumvit !!!!!!!!!!! 

[moontang]

Don't get your circus pants caught in the door on the way out!

[Jeremy50]

Like many tourist places in Thailand, if you didn't get here before '95 you missed the party. Kao San has been an overpriced scammers paradise for misty eyed backpacking dreamers for at least 20 years now. Just as Pattaya used to be an 'anything goes' mecca for adventurous fun-lovers, years before the girls were 'fat with tatts', and back when those sweaty, big bellied tourist police volunteers were unheard-of and would have been most unwelcome. 

[JennaBurrows]

6 hours ago, Dick Crank said:

i dont think the chinese cared for it much, they like nice hotels better and seafood buffets, the clean streets make them feel safer and they stay in the hotel and spend more. tuk tuk and vendor income does not really matter.

 

but you learn well, and quickly, and you do it quite well...(cut to scene of head bobbing up and down)

Utter nonsense. Khao San Road is packed with Chinese folk at night partying. 

[jgarbo]

7 hours ago, Get Real said:

Are you talking about eradicating the famous lamb dishes????

That's mutton dressed as lamb...

[ttrd]

8 hours ago, darksidedog said:

Further proof that stupid people always find a way to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs. Tourists dont go there for a sanitised environment and clearly won't go at all if this idiocy continues.

What they actually have cleaned away with their so called order tsunami is the identity and the soul and what remains is nothing else than a dead spirit something just a very few have any desire to visit...….

[DefaultName]

IMO, Khao San Road had one purpose; it kept a lot of the backpackers in one place, where I'm not.  Works for me.

[JennaBurrows]

1 hour ago, Megasin1 said:

whether you like, or dislike backpackers once the word starts to travel amongst them it spreads quickly, crosses language barriers and the balls of tumble weed will be rolling down the Khao San Road, this is as inevitable as the sun rising and setting. The Thais must have known this would happen, so it was planned. The unfortunate thing about shopping roads anywhere in the world now, is that they are the same wherever you go and for the Thai authorities to prefer the standard corporate boutique designer shops as they are also doing in Walking Street is extremely short sighted to say the least. Whether or not Khao San Road was your cup of tea or not, it was a back-packers meeting place, as someone pointed out, before they shot off other places recommended by their fellow backpackers. They will quickly move their centre of operations, probably to Vietnam or Laos, Thailand as a hub for tourism is definitely dying and soon they will be erecting solar operated cardboard cut-outs of tourists so that the Chinese can photograph them before quickly getting back on their bus. So very short sighted and by the time they realise that once again they have screwed with their golden egg it will be too late. In a few years time they will rue the day they destroyed something that was unique (I never said good) because shops are dying everywhere as the world moves to on-line buying and shopping streets are becoming in-town desserts, only the uniquely different can survive. Well done the Thais once again for being unable to think of anything that is outside of the bullying box, like maybe stationing some fire hydrants along the street, or like in Hoi An close the street to traffic. Cars are the enemy in cities, not a few backpackers, they could easily close off the traffic and leave an emergency lane open they just didn't want to.

Like in America, UK, most of Europe, and now even Dubai shopping malls are suffering, because local populations are going online to buy their goods. Dubai have recently scaled back a new mall as they just aren't profitable anymore. In the UK malls and high streets are dying.  Once it grips Thailand, Bangkok malls will die a slow death, and then you will be left with half empty malls and nothing else. 

 

Sukhumvit was unique as it had everything, even if it wasn't your cup of tea. They had the generic malls, street food, the night life, pop up bars, amazing street food. To simply rid every sense of street culture because you want shiny malls is showcasing those in charge don't really grasp the changing habits of people. 

 

In London now, New York, Paris the cities are copying the Thai model of allowing street markets, street foods, to give some flavour, sounds and smell to the cities. Ironically those in charge of Thailand are looking down on their one success they have - namely there world famous street culture. 

 

[moontang]

2 minutes ago, DefaultName said:

IMO, Khao San Road had one purpose; it kept a lot of the backpackers in one place, where I'm not.  Works for me.

yep, used to be the perfect place for the feminazis, but now there are a bunch of them in CM (ruined), and you even see a few dyke brigades on Sukhumvit (also, ruined).  Still many frontiers out there, just don't count on finding LGBT friendly, vegan coffeeshops with free wifi and aircon....

[hotchilli]

Go to Chatuchack  or Rathchada market if that's what you want... what's the problem!

Why do the traders have to take over the pavement & street?

[moontang]

Just now, JennaBurrows said:

Like in America, UK, most of Europe, and now even Dubai shopping malls are suffering, because local populations are going online to buy their goods. Dubai have recently scaled back a new mall as they just aren't profitable anymore. In the UK malls and high streets are dying.  Once it grips Thailand, Bangkok malls will die a slow death, and then you will be left with half empty malls and nothing else. 

 

Sukhumvit was unique as it had everything, even if it wasn't your cup of tea. They had the generic malls, street food, the night life, pop up bars, amazing street food. To simply rid every sense of street culture because you want shiny malls is showcasing those in charge don't really grasp the changing habits of people. 

 

In London now, New York, Paris the cities are copying the Thai model of allowing street markets, street foods, to give some flavour, sounds and smell to the cities. Ironically those in charge of Thailand are looking down on their one success they have - namely there world famous street culture. 

 

well stated.  Las Vegas was ruined in a similar fashion....made famous by cheap drinks and 24 hour partying, and cheap lodging...ruined by high end shopping malls selling luxury goods to Chinese tourists, and making the low rollers anything but welcome.

[JennaBurrows]

1 hour ago, korkenzieher said:

It's quite remarkable how often this happens - not just in Thailand, but around the world. Someone discovers something - a place, a scene, a lifestyle. Once eclectic, it becomes mainstream. Then officialdom moves in to sanitise it for 'their esteemed guests', completely oblivious to why it became a 'thing' in the first place. Then stare on confused as the crowd moves on to the next big thing, leaving little but dust and the disillusioned in their wake.

 

Rented an appartment in soi 11 Sukhumvit for a year, back in 2016. I loved that area as i loved the night time buzz, i loved being able to walk the streets at 2am and get some really amazing street food, go for a massage, the scene was amazing. Then the ban comes in force. And yes the pavements are clear. But pavements to nowhere, just an empty, sterile area that is morphing into another cliched metropolis. 

[JennaBurrows]

Double post 

[nausea]

I see Mad Monkey have just opened a place, the sort of 18-30 club for Asia, well that was a bit of bad timing.

[thailand49]

The government and the authorities need to justify their position and pay. They spend all their hours in the office then a light bulb goes off while they are looking through magazines or their cell phones Youtube come up with a bright idea that isn't bright at all.

Then call out all the forces to one place while people are killing themselves on the road breaking every law on the books.

They believe in one principal and that is all smoke and mirrors while the shit is still flowing under the road, rats are everywhere looking for food, then they spend Kilos of resources on cleaning and painting a building that is slowing breaking apart and ready to fall down.

Got to love these leaders?  the light is on but there isn't anyone home!

 

[JennaBurrows]

1 hour ago, wvavin said:

This clueless military government continues destroying the olden charm of Bangkok and killing the livelihood of the less fortunates along the streets.

 But those pavements hey ... 

 

 

That's what tourists come to Thailand for. A good old fashioned clear pavement. 

[moontang]

I started this thread over a month ago....so it seems like KSR is indeed terminally ill.  Would have gotten much more enthusiasm about the food court in the basement of Swampy.

 

https://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/1045393-swore-off-ksrnow-i-am-an-easy-bus-ride/?tab=comments#comment-13122631

[samsensam]

20 minutes ago, DefaultName said:

IMO, Khao San Road had one purpose; it kept a lot of the backpackers in one place, where I'm not.  Works for me.

 

i'm sure the feeling is mutual.

[Jane Dough]

17 minutes ago, JennaBurrows said:

Once it grips Thailand, Bangkok malls will die a slow death, and then you will be left with half empty malls and nothing else. 

You are forgetting one important point. You don't necessarily get air conditioning at home and it won't be free.