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Thamal district in Kathmandu, Nepal. Photo: lavenderstreak (Creative Commons)
Backpackers love and loathe traveler’s ghettos in equal measure. We hate them for the crass commercialism and how they’re not local enough. Yet sometimes we do need to take a break from the madness and pamper ourselves with comfort foods and familiar music. Some backpacker ghettos have even become legendary in travelers’ circles, like Khao San Road in Bangkok and the Chungking Mansions in Hong Kong.
Eric Weiner caputures this ambivalence well in his WorldHum article Escape From Thamel. He talks of the tackiness of Kathmandu’s prime tourist trap, yet is sympathetic to how it is necessary for the local economy to function. In the end, he discovers that finding a balance is the key.
Any favorite backpacker ghettos you love and others you can’t stand? I’d give a thumbs-up to Pub Street in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Way nicer than Khao San Road, in my humble opinion.
December 4th, 2009 at 3:39 am
Loved the backpacker ghetto in Lagos, along the bank of the Rio Bensafrim in Portugal. Unbelievably touristy, but such an amazing spot, with 14th century walls enclosing the cobbled streets of the old town.
December 4th, 2009 at 8:27 am
Love the picture! The backpackers ghetto looks like a Las Vegas strip, except without all of the lights!
December 4th, 2009 at 12:54 pm
Great places to start a trip to a new country. You get a feel for the atmosphere, and always hook up with lots of people who are coming back from trips in-country that can give you so much valuable, current advice. I found if you hang out in them for more than a week or so, they lose their appeal, but for me they become sort of a home base to regroup for a couple of days.