Backpacker ghettos

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.