If there is a "backpacker central" in Thailand, it has to be Khoa San Road. On this short stretch of roadway you will find an endless supply of guesthouses, travel agents, used book dealers, tailored clothing shops, cafes (with bootleg Hollywood videos playing on the big screen TV all day long), street vendors and restaurants. It's a good starting point for your Bangkok travels, and can't be beat for those trying to get by on a shoestring. Of course, if you're budget's not tight, well, The Oriental on the far side of town is perhaps one of the best hotels in the world and a bargain to boot. But I was on assignment from Tweak, so the budget's tighter than a snare drum and there's not a penny to spare.

While my travelling companions stayed over at the near-by Royal Hotel, I took to one of the Khoa San's over 50 guesthouses. A guesthouse is a variant on the hostel theme, but you usually get your own room with attached bath, and if you really want to spend up to ten bucks, you can get air conditioning and a balcony. On the recommendation of a number of travelers, I sought out the New Joe Guest House, a friendly place with a relatively secure modern facility, an outdoor cafe and free e-mail when the German proprietor makes his computer available.

Getting to New Joe is a bit of a challenge, since it is located on an alley off an alley, and you wouldn't just happen to wander by. Nonetheless, the alley has a lot of offer, from the ubiquitous travel services to same day laundry at about a dollar a kilo. I gave some serious consideration to taking a spin in the washing machine, since my extensive travels had left my fur with less than pure white fluff, but decided that I couldn't risk injury so far from home.

In the end, we stayed longer in Bangkok than we expected, a coincidence of fate perhaps, since the better parts of Thailand lie outside the city limits. While this may be unfortunate in the grand scheme of things, it did leave us with a repository of knowledge on the local environs, especially those that lie around Khoa San.

After a bit of sampling, I'd say that the Wang Ngar Restaurant, located down almost under the Phra Pinkalo bridge on the river front, was probably the best place to go out for a Thai cuisine eat, though for a quick bite with drinks, Buddy's Beer Garden is a prime choice. Buddy's is also unique in that no TV blares the most recent Hollywood release, so travelers can actually talk to one another. Of course the down side of getting a beer with your meal is the price - often a single bottle of Singha can cost more than your entire meal.

Maintaining connectivity is quick and easy on Khoa San. Down the street there is the Hello Guesthouse, which offers the new Hello Pub e-mail service for a modest fee. They have modern Pentium computers and charge a couple of baht a minute. They're located at 63-65 Khao San Rd., and are open 10 to 10.

Many people come to Thailand to buy some tailored clothing since the price of a handmade suit runs about $50 to $100, depending on the quality of the material. In fact, if you're going to get a few suits, it may justify the cost of flying to Bangkok! The problem is that you don't often know which place has quality workmanship. Luckily, I was able to rely on the good fortune of having a local guide. A friend of mine was working in Bangkok for the summer, and had found a good tailor with low prices, excellent service and a really cheesy name. Big Boss Fashions is located on the north side of Khoa San road, about halfway down, at number 203. The place is run by Mr. Bob and Tony, both friendly though they will politely encourage you to get more and more clothing. Others, however, have suggested that the best deal lies far from the tourist ghetto of Khoa San.