K

KLM Airline. National flag carrier of Holland.

Kaoshung. Taiwanese port city located at the southern end of the island, roughly 3 hours by air from Bangkok (and directly linked).

Karaoke.  This is one of the most popular forms of entertainment throughout much of East Asia. In them, patrons can sing their favorite songs to the accompaniment of the original musical score minus the original singer’s/singers voice[s]. Click here for more.

Katoey:  "Transsexual." A man who has been surgically and medically altered to be a women. Katoeys are usually the dancers in cabarets, and often populate the staffs of bars, a-go-go’s, etc. Most can be distinguished by a large Adam’s apple, large hands, large feet, or masculine voice – but not always. A special caution: katoeys sometimes operate in gangs as petty thieves and pickpockets, and they can be violent. Always be wary of clusters of "ladies" standing on the sidewalk, particularly away from open shops, lighted areas, etc. For example, a long-time gang of pocket-picking katoeys operates around the footbridge crossing Sukhumvit Road near Sukhumvit Soi 5.

Kha: feminine sentence ending – Ladies, put it at the end of every sentence and you’ll be safe!

Khao San Road.  This is a popular backpacker destination in central Bangkok, not far from the main railway station. It is frenetic, alive virtually all hours of the days and nights. Cheap lodgings are found throughout the area – something like Hong Kong’s famed Chungking Mansion, but with the guesthouses spread out. Street food is especially abundant here. Beware of pickpockets, scam artists, etc., and they are just as numerous as the food stalls, guesthouses, and backpackers! We’re told that recreational drugs are readily available here – but as we say time and again throughout this site, you will find yourself in big, big trouble caught with any illegal drug. Thailand is suffering a seemingly unstoppable flood of various drugs, in large part no thanks, reportedly, to the dictators of Burma, who support drug manufacture and smuggling out, via Thailand, the drugs to the rest of the world, but with many find their way into Thai lungs, mouths, and veins. As mid 2000 approached, this problem was declared a national emergency, and villagers along the Thai Burmese border are being armed and trained by the Thai Army. This area will appeal primarily to budge travelers, though all should find it fascinating.

Khlong: "Canal"; this is the most common Romanization of the Thai word

Khlongs.  In a long-gone era, Bangkok was known in many quarters as "The Venice of the East" as a result of the numerous canals which laced the city, and which formed a major part of Thai culture. In the post-World War II era, the willy-nilly pace of development has seen one canal after another filled in or paved over. There are still a few canals, but certainly not nearly so many as before. Khlong Saen Saeb, which runs parallel to and immediately south of Petchburi Road for a part of its length, is one of the few remaining major transportation arteries. Starting the the far eastern reaches of the city, it ultimately connects to the Chao Phraya River near Sunan Luang. Ferries run along it, long, open-air boats with a roof against the tropical sun, presenting a cheap (and fast) alternative to riding in Bangkok’s notorious road traffic.

But a word about the ferries. Anyone using them should exercise caution, particularly when embarking and disembarking. The docks themselves can be dangerous; one collapsed a few years back and there were several deaths, including of children. A ferry will pull up alongside the dock, but as likely as not won’t tie up. One has to step onto the gunwales then down into the boat to embark, and the boat is small enough to rock. At peak hours especially, peiople are both embarking and disembarking en masse, increasing the possibility of losing one’s footing and slipping into the canal. Finally, some of the boatmen – not all, but some – fancy themselves speedboat drivers.

Khlong Toei.  [See entry for "Khlong Toey" below.]

Khlong Toey.  This area of Bangkok encompasses the Port of Bangkok (in its sub-district of Khluangnamthai), a famous ghetto, the entertainment venues of Washington Square, Soi Cowboy, Sukhumvit Soi 22, and Sukhumvit Soi 33, the offices of The Bangkok Post (a leading English-language newspaper), the Queen Sirikhit Convention Center, numerous hotels and guesthouses, etc. It also encompasses the stretch of Sukhumvit Road often called the "Foreigners’ Ghetto" – many expatriates live in the numerous apartment buildings and houses liberally sprinkled throughout the district. With it’s wide offerings for lodging, food, shopping, and entertainment, the Khlong Toey area is an excellent base for tourists and resident expatriates alike. Served by the Skytrain now and later by the under-construction subway system, major areas of Bangkok re within a few minutes reach – for example, a ride from Emporium Shopping Center to the Patpong area takes a mere 10 minutes or so – including the required train change. (This compares to 1-2 hours by road when traffic is heavy.)

Khorp Khun Kha: "Thank you" for females

Khao: "Rice"

Khorp Khun Khrap: "Thank you" for males

Khrap: masculine sentence ending – put it at the end of every sentence and you’ll be safe!

Khrung Thep: "City of Angels" – the Thai short name for Bangkok; the full name is reputedly the longest place name in the world.

Khun: "You," and used as an honorific before a person’s name, a kind of all-purpose title to use for "Miss," "Missus," and "Mister"

King. The current king, His Majesty the King Bhumibol Adulyadej, enjoys enormous personal popularity, a popularity approaching reverence. This attitude of the Thais enables him to wield considerable influence on the course of events, despite his almost total lack of constitutional authority. For example, in the early 1990’s a military junta took power, and was met with much dissatisfaction. The leader of the junta was engaged in a war of words with a popular opposition politician, and things reached a boiling point. The King "invited" the two to see him – a royal invitation would never be declined by any sane Thai (or sane foreigner, for that matter) – and he "suggested" the junta surrender power to a civilian government. As a royal "suggestion" is no more to be ignored than a royal invitation is to be refused, the junta surrendered power almost immediately afterward. The meeting was broadcast to the nation, and to the world, ensuring the people of Thailand knew the King’s wishes. The current King is circumspect in his public utterances, clearly aware that even an off-hand comment may be interpreted – and obeyed – as a Royal Command.

The King was actually born in the United States in 1927. He was not originally in direct line for the throne, but deaths in the royal family led him to the throne; he formally ascended the throne May 5, 1950, when he was corornated.

Klong: "Canal"; this is another common Romanization of the Thai word

Klong Toei. [See entry for "Khlong Toey" above.]

Klong Toey. [See entry for "Khlong Toey" above.]

Korea. Located about 6-7 hours by air from Bangkok. About the only time either of the two Koreas have made headline news here in recent years was when North Korean security agents attempted to kidnap and return to North Korea a North Korean diplomat and his family, who had defected in Bangkok. Seoul, capital of South Korea, and Bangkok have extensive air links. To reach Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, one pretty much still has to go through Beijing. As of this writing (late May, 2000), Australia is establishing diplomatic relations with the North; Japan already has. Presumably alternative routes will follow.

Kuala Lumpur. Capital city of Thailand’s Islamic neighbour to the south, Kuala Lumpur is one of Asia’s – and the world’s – major capitals. Like numerous other cities across Asia, from Seoul to Bombay and Jakarta to Beijing, Kuala Lumpur is a vast, sprawling affair, not as chaotic as Bangkok (and other cities), perhaps, but still enough so to give rise to considerable public and official concern. Kuala Lumpur is a popular tourist destination, well situated for travelers heading just about anywhere in South and Southeast Asia. It lies about a 2½ flight south of Bangkok.