The Charm & Character of Days Gone By

[2009]

I pour out some Chang for the days gone by. 

 

Let this be a thread of nostalgia: a bittersweet memorial of Bangkok (and other locales) - when it was ours!

[2009]

I'll go first: Washington Square.

[2009]

Will we be adding Hua Lampong to this list? ????

[zzaa09]

Some might prefer to romanticize upcountry of yesteryear.

To each his own. 

[2009]

8 minutes ago, zzaa09 said:

Some might prefer to romanticize upcountry of yesteryear.

To each his own. 

Good point

[bunnydrops]

I haven't seen anyone riding an elephant pass my house in years.

[SheikYabodyline]

When was the last soi popup cinema? Haven't seen one of those in central Bangkok since the '80s. perhaps they still exist in the sticks?

[clivebaxter]

old buses with wooden floors and monk as well as Royal photos along with amulets and plastic mali's swinging from the from mirror in front of a huge gear stick grating away over the luktung belting out from the speaker. Driver and conductors were sometimes man and wife so in the holidays their little kids would be on the bus asleep 

[poohy]

14 minutes ago, SheikYabodyline said:

When was the last soi popup cinema? Haven't seen one of those in central Bangkok since the '80s. perhaps they still exist in the sticks?

Oh god yes they do

noisy irritating things

[Denim]

Sooan Isaan and the Rich hotel on Sukhumvit. The strip of bars by the docks of Klong Toey harbour.

The building of Lad Prow road through wasteland. The Chok Chai steakhouse.

The construction of the continuation of Asoke linking Sukhumvit to Rama 4 where I crashed my motorcycle on the way to Thermaes from PatPong...ending up in hospital instead. Close shave that one. Eventually got to Thermaes covered in blood with 5 stitches in my chin.

The duckboard slums on Soi 22 where I once rented a shack with metal roof for 600 baht a month. A German friend was staying with a girl in an improvised dwelling on the edge of a rail line.

Small bottles of Mekong called ' gaks ' which were about half the size of a baen and sold for 10 baht or thereabouts. Noodle stand with 5 baht noodles or 10 baht for a special.

The Blue Fox on Ngam Duplee. The cheap vaudeville show on Yaowarat which was like something you might have seen in Shanghai in the 1920's. Tea houses. The girls plying their trade around Sanam Luang late at night. The Sunday market at Sanam Luang before it moved to Chatuchak.

[2009]

The 100 baht massage.

[swissie]

Cant't remember what year it was. But as usual, I was visiting in the spring and fall of this year. In the spring, short time was still 500/long time 1000. In the fall that same year, that would not suffice anymore. To renew a Bar-Lease on Walking Street would cost 3 times more. All this happened in an amazingly short period of time. At least in Pattaya.

Back then, I said to myself "The charm of Thailand has just been replaced by greed". I was right. Unfortunately.

[rott]

1 hour ago, 2009 said:

The 100 baht massage.

Still available near Asoke apparently, and some places in Pattaya. 

Earlier in the year I was shot down and left for dead because I suggested differently. Not that I am one to bear a grudge. 

[bunnydrops]

2 hours ago, SheikYabodyline said:

When was the last soi popup cinema? Haven't seen one of those in central Bangkok since the '80s. perhaps they still exist in the sticks?

The last one I saw was about 7 years ago in the sticks north of Korat

[spidermike007]

It would be easy to dwell on his different Thailand was, way back when. But, the whole world has changed. 

 

Spent some on Phuket a few years back. Was first there in 1976. No resorts. A few bungalows on the beaches. Beachfront land was 1,000 baht a rai. They could not give it away. 
 
Went back in 1986. Had developed alot. When to Samui for the first time. It was lovely. They were paving the ring road and there was no airport yet. Again in 1993. Quite a bit more development. Still amazing. Azure seas. Spectacular women everywhere. Great food. 
 
Did not return to Phuket until around 2008. It was degraded, for the most part. But, still decent. Good nightlife.
 
Again a few years ago. No need to ever return. The charm is lost. The over development is stunning. The prices were crazy.

 

Alot of Thailand has lost some of it's charm. And the fake purists seem to want to cleanse Thailand of what remains. Nimwits with little understanding of why people visit Thailand. It is NOT for the gleaming malls, where they cannot and do not spend their money due to onerous luxury taxes. 

 

Alot of the people are still quite nice and were light hearted, at least before the Apocalypse. 
 

[richard_smith237]

18 minutes ago, spidermike007 said:

It would be easy to dwell on his different Thailand was, way back when. But, the whole world has changed. 

 

Spent some on Phuket a few years back. Was first there in 1976. No resorts. A few bungalows on the beaches. Beachfront land was 1,000 baht a rai. They could not give it away. 
 
Went back in 1986. Had developed alot. When to Samui for the first time. It was lovely. They were paving the ring road and there was no airport yet. Again in 1993. Quite a bit more development. Still amazing. Azure seas. Spectacular women everywhere. Great food. 
 
Did not return to Phuket until around 2008. It was degraded, for the most part. But, still decent. Good nightlife.
 
Again a few years ago. No need to ever return. The charm is lost. The over development is stunning. The prices were crazy.

 

Alot of Thailand has lost some of it's charm. And the fake purists seem to want to cleanse Thailand of what remains. Nimwits with little understanding of why people visit Thailand. It is NOT for the gleaming malls, where they cannot and do not spend their money due to onerous luxury taxes. 

 

Alot of the people are still quite nice and were light hearted, at least before the Apocalypse. 
 

I agree with a lot of so much of what you write...  But for flipping ek's sake... loose the 40 yo model guy photo on your profile.... 

 

... we ( a lot of other forum members and I ) don’t like you because you are pretty, we like you because a lot of what you write is good shftituff  !!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sorry.... ????

 

 

 

[spidermike007]

33 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

I agree with a lot of so much of what you write...  But for flipping ek's sake... loose the 40 yo model guy photo on your profile.... 

 

... we ( a lot of other forum members and I ) don’t like you because you are pretty, we like you because a lot of what you write is good shftituff  !!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sorry.... ????

 

 

 

Funny. It was done out of humor. But, I like constructive criticism. So, thanks. 

[thaibeachlovers]

Chaweng before it went trendy

Nana Plaza when Hollywood Royale was the cheese

Soi Cowboy before Tilac went flurescent blue and nasty

gogos when they played real music and there were proper shows

Phuket before it went mad and expensive

Phi Phi before it became a flashpacker hell hole

Had Rin when only half the beach was used for the FMP

Sleeper trains when the cars were maintained properly ( those new Chinese sleepers are IMO uncomfortable as mattress too thin )

When I could get 90 days visa free indefinitely

When the Thais really smiled ( not the fake ones for tourists )

When the girls really did appreciate customers, and before mobile phones.

Honey Hotel

Dynasty Inn when it cared about the repeat customers.

Uncle Ray's. Cheap and cheerful- a great place to stay as long as one didn't expect it to be clean.

Father Ray- a wonderful man beloved by all.

Trink, and his newspaper column.

Don Muang when it was the main airport.

 

[zzaa09]

Early 1890s - height of the romantic Chulalongkorn era. 

[chicowoodduck]

On 11/28/2021 at 10:13 PM, 2009 said:

The 100 baht massage.

Yup, just had one the other day…pure bliss without the stick! ????

[1FinickyOne]

On 11/28/2021 at 8:39 PM, 2009 said:

I'll go first: Washington Square.

The cook at Silver Dollar - we bought her a drink and into a game of darts - she never played before... her first dart missed the board, her second was a dead on Bulls eye... her third nearly hit the score keeper... 

 

"Why you laugh laugh me," she said. 

[Skeptic7]

The Honey Hotel. Sukhumvit 19.

[Skeptic7]

The original Thermae, before relocation.

[Skeptic7]

On 11/28/2021 at 8:38 PM, 2009 said:

I pour out some Chang for the days gone by. 

How about the original Chang formula with 6.4% alcohol! Best Thai beer ever.

[thaibeachlovers]

6 minutes ago, Skeptic7 said:

The Honey Hotel. Sukhumvit 19.

Much loved, and missed. It had a character that is absent from all the monuments to greed that have arisen since.

Even the restaurant was unique.

[Skeptic7]

Clinton Plaza.

[thaibeachlovers]

1 minute ago, Skeptic7 said:

Clinton Plaza.

Is that the one that got bulldozed in the dead of night?

[Skeptic7]

All-time favorite after hours disco....Rainbow 2000.

[Skeptic7]

1 minute ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Is that the one that got bulldozed in the dead of night?

No, but close. It was on the opposite side of Suk. If memory serves, the one that got dozed by Chuwit was. Sukhumvit Square. 

[BritManToo]

I'm OK with the way things are now, wouldn't mind being 25 years younger though.

On the downside, if I were 25 years younger I'd still have to live & work in the UK, so maybe not.

 

Can't think of anything I really want from the past (except my mum and dad).