The Charm & Character of Days Gone By

[Old Croc]

I miss the days when people looked forward to a brighter, exciting future and didn't spend all their time whining about the present, and reminiscing about/longing for the past.

[bojo]

2 hours ago, Skeptic7 said:

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

3 for 100b at any mom and pop store nationwide in the noughties, not sure the price now, (hopefully have some old schoolers chip in with prices in the 70's! ) but was it about 2010 it was reduced? Was a stealth move that's for sure and probably due to excise duty thresholds, certainly wouldn't have been approved by locals and they're probably still reminiscing like we are today.....................

[bojo]

2 hours ago, Skeptic7 said:

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

3 for 100b at any mom and pop store nationwide in the noughties, not sure the price now, (hopefully have some old schoolers chip in with prices in the 70's! ) but was it about 2010 it was reduced? Was a stealth move that's for sure and probably due to excise duty thresholds, certainly wouldn't have been approved by locals and they're probably still reminiscing like we are today.....................

[Freddy42OZ]

Must be an old person thing to want to look backwards.

Sure life was good (better than most people) when I was younger, but there was less technology and things were less modern.

For example cars were <deleted>.  An old mercedes cannot even come close to a modern one for comfort and technology. 

in the years I've lived here thankfully Bangkok has become more modern and shiny, with better shopping and dining options. 

The sh*th*le that was Washington Square will be replaced by awesome shops and restaurants (eventually). 

 

[Skeptic7]

1 hour ago, bojo said:

3 for 100b at any mom and pop store nationwide in the noughties, not sure the price now, (hopefully have some old schoolers chip in with prices in the 70's! ) but was it about 2010 it was reduced? Was a stealth move that's for sure and probably due to excise duty thresholds, certainly wouldn't have been approved by locals and they're probably still reminiscing like we are today.....................

Chang wasn't around in the '70s '80s or even early '90s. It was introduced in 1995. They changed the formula, much to my chagrin, and started bottling it in those awful green bottles, in 2015. 

Edited November 30, 2021 by Skeptic7

[Thingamabob]

The original Queen's Castle on Patpong 1. Great service, fantastic girls. Nominated by Time Magazine as the  best bar anytime, anywhere.

[brianthainess]

On 11/28/2021 at 9:37 PM, bunnydrops said:

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

Funny that as up to the C19 I used to see them daily.

[ozimoron]

4 hours ago, Skeptic7 said:

The Honey Hotel. Sukhumvit 19.

I used to stay there always, 500 baht a night. Do you remember a small receptionist named Mouse?

[brianthainess]

The old KC bar on white sand beach Koh Chang 3 am closing with bamboo huts on the beach, 50b a night, which has now become a vast luxury resort. 

[ozimoron]

4 hours ago, Skeptic7 said:

The original Thermae, before relocation.

I stayed nearly opposite at the Crown Hotel for 6 months at 100 baht per night. Most nights I would hang out in the Thermae. We had to go round the back and enter past the urinals along the wall. One night I found a nice looking girl asleep on the front stairs inside (the front door was always locked). I woke her up and took her home. Turned out she was a virgin. I gave her 500 baht in the morning.

[bojo]

25 minutes ago, Skeptic7 said:

Chang wasn't around in the '70s '80s or even early '90s. It was introduced in 1995. They changed the formula, much to my chagrin, and started bottling it in those awful green bottles, in 2015. 

You're right, I remember in 91 visit only drinking Singha and and wasn't there a court case regarding copyright and the 'green bottles' also resembling Carlsberg etc in noughties also...............

[ozimoron]

1 minute ago, bojo said:

You're right, I remember in 91 visit only drinking Singha and and wasn't there a court case regarding copyright and the 'green bottles' also resembling Carlsberg etc in noughties also...............

I remember drinking Kloster beer in the 80's

[Mac Mickmanus]

Just now, bojo said:

You're right, I remember in 91 visit only drinking Singha and and wasn't there a court case regarding copyright and the 'green bottles' also resembling Carlsberg etc in noughties also...............

Wasn't it the Carlsberg brewery that originally made the Chang in Thailand and then they got overtaken or kicked out the Country or something ?

[bojo]

3 minutes ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

Wasn't it the Carlsberg brewery that originally made the Chang in Thailand and then they got overtaken or kicked out the Country or something ?

That's the one, something along those lines................was mid to late noughties and was defo some kinda court case at the time, as to resolution, not sure anyone will know the truth...........

 

[starky]

2 hours ago, Old Croc said:

I miss the days when people looked forward to a brighter, exciting future and didn't spend all their time whining about the present, and reminiscing about/longing for the past.

Here, here ????

[flexomike]

4 hours ago, Skeptic7 said:

The original Thermae, before relocation.

First time in Thailand visited it in September of 68

 

[timendres]

On 11/28/2021 at 9:55 PM, 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?

Saw one behind my apartment building in 2012. Played for three nights.

[clivebaxter]

The Atlanta Hotel on Suk soi 2 built in 1952 and Miami on 13 are still there if anyone wants to go back in time!

[clivebaxter]

2 minutes ago, timendres said:

Saw one behind my apartment building in 2012. Played for three nights.

Pop up cinemas are still very much around, usually at Wat fairs with few looking

[Mac Mickmanus]

3 hours ago, Old Croc said:

I miss the days when people looked forward to a brighter, exciting future and didn't spend all their time whining about the present, and reminiscing about/longing for the past.

Was there ever such a time though , even when I first visited Thailand , people here were always going on about "It was much better five years ago" , everywhere I seem to go, someone always seems to say it was much better five years ago  

[Skeptic7]

1 hour ago, ozimoron said:

I used to stay there always, 500 baht a night. Do you remember a small receptionist named Mouse?

What year? First stayed in 1992. Pretty much knew most/all staff by face, not name, from 1995 till closing a few years ago. Called it "home" for better part of 20 years. They stored 2 big tote bags for me in the storage room behind reception. Even after finally getting an apartment in 2012, kept returning for 4-5 nights every other month to enjoy the pool and get the GF out of the kitchen. Their coffee shop/restaurant was awesome too! 

[Skeptic7]

10 minutes ago, clivebaxter said:

The Atlanta Hotel on Suk soi 2 built in 1952 and Miami on 13 are still there if anyone wants to go back in time!

Yes, but to my recollection neither was very "guest friendly". Or am I mistaken? Could bring 2 or 3 "guests" to the Honey and they wouldn't even ask for their IDs...unless you wanted them to. 

[ozimoron]

5 minutes ago, Skeptic7 said:

What year? First stayed in 1992. Pretty much knew most/all staff by face, not name, from 1995 till closing a few years ago. Called it "home" for better part of 20 years. They stored 2 big tote bags for me in the storage room behind reception. Even after finally getting an apartment in 2012, kept returning for 4-5 nights every other month to enjoy the pool and get the GF out of the kitchen. Their coffee shop/restaurant was awesome too! 

1982 lol

[BritManToo]

3 hours ago, bojo said:

3 for 100b at any mom and pop store nationwide in the noughties, not sure the price now, (hopefully have some old schoolers chip in with prices in the 70's! ) but was it about 2010 it was reduced? Was a stealth move that's for sure and probably due to excise duty thresholds, certainly wouldn't have been approved by locals and they're probably still reminiscing like we are today.....................

It was still 3 for 100bht in many CM bars and clubs up to about 2011.

[clivebaxter]

1 minute ago, Skeptic7 said:

Yes, but to my recollection neither was very "guest friendly". Or am I mistaken? Could bring 2 or 3 "guests" to the Honey and they wouldn't even ask for their IDs...unless you wanted them to. 

You could bring girls into both in the 90's joiner fee at the Atlanta was a strange amount of 104 baht. At the Miami I once got a warning at reception to be careful of a girl I took in. They were right, I had to get somebody up to the room to chuck her out- crazy one from Apache bar SC.

[Skeptic7]

2 minutes ago, ozimoron said:

1982 lol

Some of the staff were there, especially in the coffee shop, for 40-50 years. 

[allanos]

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

 

Well-written, and highly evocative. 

 

Kudos!

[yang123]

Soi 33 in the 20th century.

[Denim]

7 hours ago, Skeptic7 said:

The Honey Hotel. Sukhumvit 19.

For those of us staying at the Crown on 69 , The Honey was considered up market. PThe swimming pool was a bit on the small side though whereas the crowns pool was very nice. Plus the short time rooms at the Crown had all around mirrors including the ceiling. They also put on a nice buffet at New Years eve free of charge to their customers.

[Denim]

4 hours ago, Skeptic7 said:

Chang wasn't around in the '70s '80s or even early '90s.

But Amarit was a very nice beer if you could get it. Especially when it was draught.

 

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Then for a while there was the Kloster Beer Garden diagonally opposite MBK. Nice place to sit in the evening and watch the world go by.