Oh Beloved Bangkok, How So You Have Changed...

[HugoFastor]

Others who have been here for a few decades have also witnessed the many pronounced changes to the city over the years. Some of the changes were physical in nature. Others were pure improvements to convenience. And then there were some that were not very good at all. 

 

For each person the changes might feel different though because we all get affected by things in different ways. Some might think things are better, while others might feel they are worse. It all depends on your lifestyle, what you are involved with in Thailand, where you are living, who you know, and your own personal points of reference. 

 

As for the changes themselves, there are too many to cover in a short post, but I want to focus on one recent and positive change which has most directly impacted my daily life. 

 

As simple as it sounds, it was the massive shift and revolution to the world of online retail shopping and food delivery that took place about 6-7 years ago, which really changed things for me. It actually re-rendered my life in Bangkok exponentially.
 

For example, I used to spend nearly a whole day fighting through traffic merely to get to a computer center, just to get a small cable, then spend more time going to a market elsewhere to get food, etc, and then still need to go out again in the evening for dinner. Now none of that is necessary. I can get all of that sorted from my phone in a few minutes and then spend my time relaxing, exercising, and waiting for deliveries instead of fighting the heat, traffic, crowds and pollution just to get anything done. 

 

Of course they are many other changes that have affected me too, but that's the most recent one that also feels the most pronounced. 

 

Have there been any significant changes to Bangkok life that have greatly changed something for you and in a positive way? 

[Nemises]

New ladyboy bars are no longer allowed to be added at Nana Plaza. 
 

 

 

 

[retarius]

I arrived back recently from a first world country. Driving past Bangkok, one can feel the modernity and the recent massive investments in infrastructure, commercial and office building and residential condos and resorts. Drive past Bangkok, and the place really becomes 3rd world and looks like a dump, a filthy dirty dump. Why does no one ever clean a truck, they are all filthy? What this with throwing garbage wherever you happen to be? What's this with building a home, a shop, a row of shop houses, an office building a warehouse, and then never painting it again, never maintaining it, just using it until it is unusable any more? I cannot explain these filthy attitudes....actually I don't want to live in filth all the time. And yes, I am thinking about moving.

[spidermike007]

It has changed dramatically as you said, some of it's good, some of it not so good. I still really enjoy spending time in Bangkok, but due to the traffic, the population, and the air quality I'm thrilled that I don't have to live there. The changes in public transportation have been a fantastic improvement. 

 

I would never want to go there for more than a week at a time, but that one week, or even a few days can be alot of fun. I remember back in the days, during my first trip to Thailand in 1976, I don't think there was a single building over 10 stories tall. I remember things like Clinton Plaza, and how much fun Patpong was back in the day, and things like that.

 

But the reality is that everything has changed, everything about the world has changed, nothing is the same, we're not the same and nothing else is the same. So it's kind of a crazy to expect sameness anywhere. It doesn't exist. 

[expat_4_life]

12 hours ago, HugoFastor said:

As simple as it sounds, it was the massive shift and revolution to the world of online retail shopping and food delivery that took place about 6-7 years ago, which really changed things for me. It actually re-rendered my life in Bangkok exponentially.

 

This is one of the things that makes life more convenient, no doubt.  I certainly don't miss a trip across town or to the malls for retail shopping.

However on the food end, all the rapid development has forced many food options to relocate to malls.  Street vendors no longer exist anywhere near me and many small venues (food and entertainment) have been replaced by gentrification.  Condos, commercial properties and hotels have taken their place. 

I'm dreading the day they finally force my local wet market to pack their bags and I'm forced to shop at the mall/supermarket.
 

[NativeBob]

Quote

I arrived back recently from promised land of milk and honey and I was terrified: they eat pork and some snake-like fish in Bangkok! 

Indeed just spent couple of years away I was terrified: how could I live here for almost 25 years? Small things I never paid attention now drive me nuts, prices for food doubled and even tripled., filth'n'dirt almost everywhere... but 

For some idiotic reason I still feel that "home sweet home" when I'm here. Weird? Indeed!

 

[HugoFastor]

21 minutes ago, expat_4_life said:

However on the food end, all the rapid development has forced many food options to relocate to malls.  Street vendors no longer exist anywhere near me and many small venues (food and entertainment) have been replaced by gentrification.  Condos, commercial properties and hotels have taken their place. 

I get most of my food delivered in boxes twice a week by a prepared meal delivery service. They drop them off for me in the lobby and I just throw them in the fridge. Then I reheat them for 2 minutes in the microwave whenever I want to eat them. Food is fresh and delicious, cleaner than restaurant or street food, and I still don't have to do any cooking myself. Just buy a few drinks and fresh salad stuff at 7-11 as I head back home. The meal delivery service model been another major life changer for me in Bangkok and I rarely deal with markets, malls, or supermarkets for food anymore. 
 

[Will B Good]

 

 

By far the saddest change, for me, is the loss of all the bars that used to pop up on vacant land, multi storey car parks, derelict buildings......slowly but surely it is becoming sterilized.

[Thingamabob]

First arrived in Bangkok in 1962. So many changes. Mostly good, but nightlife atmosphere nothing like as much fun as it once was.

[RSD1]

LEGAL WEED!

[johng]

26 minutes ago, HugoFastor said:

Then I reheat them for 2 minutes in the microwave whenever I want to eat them.

I gave you a sad emoji   as I think  this is very sad  that you only eat pre processed and reheated food  of which you have absolutely no control of what the ingredients are  no quality control  and 7/11  come on please  WTF....  go to the local  "wet market"  and buy some real food !!!

[HugoFastor]

21 minutes ago, johng said:

I gave you a sad emoji   as I think  this is very sad  that you only eat pre processed and reheated food  of which you have absolutely no control of what the ingredients are  no quality control  and 7/11  come on please  WTF....  go to the local  "wet market"  and buy some real food !!!

 

I don't mind the emoji. That's fine. To each his own. I was also skeptical of using a meal delivery service at first, but the company I use now has a very clean processing/factory prep operation just outside the city. These types of services often have better quality control and cleanliness than restaurants and street food stalls because they run like a factory line. 

 

The meal prep service also uses high quality ingredients and the food outcome is very consistent. The food isn't the cheapest, but it isn't very expensive either compared to a restaurant and it's worth what they charge for it in my opinion. 

 

They also partially freeze the meals with liquid nitrogen before they ship them out so that there is no added condensation when they thaw. By the time they reach me from the courier, they are just chilled and then they go right into the fridge. They come out perfect every time when I prepare them and they never taste processed or reheated to me. 

 

This has been a game changer because never could I prepare these complex recipes myself, especially with all the various steps and ingredients needed. 

 

I've also been here a long time and shopped at nearly every major wet market in Bangkok. For me this works the best. It's convenient, I eat well, and I'm happy. 

 

I left you a thumbs up. 👍🏼 

[johng]

8 minutes ago, HugoFastor said:

For me this works the best. It's convenient, I eat well, and I'm happy. 

Ok glad you are happy

(that's really all that matters in the whole scheme of things)

best of luck to you.

[Presnock]

1 hour ago, spidermike007 said:

It has changed dramatically as you said, some of it's good, some of it not so good. I still really enjoy spending time in Bangkok, but due to the traffic, the population, and the air quality I'm thrilled that I don't have to live there. The changes in public transportation have been a fantastic improvement. 

 

I would never want to go there for more than a week at a time, but that one week, or even a few days can be alot of fun. I remember back in the days, during my first trip to Thailand in 1976, I don't think there was a single building over 10 stories tall. I remember things like Clinton Plaza, and how much fun Patpong was back in the day, and things like that.

 

But the reality is that everything has changed, everything about the world has changed, nothing is the same, we're not the same and nothing else is the same. So it's kind of a crazy to expect sameness anywhere. It doesn't exist. 

You are almost correct...1976 the tallest buildings over 6 stories were the CHOKCHAI blkd on Sukumvit and the Dusit Thani hotel and then in the late 70's they  started to let some other bldgs grow.  Standing on the roof of the US embassy in those days one could look out over the entire city as most were only 2 stories high and I think the embassy was 3 stories  but not positive.  Of course that has jumped to the other side of Wireless Road and is much higher these days and a solid fortress.

I remember how bad the traffic was in those days, and especially during the rainy season, where some youngsters would have a small boat at major intersections to row people from one side to the other.  Now it still floods  but waters do flow  away down more better drainage in many places.  The big thing  I really see and that has a big impact on me is the train system now within the city.  I retired in Bangkok, having lived in the early 70 right behind the Embassy where Iworked.  after I retired, I moved further out of  the city but spent many hours fighting traffic for different reasons, not pleasure.  It finally got to the point that I told my wife to find an adequate school for our daughter and after being there for ten years, we moved to Chiang Mai.  Then when our daughter began college at Chulalongkorn in BKK we leased a condo for her near the college and since we had two Siberian Huskies, we leased a house in Prawet district.  Not having to drive but able to jump all around the city very rapidly, is fantastic to say the least!  I have been amazed.  When we want to go back to CM for a visit to check on our house, we hop he express train to the Airport and then right to CM.  We go to visit our daughter downtown regularly and she spends weekends with in Prawet distric.  Cheap and easy  trip.  Never having to drive again in Bangkok to me is the biggest  positive difference that  I see from 1972, 1976-1979, 1997-2000, 2002-2014 . I still love the country and now like Bangkok even more than I did  before.  Best of luck to all with the new government...will she last ?

[Scouse123]

1 hour ago, Thingamabob said:

First arrived in Bangkok in 1962. So many changes. Mostly good, but nightlife atmosphere nothing like as much fun as it once was.

 

Agree with that.

 

It used to be no holds barred in Bangkok and Pattaya from naked on stage to blow jobs at the bar.

 

There was also all the outrageous shows they used to do. Ping-pong,darts, etc

 

It was a laugh at the time. Also, I think there used to be far more interesting characters floating around than there are now.

 

It has become sterile.

 

Khao San road has all but vanished, a shadow of its former self.

 

Taxi meters didn't exist, the roads were jammed with tuk tuks.

 

Even the outside counter top bars used to be fun, now they are manned by miserable middle-aged women who just want to watch TV and expect tipping for a beer.

 

Pattaya didn't have a Russian mafia problem, or a Chinese one, there were no kidnappings by Chinese mafias, nor any crazy young Kuwaitis driving motorbikes like lunatics.

 

The Westerners tended to be more well-heeled and many of the younger westerners couldn't really afford to travel here.

 

It was more fun and more peaceful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[SingAPorn]

The worst change in Bangkok is the polluted air that reaches toxic levels. Similar more towards south around Hua Hin. Toxic air that will destroy everything.

[MalcolmB]

23 minutes ago, Scouse123 said:

It used to be no holds barred in Bangkok and Pattaya from naked on stage to blow jobs at the bar.

No holes barred.

 

[LALes]

The Skytrain is the best thing to happen to Bangkok in the last 25 years.  

I would never have thought about retiring there if I had to drive.   Bangkok is

so much easier to negotiate with BTS and MRT.  My mantra is, "if it ain't Skytrain

accessibe, I ain't going".  Occasionally, I do find myself in that eternal Bangkok traffic

jam inside a taxi and I swear I will never take one again.  

[richard_smith237]

11 minutes ago, LALes said:

The Skytrain is the best thing to happen to Bangkok in the last 25 years.  

I would never have thought about retiring there if I had to drive.   Bangkok is

so much easier to negotiate with BTS and MRT.  My mantra is, "if it ain't Skytrain

accessibe, I ain't going".  Occasionally, I do find myself in that eternal Bangkok traffic

jam inside a taxi and I swear I will never take one again.  

 

Timing !!...   from about 10am to 4pm and then 6pm onwards the traffic usually isn't so bad (exceptions on Friday after 4pm and Saturdays all day - when everyone is out shopping).

 

 

Even with the expanding sky train there are many excellent locations, restaurants and bars that are beyond the access of the sky-train. 

 

Additionally, the sky train covers the busiest areas, so area's off the sky train routes often have less traffic anyway. 

 

 

But - try taking the sky-train at 5pm on a Friday....  its he'll - especially if navigating via Asoke - that said, if in a car, forget about getting anywhere !!!...  So sky train really is the only option at that time from that area.

 

I live in Bangkok (not on a sky train route) so take the sky train about 3 times per year perhaps...   Most of the time its Drive / Motorcycle or GrabCar BoltCar or Taxi....

 

If I lived within a few mins of a Sky-Train then I imagine I would use it a lot more - but as it stands I'd have to get a taxi to a sky train and then for most places I visit, I'd need to get another taxi from a sky-train (and those usually have a queue).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[richard_smith237]

4 hours ago, MalcolmB said:

5 hours ago, Scouse123 said:

It used to be no holds barred in Bangkok and Pattaya from naked on stage to blow jobs at the bar.

No holes barred.

 

 

You missed the 'a'.... and I can't believe you are not barred from some places where normal folk go... 

[HugoFastor]

2 hours ago, LALes said:

The Skytrain is the best thing to happen to Bangkok in the last 25 years.  

I would never have thought about retiring there if I had to drive.   Bangkok is

so much easier to negotiate with BTS and MRT.  My mantra is, "if it ain't Skytrain

accessibe, I ain't going".  Occasionally, I do find myself in that eternal Bangkok traffic

jam inside a taxi and I swear I will never take one again.  

I’ll add that the sky train was a big game changer for me too, but only for about the first 10 years that it was in operation. Thus, I didn’t mention it because eventually I developed a lifestyle which no longer required me to move around the city during the busy times of the day and use of the BTS became much less necessary for me. Now I live in a part of the city where I can walk for 90% of my needs. And I often do the things that require more travel distances at night time when I can drive my motorcycle and not deal with any traffic. If I take the sky train now more than 1 one time every 1-3 months then that’s a lot. I guess it’s almost fallen off my radar by now. 

[still kicking]

9 hours ago, johng said:

I gave you a sad emoji   as I think  this is very sad  that you only eat pre processed and reheated food  of which you have absolutely no control of what the ingredients are  no quality control  and 7/11  come on please  WTF....  go to the local  "wet market"  and buy some real food !!!

Only if you can hold your breath for 30 min.

[daveAustin]

Transport options are so much better. The buzzing Wild West element at night might be history, but still a bit of fun on occasion. Old Bangkok is nice to wonder around still.

[Presnock]

15 hours ago, Scouse123 said:

 

Agree with that.

 

It used to be no holds barred in Bangkok and Pattaya from naked on stage to blow jobs at the bar.

 

There was also all the outrageous shows they used to do. Ping-pong,darts, etc

 

It was a laugh at the time. Also, I think there used to be far more interesting characters floating around than there are now.

 

It has become sterile.

 

Khao San road has all but vanished, a shadow of its former self.

 

Taxi meters didn't exist, the roads were jammed with tuk tuks.

 

Even the outside counter top bars used to be fun, now they are manned by miserable middle-aged women who just want to watch TV and expect tipping for a beer.

 

Pattaya didn't have a Russian mafia problem, or a Chinese one, there were no kidnappings by Chinese mafias, nor any crazy young Kuwaitis driving motorbikes like lunatics.

 

The Westerners tended to be more well-heeled and many of the younger westerners couldn't really afford to travel here.

 

It was more fun and more peaceful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yessir got that right but then we were looking at it all as younsters too!  Now these tired old eyes just see things in a different light I guess.

[Freddy42OZ]

17 hours ago, HugoFastor said:

I get most of my food delivered in boxes twice a week by a prepared meal delivery service. They drop them off for me in the lobby and I just throw them in the fridge. Then I reheat them for 2 minutes in the microwave whenever I want to eat them. Food is fresh and delicious, cleaner than restaurant or street food, and I still don't have to do any cooking myself. Just buy a few drinks and fresh salad stuff at 7-11 as I head back home. The meal delivery service model been another major life changer for me in Bangkok and I rarely deal with markets, malls, or supermarkets for food anymore. 
 

 

Which meal delivery service do you use? 

[john donson]

18 hours ago, Thingamabob said:

First arrived in Bangkok in 1962. So many changes. Mostly good, but nightlife atmosphere nothing like as much fun as it once was.

 

what? how old are you ? 100 ?

[Scouse123]

27 minutes ago, john donson said:

 

what? how old are you ? 100 ?

 

Yeah, I was born in 1962, and I am 62.

 

Mind you, if he came as a young man, (ex forces?  Vietnam conflict? )   he could be early eighties to mid-eighties.

[KhunLA]

All the changes have been a positive IMHO

 

I'd like to see foreign adult entertain ghetto areas (nana, cowboy, silom) shut down, as simply embarrassing, but easily avoided, and provides an income & tax revenue stream.

 

It is what it is 😎

[maesariang]

Recently walked around a few cities. Much better than Bangkok.

[Umlungu]

On 8/21/2024 at 2:42 PM, HugoFastor said:

I get most of my food delivered in boxes twice a week by a prepared meal delivery service. They drop them off for me in the lobby and I just throw them in the fridge. Then I reheat them for 2 minutes in the microwave whenever I want to eat them. Food is fresh and delicious, cleaner than restaurant or street food, and I still don't have to do any cooking myself. Just buy a few drinks and fresh salad stuff at 7-11 as I head back home. The meal delivery service model been another major life changer for me in Bangkok and I rarely deal with markets, malls, or supermarkets for food anymore. 
 

Would it be possible to name this prepared meal delivery service, please? Are we talking GRAB etc and ordering from some food outlet, or is it a separate proper kitchen offering a service based on a -set- menu?

 

Can you point me in the proper direction?