I was quite fascinated to hear an elderly man in a cafe talk about how he was a camera man / news man back in the 70's 80's 90's in Asia particularly Bangkok and talking about club FCC

I couldn't hear most of it because a loud man was talking nearby but I must ask these questions

Is there still such things as the Foreign Correspondents Club and us it similar to a Journalist club ?

What was the Foreign Correspondents Club?

Did any of you have an exciting life back in Bangkok back in the 1970's and 80's

Did any of you meet the famous journalist Bernard Tink ?

What an exciting life it would of been.

I remember the 3 Australians back then caught with heroin back in 1977 and it made big news one was a famous Rugby league footballer

1st hit on Google.

Fascinating just how lazy some people are.

I first got to Bangkok early 1978, it was a very exciting place to be at that time. By the 1980s I was working as a photojournalist, mostly freelancing for the Bangkok Post, Bangkok World, and some of the magazines. Trink I knew quite well, along with James Eckardt, Steve Rosse and many others. I often heard talk of the FCC Bangkok but never went there myself, I did however go many times to the FCC in Phnom Penh when I was based there for a while in the early 1990s. As you say it was a very exciting life to be living in Bangkok in the late 70s/1980s. I used to drink often at Lucy's Tiger Den, and knew "Tiger" Rydberg quite well. He sure had some stories to tell.

Oh I love Steve Rosse .he has a YouTube video based now on Turtle beach in Phuket

Derek Williams was another foreign correspondent who died last week

If I had my life again I would of loved to have been a Foreign Correspondent

One thing for sure. In those days it was far more foreigner friendly and you did not feel ripped off when paying the check in the restaurant or at the super market cash counter or in one of the few malls around in that era.

38 minutes ago, SingAPorn said:

One thing for sure. In those days it was far more foreigner friendly and you did not feel ripped off when paying the check in the restaurant or at the super market cash counter or in one of the few malls around in that era.

Why do you feel ripped off in restaurants or supermarkets and malls?

I still love Bangkok . First arrived in Autumn 1984, stepped out of that Thai Airways flight from Paris which was only half full!

Decided instantly I loved Bangkok and all Thailand. Living in Phuket , the owner of my “apartment “ ( did the word condo exist?) was a very well known sports journalist. Prisana Nuechterlein. Her mother was Thai, father American. She covered many famous stories, Tiger Woods in Phuket, Dalaï Lama in the FCCT Bangkok. Of which I had a dedicated photo of him there on my wall. She swam with sharks and did many crazy things. I was lucky to have her beautiful home for many years, stops to Kata Beach , so I was very spoilt and happy.

Wonderful woman and very pretty.

So yes, I heard many stories about the FCCT , Trink always good for a laugh. You either loved him or hated him. Thailand was a much more fascinating place in those days, and dare I say more human. My second home in Bangkok was The Atlanta, still standing . A place to visit , a beating heart of bangkok journalists., traveller’s and backpackers. The best Thai food Ive ever had !

3 hours ago, SingAPorn said:

One thing for sure. In those days it was far more foreigner friendly and you did not feel ripped off when paying the check in the restaurant or at the super market cash counter or in one of the few malls around in that era.

yes, getting ripped off was not a thing and we were treated much better, but there were very few people coming to Thailand back then too (3ish million tourists a year) and the ones that did come never really made any issues.

My company first sent me to Thailand in the early 90's, the exchange rate was 25 baht to the USD, but things were cheap 30-60 baht for a beer, 50 baht an hour for a massage.

Traffic was really bad as there was no elevated express way and no skycar, getting to Rayong could be an all day trip.

Of course every office or manufacturing plant I went into most of the girls would be all smiles, these days it still happens but not like when I first came here when most Thais never seen white guy in person before.

I would travel around Isan and would go into stores and have people follow me around the store to see what i buy and just stand there and watch me.

Still had elephants roaming the streets of Bangkok. It alwasy amazed me to be sitting on the a road side stall and guy comes walking up with his elephant.

immigration was easy.. They didn't care about things. I was still living in the USA and traveling back and forth.

My first Visa for Thailand was a B visa from the USA with only a letter from a company in Thailand, no backing docements, just a letter on their letter head.

Overstaying was not an issue. I had friends that were going to be 3-4 days late leaving they go to immigration and be told that it;s no big deal just overstay a few days.

My one friend overstayed his visa by 6 months. he was worried and finally got the money for the fees. He left Thailand via train to Malaysia, He said when he went to immigrations he was worried but then they all joked around with him about did he forget....laughing the whole time. They took his money and everyone was happy. Next day he retuned to Thailand no issues stamped right in no questions. Early 2000's Thailand started getting more tourists so the visa run services started then immigration cracked down on things.

The first night in Bangkok we went to Patpong. Nothing like it is today of course, no chairs in rows on the street. There was a bar called the Pink Panther ( I think) owner was French . Got roped into one of the shows , but no bother , not pushy at all, left after one drink.

What a difference to today, Thailand in general, so much hate and plain stupidity from a lot of tourists now.

In 1971, Bangkok was more interesting than it is now.

Fewer Farang.

Prettier girls.

More smiles.

Fewer motorcycles and motorbikes.

Zero Chinese tourists, of course, since the Cultural Revolution was just winding down.

The Indians were all Quality Tourists, back in the day, and not like today.

What more do you need to know?

I am not sure about the pigeons, though.

I think there were far fewer pigeons, since there were far fewer tourists to feed them.

6 hours ago, georgegeorgia said:

I was quite fascinated to hear an elderly man in a cafe talk about how he was a camera man / news man back in the 70's 80's 90's in Asia particularly Bangkok and talking about club FCC

I couldn't hear most of it because a loud man was talking nearby but I must ask these questions

Is there still such things as the Foreign Correspondents Club and us it similar to a Journalist club ?

What was the Foreign Correspondents Club?

Did any of you have an exciting life back in Bangkok back in the 1970's and 80's

Did any of you meet the famous journalist Bernard Tink ?

What an exciting life it would of been.

I remember the 3 Australians back then caught with heroin back in 1977 and it made big news one was a famous Rugby league footballer

You tell us. Go to your AI tool and genberate a story.

However what I really want to hear about from you, is you. It will be more interesting.

Tell us about your childhood, your everyday life now, your hopes and dreams, your diappointments. Tell us about your bowel movements, your romantic triumphs and romantic heartbreaks. Tell us about your medical history etc. etc.

Ah, the good ol' days !!

Let's take a trip down memory lane, Georgie Boy.

I wrote this off the top of my head from memory. No AI was used.

The Good Old Days of Bangkok in the 1970s

Bangkok in the 1970s was a very different city from the Bangkok we know today. Life seemed slower, the streets were less crowded, and neighborhoods had a strong sense of community. Although the city was already growing rapidly, it still retained much of the charm of an older Thai town.

One of the most memorable things about Bangkok in those days was the pace of life. Traffic existed, but the roads were nowhere near as congested as they are today. There were fewer cars, fewer high-rise buildings, and much less noise. People often knew their neighbors, children played outdoors, and daily life seemed to revolve around local communities rather than shopping malls and large commercial centers.

Food was another important part of Bangkok's character. Fresh markets, small street stalls, noodle shops, and family-run food businesses were everywhere. People could buy fresh ingredients from their local market and enjoy simple, inexpensive meals prepared right in their neighborhood. Many areas had their own familiar vendors, creating personal connections between sellers and customers. Today, Bangkok still has an extraordinary food culture, but traditional markets and small neighborhood businesses increasingly compete with modern supermarkets, food courts, and international chains.

Transportation also gave the city a distinctive character. Canals were an important part of life, and boats provided transportation through parts of the city. Buses were basic but essential, while walking and cycling were more common in local neighborhoods. Bangkok's canals and waterways were not merely tourist attractions—they were part of the city's everyday life. Today, modern highways, expressways, the BTS Skytrain, MRT, taxis, and ride-hailing services make getting around more convenient, but they have also contributed to a much faster and busier urban lifestyle.

The social life of 1970s Bangkok had its own special atmosphere. Cinemas, dance halls, restaurants, coffee shops, and local entertainment venues brought people together. Going to the cinema or meeting friends in the evening could feel like a special occasion. There was less digital entertainment, of course, so people spent more time talking face-to-face and socializing in person.

Modern Bangkok is undoubtedly more convenient, prosperous, and connected. It offers world-class shopping, transportation, restaurants, entertainment, and technology. Yet something has been lost along the way: the feeling of a smaller, slower city where people had more time for one another.

For those who remember Bangkok in the 1970s, the “good old days” were not necessarily better in every way. But they were different—a time when Bangkok felt more intimate, more relaxed, and perhaps a little more human.

10 hours ago, georgegeorgia said:

Tell me about the Bangkok old days

It was the best.

No rude, disrespectful, nasty foreigners

10 hours ago, georgegeorgia said:

I couldn't hear most

Eavesdropping, you are the biggest stickybeak.

You are our Gladys kravitz of AN forums 😂

BTW, when are you going back to Sydney, lots of problems, Kingsford Smith Airport had a near miss yesterday

Edited August 10Aug 10 by SAFETY FIRST

Once upon a time in the 70'-80'
Where we used to raise a glass or two for 40-50 baht
Remember how we laughed away the hours
Think of all the great things we would do

Those were the days, my friend, where Bernard Trink used

to drop by for his next column,
the drinks were cheap, the girls were young and pretty ''from up country

with mud between their toes' no lady boys, no trans-gees,

bar fine was 500 baht and an all nighter was a 1,000 baht

and the girl actually wanted to stay andsleep

with you all night and you could have another

go in the morning with no extra charge,

We'd sing and dance forever and a day
We'd live the life we choose
We'd play around and never lose
For we were young and sure to have our way

Petrol was cheap, food was cheap and the Thai people

actually liked you back than

Then the busy years went rushing by us
We lost our starry notions on the way
If by chance I'd see you in the tavern
We'd smile at one another and we'd say:

Those were the days my friend....

no roof on nana. soi zero.

1978 it was Patpong 1 & 2, nothing at all in those roads then, other than some parked cars and folk walking around, my favorite bar was The Mississippi Queen, I met my first Thai wife there in 1978. Some renowned foreign photographer came to Bangkok in 1978 and did one of the first glossy color books on Thailand. He took some photos inside The Mississipi Queen, and sure enough when his book hit the shelves there was a full page color shot of my wife.

The Saigon bar scene from the movie the Deer Hunter was filmed inside The Mississippi Queen. The Thai gal who was in the movie in the scene with Christopher Walken worked as a go-go dancer in that bar. Before her brief appearance in The Deer Hunter her going rate was 500Bt, but after the movie came out she was getting 5000Bt. Guy's would BF her for the night then when they got back home to Germany or England or wherever they'd have some friends over and put on The Deer Hunter video, then when the Saigon bar scene came on they could tell their friends, "This one, this one there, I banged her in Bangkok."

Soi Cowboy was just starting, I remember going there to Mitch & Nam's soul food restaurant for some Tex-Mex. Bobby's Arms in Patpong was another big favorite when we wanted farang food, they had things like pies & peas and fish & chips. The Toby Jug on Silom was also another favorite restaurant for British style pub food. The Grace Hotel and Thermae Bar were the 2 big pick-up spots. The very first time I went to the Grace as I walked in there was a group of Thai gals standing and shaking in front of one of the jukeboxes as it blasted out Led Zep's "Whole Lotta Love'. That sure impressed me.

Of all the Bangkok bars my personal favorites were The Three Roses, Rosemary 1 & Rosemary 2 bars on Sukhumvit. Had some absolutely, unbelievely wonderful nights in those bars. Lots of guys talked about going to seedy joints in Klong Toey for sheer debauchery, but I never went there myself.

The Ruby of Siam was a big old Thai-style nightclub on Sukhumvit, long gone now. Another good place we went to when we wanted farang food was the German Beer Garden on Sukhumvit. It was open-air, they played that tuba/oom pah music, served the beer in great big mugs, had excellent food, like sausages & potato salad, all good German grub that filled you up. Then in 1978 the guys who ran the Mississippi Queen opened The Tahitian Queen at Pattaya, and we often went down to Pattaya as my wife knew most of the girls who were working in the TQ at that time.

You mean Patpong Ping-Pong shows?

Bangkok, Oriental City
But the city don't know what the city is getting
The creme de la creme of the chess world
In a show with everything but Yul Brenner...