Things That Have Disappeared Or Are Now Very Rare...

[qualtrough]

I was thinking about some things that used to be commonly seen in Bangkok and/or Thailand as a whole that are now no longer seen, or rarely seen. Two examples of what I am talking about come to mind:

1. The Indian nut sellers who used to walk around with a table perched on their heads. All the ones I have seen recently use plastic baskets.

2. Carbide lanterns. These used to be used by vendors at night to illuminate their carts or stalls. I haven't noticed those for some time as everyone seems to use either batteries or hook in to the grid.

I would be interested to hear from other members about things they recall from the past here that are no longer around, or only rarely so.

Edited February 15, 2006 by qualtrough

[Kerryd]

I would be interested to hear from other members about things they recall from the past here that are no longer around, or only rarely so.

Honest politicians ? Oh right, I don't think there ever were any.

Ethical Lawyers ? Hmmm, same thing, have there ever been any ?

Clean Air ? Well, maybe they had clean air 100 or so years ago.

I don't recall much of anything that's not around anymore. In fact, it seems that there is just more of everything (tailor shops, internet cafes, food vendors, tuk-tuks/taxis/baht buses, bars, Family Mart/7-11s, ect).

[skylar]

Body Glove t-shirts and Body Glove bike pants that were so hot in the 90s are pretty much out of existence.

[farangene]

A few years ago, you could still hear the sound the security guards would make on the hour to let their bosses know they were awake.

I understand they hit a piece of pipe against a rock a certain number of times to announce the hour (ie three clangs was 3AM). I thought it an interesting practice to continue to follow in this modern day of punch clocks and whatever.

Also, I recall when there were two different sets of guards, at different buildings I assume, and one consistently "clanged" his rock ten minutes later than the first one. I guess they were in a different time zone.

[Sing_Sling]

This is going back quite a while, but all the little klongs are gone.

I was born (nope, I'm not Thai) in our bungalow on Sukhumvit soi 16 when it ended in a cute little klong. The street was full of nice houses.

Innocence of the population, in general, has disappeared.

[Kerryd]

This is going back quite a while, but all the little klongs are gone.

I was born (nope, I'm not Thai) in our bungalow on Sukhumvit soi 16 when it ended in a cute little klong. The street was full of nice houses.

Innocence of the population, in general, has disappeared.

That reminds me. I remember that Bangkok used to be compared to Venice (the Venice of the East) due to all the canals that used to be in the city.

Due to the expansion of the city, many of the canals (klongs) were filled in to allow more buildings to be constructed. Probably a good thing, as many of the klongs were getting choked full of rotting garbage and sewage.

While in Cairo last summer, I noticed that the few waterways they had were also getting clogged full of plastic bags, styrofoam containers, dead animals and who knows what else. Certainly doesn't help a city's image when the canals become landfills for the local population.

[ilyushin]

Gone are the Baht 15 lady drinks, Baht 18 draft beers on Patpong. Baht 3-5 meal, Happy hour at JUSMAG on Friday night where you could get Baht 10 imported beers, pizza by the slice and real US smokes. Khao San Road as it was is gone. It used to be a cool place to hangout while getting the taxes done. The cheap hotels with special services all in Baht 200. Noodle soup with an extra spice to make you sleep well or better digetsion. The single selected girl taking care the customer ( not 3-4 cola hounds trying to meet the quota). Great bar owners that would feed you for free once a week like Lucy's Tiger Den. Drinking hours unrestricted. Underground lottery. Lots of work available. When people remembered you for being a good person , not a big spender. Sam lor drivers making sure you got home okay. Lots more that's forgotten like tears in the rain.

[Neeranam]

Those restaurants that used to cut the monkeys heads off at the table.

[Thaising]

How about those taxi without meter, where you have to negotiate to move around town, and during peak hour have to fight for one to get you out of town.

[kurgen]

when I first got here ,many moons ago, everytime I opened my wallet I was confronted by a 2" thick wad of high denomination notes .

They were the days

[Nordlys]

This is going back quite a while, but all the little klongs are gone.

I was born (nope, I'm not Thai) in our bungalow on Sukhumvit soi 16 when it ended in a cute little klong. The street was full of nice houses.

Innocence of the population, in general, has disappeared.

Agreed we have less Klongs now.

North and South Sathorn used to be devided by Klong too.

[Thaiboxer]

When I first visited Thailand in 1999, Nestea iced tea used to be sold in small cans...kind of like those energy drinks (Shark, Red Bull, etc). I haven't seen those for a while; probably since my second visit in 2000. I used to see this iced tea in regular soft drink cans but those have also disappeared. Now, I only see Nestea in plastic bottles with screw on caps and those are sold at 7-11's, Foodland and other stores. Lipton tea has always been around in those yellow cans since I've been coming here.

[DeathbyDurian]

Bottles of Carlsberg and ciggy packages without warnings or pictures of dead people on them!

[Nordlys]

Betta (Siamese fighting fish) in Bangkok Klongs.

[HarryHacker]

VD clinics…… before the days of the dreaded HIV, there were many clinics with the largest VD signs adorning them.

[Tarragona]

The traditional sideshows at the temple fairs. When I first visited the annual Chedi Fair in Paknam (about 15 years ago) you could still throw a ball at the target to dunk a girl in the water. It seemed to be one of the most popular attractions too but just disappeared completely a few years ago.

[tom yum goong]

The traditional sideshows at the temple fairs. When I first visited the annual Chedi Fair in Paknam (about 15 years ago) you could still throw a ball at the target to dunk a girl in the water. It seemed to be one of the most popular attractions too but just disappeared completely a few years ago.

We still get that in Phuket. Only last week i was at Chalong temple fair and got the girl on my second attempt.

Happy days.

One of the biggest changes from the old days is the disappearance of trams and bicycle rickshaws from Bangkok. A bit before my time though.

Edited February 16, 2006 by tom yum goong

[Sir Burr]

VD clinics…… before the days of the dreaded HIV, there were many clinics with the largest VD signs adorning them.

Oh, so true.

From Nana to Soi 19 on Sukhumvit masses of VD clinics, with, as you say, the largest VD signs in the world.

Talking of signs.....why did they ever take down the giant lips and finger neon sign that was on Sukhumvit? It was an icon.

[Thaiboxer]

Betta (Siamese fighting fish) in Bangkok Klongs.

It must have been a LONG time since there were fighting fish living in Bangkok's klongs...those canals are so polluted nowadays. Klong Saen Saep is basically an open sewer. I've never seen fish in there but I have heard stories of kids swimming in there

[BKK90210]

Things that are disappearing or now very rare...

Clean air in Bangkok

Rice fields in Bangkok

Be able to watch a free outdoor movies on this big white canvas screen after cremation at the temple - in Bangkok

Midnight snacks from the street vendors coming inside the neighbourhood around 10pm, you'll hear 2 pieces of woods banging each other as a signal sound

Be in chinatown without wearing a gasmask

Not having a fence around your house

Seeing Thai wood house architecture along the klong

Net fishing along the river/klong bank or hand-fishing at the river bottom during dry season

Be able to see everybody wearing a farmer shirt during songkan festival

Going to the beaches especially Phuket without seeing a single farang

Oh...and the ever famous....Short skirt with go-go booth girls wearing a face power 3 shades lighter than their skin!

Edited February 16, 2006 by BKK90210

[astral]

I have heard stories of kids swimming in there

I can vouch for the truth of that.

20 years ago Thanon Rama 9 was all fields. The road had only just been built.

Sathorn had large houses along its length.

The canal is still there in the middle but covered over.

In the 80's there was a video rental shop on Suriwong with all sorts of recordings from UK tv.

Less than half of Jomtien beach existed. The rest was private land.

Remember those little carved ivory figures from China (Japan?) showing couples

copulating in all sorts of wonderful positions?

Edited February 16, 2006 by astral

[Gazza]

One of the biggest changes from the old days is the disappearance of trams and bicycle rickshaws from Bangkok. A bit before my time though.

Some places still have rickshaws. A moobaan near me has them and I remember years ago reading that some moobaan owners preferred having them for security reasons. Riding around late at night they were quiet and supposedly deterred thieves.

About 10 years ago I also saw them being used in a soi adjacent to the Imperial shopping mall in Samrong and a few other areas nearby there too.

[astral]

One of the biggest changes from the old days is the disappearance of trams and bicycle rickshaws from Bangkok. A bit before my time though.

Some places still have rickshaws. A moobaan near me has them and I remember years ago reading that some moobaan owners preferred having them for security reasons. Riding around late at night they were quiet and supposedly deterred thieves.

About 10 years ago I also saw them being used in a soi adjacent to the Imperial shopping mall in Samrong and a few other areas nearby there too.

I thought the cycle rickshaws were long gone from Bangkok.

When I arrived in 1985 you had to go up the river to Nonthaburi before you would find them.

They survived in rural areas like Hua Hin, Korat etc for many years after that.

Edited February 16, 2006 by astral

[marquess]

Getting in free to Nana Disco and staying there until the early hours. Used to be the case back in 2000/01. General nostalgia for the way the night life used to be, before that puratanical brute, changed things

[scotsman]

Singha gold for us who like a light beer

[Neeranam]

I used to see kids swimming in Klong Saen Saeb(thousand sting canal)about 4 years ago, near Ramkamhaeng/The Mall.

I even saw people catching fish.

There are still rickshaws in Prapadaeng.

One thing I haven't seen in ten years is the trucks full of prisoners being transported from court to prison. I used to see this often. Strage as they used to be on their way to bang Kwang and be in really good spirits, shouting at the farang with huge grins.

[Johpa]

Being able to order a bottle of Thai whiskey at a nice Thai restaurant or night club instead of being given a list of cheap imported Scotch.

[Gary A]

It appears you are all city people. I haven't seen a buffalo working in the fields for years now. In the early nineties it was rare to see even tak tak Kubotas up country. Now Ford/New Holland and four wheel drive tractors are VERY common.

[qualtrough]

Speaking of Buffalos, are there any parts of Thailand where Buffalos are still in use, other than for nostalgic sake? And how about carts, are they all furniture now, or is there some far-off corner where they are still rolling?

[Misplaced]

Speaking of Buffaloes. Used to remember walking down the unpaved road to get to school while the water buffaloes (kwai) are coming the other way. I used to be scared of them and couldn't wait to see the smiling face of the hurdler on the other end of the hurd telling me they are gentle creatures.

At night, used to go out at paak soi to buy "lothee and BBQ squid; It was alot of fun eating them in front of the fire pit with family. Ofcourse all this was possible only 1 / month after uncles payday , Goodness how wonderful life was than. No money but alot of love from family.

Only 2 more months before heading back to Los for a nice family reunionnn

Edited February 18, 2006 by Misplaced