✅ VANISHING BANGKOK EP 1 | Why This City Will Never Be Cosmopolitan | The Scala Theatre & More
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 8 ส.ค. 2023
- Greed and money talks and history and heritage walks here in Bangkok and it's a shame to see parts of our city consigned to memories for the sake of another faceless development. But what can we do about it? Not a lot, as there are many tactics used to smokescreen their methods of getting what they want and nothing can stand in their way. Bangkok will never be a real cosmopolitan city, that word will only ever be a word that real estate agents use!!
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Such an invaluable service. It would be quite something if you were officially recognized for your outstanding services to the Kingdom of Thailand.
Not a chance, they want happy influencer types 😇😬🐱😻
This is a Rip Thailand blog...he go to Prison for this.... 😂
@@BangkokPat will u sell out? 😂
@@CC-dx6bc I'd have to start every video with "Hey guys please subscribe" which is a pet hate of mine...so no
@@BangkokPatdon’t forget big arm gestures, talking fast & exaggerated facial expressions lol Keep up the good work 😁
The best Bangkok content by far. Thank you for documenting and sharing all these unique places and pieces of history.
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks 😍
@@BangkokPatThanks Pat for giving the facts on the situation. Seems to be "Fashionable " to redevelop areas that are not going to improve life. Best wishes.
OTR channel is pretty good too. Dude puts same level of research as these vids
OTR channel is pretty good too. Dude puts same level of research as these vids
OTR channel is pretty good too. Dude puts same level of research as these vids
The old Bangkok had so much charm. Thank so much for your tour of old and new.
Glad you liked it Geoff, cheers.
You do fantastic work preserving a record of historic Bangkok, Pat. The authorities need to understand that the lure of the city for visitors is its unique Thai character. Turning Bangkok into just another modern metropolis like Tokyo or Singapore is self-defeating. I look forward to part 2.
Singapore has tried to keep some part of its heritage, with partial success. But yes it has lost its colonial charm.
The type of tourists they attract don't give a damn about history and heritage.
Singapore succeeded, like it does in every way it grows and progresses. We can all argue Singapore is sterile and bland, but the numbers of visitors and the exponential growth in income and quality of lief is second to none and proofs Singapore's point of staying ahead of each and everyone. I still travel to Bangkok from Kuala Lumpur, where I live, not to Singapore, but it is inevitable, Singapore is highly successful. @@CC-dx6bc
@@BangkokPatnothing much of heritage to be found in a soapy massage parlour lol
I love your videos. They do not only give nice informations, but also the quiet still sequences with no talking are giving a peaceful feeling.
And I love the quiet sequences with the rain and the rainy streets. And the cats.... 🙂
Glad you like them, thank you very much🐱😍😎
One of the best channels on Thailand/Bangkok. Everything said in here, is always well researched and documented, with excellent filming and narration. Thanks for your work!🙏🙏🙏
Thank you Oliver😇
@@BangkokPat Always a pleasure! 🙏❤️🙏
Used to love the Scarla theatre the only place in Bangkok where hypothermia was a possibility😅.
Another excellent presentation of how Bangkok has changed over the years. Pat takes us to places we never normally see and these records will become useful to historians in the coming years. Thanks Pat for these first class documentations of old and new Krungthep 👍👍👍👍👍
Thanks mate😻
Thanks for the memories! My family used to live on Sukhumvit Rd, Soi 22, back in the late ‘60s. After our Sunday mass at Assumption Cathedral, near the Mandarin Oriental, we’d frequent Siam, Lido, and Scala. And all the Shaw Brothers flicks at the New Odean on Thanon Yaowarat in Chinatown!
Came to the U.S. in ‘72. I’m now a sixty-something world traveler. Where has all the time gone?!!!
Very cool memories Kyle, my Dad was here in that era too.
Aah... Those cinemas around Pratunum and Phetchaburi Rd: Petchrama, Paramount, Metro, Coliseum, and Hollywood. And the palatial Indra! The list goes on and on, doesn’t it?
Scala... “The Last Picture Show.” My itinerant childhood whilst in Bangkok was all about “Cinema Paradiso.” An IT guy who’d worked and lived in Toronto, NYC, SF, and LA. A peripatetic cinephile really.
Whilst waxing rhapsodic about the movie palaces of a bygone era, I also relish today’s HBO and Netflix. Binge-watched the entire 8 seasons of “Game of Thrones” back in the spring of 2019, and it was one of the best times of my life ever. “Oppenheimer” was stunning on IMAX. Oh, and all those wide-ranging TH-cam channels to boot!
3:21 ... I had a lot of difficulties in that moment not to start dancing !!!!!
Hope you overcame those difficulties and let loose....🐱
@@BangkokPat ... when it comes to spectacular view and great EDM there is one DJ-Set that comes into my mind especialy: "Einmusik b2b Jonas Saalbach live at Preikestolen in Norway for Cercle" ... please let me know, if you like it
The classiest vlogger on Thailand by far I would say. Fascinating subject matter and a beautifully produced video. Very impressive!
I love exploring Bangkok on foot and a few years ago before Covid found the Customs House while on an exploration of the area. I also remember going to an area like Makkasan in the late 90s to eat in a local restaurant with a friend of mine who lives in Bangkok and I remember expressing my surprise that an area full of wooden houses still existed downtown. He told me it was railway land and the inhabitants of the houses were employees of the railway. It was very similar to Makkasan however I cannot remember where it was and I believe it has since been developed.
I think the comparison with London is interesting. One of the things that makes London such a great city is the mix of the old and modern. The Thais are throwing that legacy away with their worship of concrete and rampant overdevelopment. Unfortunately this mentality seems to be widespread in southeast Asia. It will not end well as Bangkok desperately needs the green lungs of areas like Makkasan to lessen the heat, humidity and pollution. I wonder if the surfeit of shopping mall development will soon reach a limit as they become unprofitable as there are too many of them. Malls like this seem to be dying now in the West due to the internet and an oversaturated market.
They also preserve the old area around grand place area, it’s not allowed to built tall building. Btw why you talk like Bangkok just happen to have shopping malls recently, and saying like it’s like shopping mall in the west, sorry to say this but the shopping malls in Thailand are better than western countries. In every malls, there are always cinema, food court, supermarket, restaurants, Banks, shops, service shop, beauty clinic, dental clinic, salon etc. and toilet every floor and some place to sit. Thai people hang out at shopping mall because of hot and humid weathers while westerner can enjoy life outside at the park because their weather is nice. Even people now do shopping online but the shopping malls will adapt and change to more restaurants and less shops.
Seriously how many more shopping malls or high rise buildings with empty condos does Bangkok need
It's needs many more to keep tourists coming according to the tourism experts (joke)
You are an amazing documentary producer and story teller. Those old photos of Bangkok are dearly missed
Thanks Peter 😎
Ohh yay another shopping mall 😴 just what Bangkok needs
Yes 😁 very important to attract high quality tourists, Starbucks and H&M
Half of them are empty. I don’t get the allure with building more.
@@BangkokPat lol with esactly the same shops as every shopping mall in the world
Another absolute Gem. Thank you Pat. I'm amazed the Scala Theatre didn't get Heritage status - what a beauty.
Hello. It is a cold, rainy day again here in Germany. So another geography lesson about Krungthep is most welcome. Thank you Pat
I thought there is a heatwave in Europe ? Cold Rainy ?
@@lifeasithappens ... The heat and forestfires are in Greece, Spain and Italy. Here hot again next week.
16:13 The montage of photos, from successive decades, is remarkable. The images are indelible, ineffably so. Bangkok, City of Angeles, is a palimpsest of urban sprawl that’s continually being built over, and never perfectly so.
Great video, Pat. Yes, the old buildings had character but so did the people. I remember the early 2000s when I frequented Thai traditional restaurants and saw Thai waitresses wearing 'Chut Thai', the traditional wrap around clothing. This outfit is stunning and beautifully graces the female form. Unfortunately, it is rare to see this today. Don't get me wrong. Modernity is great with all its comforts and conveniences, but I miss the self-respect and integrity many Thais used to have when donning the 'Chut Thai.'
FYI: Read news today of a plan to expand Bangkok's canal boat system by nearly half. That sounds like a welcome development. Hopefully the canalside footpath network will be extended too...
Half of that expansion is of 2 existing routes, but the extra bits will be very useful.
Thanks for posting. I have been a regular visitor to Bangkok since 1979. I was there this year in February. One hotel which has not changed and let’s pray never will is the Atlanta Soi 2. Sadly on this occasion I did not meet any of the original staff many whom I have known since 79. It appears due to the covid shutdown many chose to retire. Back in the day the old Thermae was a lively meeting place with “stairway to heaven” on the juke box, sadly now just a pick up place. Another hotel I used to frequent The Rex Sukhumvit and the nearby Santisok Post office, both now gone with a new complex under construction to cover the entire block. The Sukhumvit crown was another favourite hotel, great atmosphere, I did not find it this time. One more memory the historic Erewan Hotel now replaced by the The Grand Hyatt
Same thing happened to Vancouver. Greed has knocked down every old building in order to build higher for more density. All glass city now
It does happen everywhere, and it's sad when nobody seems to care. Bangkok of yesteryear doesn't hold much fascination for locals.
Looking forward to Episode II in the near future 😊.
Have most of it already finished....Cheers 😎
In Thailand we’re talking a lot to keep the original architecture alive. However we can do our best in our generation and can’t expect for the next generation that not respect in our history 😂
One thing that sure hasn't changed are the buses
Should I do a sympathetic video when they finally get off the streets?
The demolition of Scala theater is pretty hard to watch. Fond memories of this along with Siam, Lido, Pratunum's Petchrama, Paramount and Metro theaters. All gone now for the benefit of more malls and condos. Thank you for documenting this so younger generations can learn about them.
Well put. Adding these cinemas to your list: Indra, Hollywood, Coliseum, and Athens. Oh, and the Chalerm Thai movie palace, where I watched “Doctor Zhivago” as a wide-eyed, impressionable kid back in ‘65!
Lots of views at the Scala, but 'Ghost' has to be the most memorable. For a decade I think it was #1 in Thailand.
Thanks, Pat.
thanks Pat! Great vlog
Thanks Pat it is a mix of national, city and family heritage being lost all in one. I am amazed that Bangkok keeps putting up shopping mall where as many in the west are being abandoned or are only at 50% occupancy.
It didn't rain much filming this except one day when l gave up 😁
Mall culture is huge in Asia. People go there to escape the heat and to gather and be social, rather than being alone staring at a black box all night. And Asia malls are 1000 times better than American malls.
Saddens me to see what is happening to Bkk, but makes me happy to see another BKK Pat vid
Glad and sad to hear that mate.
This was a very time-consuming video to produce, and your efforts are greatly appreciated. Superbly done! This video will be more valuable in the future, as younger generations will, as you suggested, want to look back. Thank you so much for this!
I suggest you make a list of areas that will fall to the development cancer, in order of the soonest to go so that people who MIGHT want to see it before it's all gone can do so and focus in future on outlying areas that MIGHT survive with some traditional look. I'm guessing those are going to go soon to UNLESS there is not a wave of rich people investing in or occupying condos, filling upscale shops restaurants and hotels etc. These areas being on the new BTS lines you have been featuring. In other words a short requiem series and a longer "get it while it lasts" series. The more serious loss is the COMMUNITIES if you ask me.
The problem, as I see it, is that there is no real legally regulated heritage protection in Thailand. Beyond the protection of temples and palaces. And certainly influential private individuals will always try to prevent the recognition of important buildings as monuments.
They want it to look rich and affluential, in their blinkered eyes...
Yes, it’s a national shame …
LOVE BANGKOK , such a great top travel destination , perfect to have fun
NOT THE SCALA!!!!!😢
It was a gem.
Another great episode. I was just there and walked down the Haroon Mosque Soi. I'm glad to hear that at least the old customs building will still stand and be renovated. Hopefully, the community can still thrive there in the future
Personally l think it's a matter of time. 5yrs and the Haroon community will be packing their bags....
@BangkokPat that would make me so sad. Everytime I visit Bangkok, it seems to change to more malls and condos. The street food I remember in Silom and the riverside had disappeared. I tell my wife we need to go to less developed areas to get the old magic back. Highso=mediocre food.
Lower Sukhumvit will eventually be torn down and high rise bulding will replace them. You can see the large high rises moving closer every year.
That Scala building looked awesome....such a shame!....i was nearby many times yet never watched movies in theatres.
Yet another brilliant video, Pat. Heartbreaking to know that all them beautiful old wooden houses will be demolished to pave way for bricks, marble and glass. Didn`t know my all time favourite band The Clash shot the cover Photo for Combat Rock in Bkk by the way, thanks for that information :)
6:50 I really appreciate you filming this area. It’s quite shocking to see that they still exist. It shows how peaceful Bangkok was in the old days. Man, a house on one side across from a small canal covered with overgrown trees. Even in the summer, I bet with some wind, it still feels great sitting under those trees. It’s too bad.
I hope Bangkok finds a middle ground between preserving its heritage and becoming a modern city. At the end of the day it needs to do what is best for the people. Those decisions shouldn't be left to the property developers. A shame what happened to the Scala theatre, not even in my country would we bulldoze a beautiful building such as that. On a side note, it's about time I bought a copy of Combat Rock, London Calling is one of my favourite albums.
Government needs to start developing legislation to protect buildings of significant cultural and architectural history.
There's no profit in that...
Those railway houses similar down here in Malaysia are slowly diminishing in the name of development. I just love the environment of these houses, small roads/lanes, lush greenery, close knitted neighbours.
I've lived here for 5 years and I never watch TH-cam content about Thailand or Bangkok in particular, mainly because it's polluted with skint backpackers and miserable folks only seeking out the potential revenue aspect of it. This video however was very refreshing, entertaining and informative to watch. Loads of stuff I didn't know about, most particularly The Clash album. I also found the part at 7:10 to be very entertaining and true. Hope to see more content like this of yours.
Yea just uneducated cheap Farangs. Too lazy even to read a history book. Pat is a shining exception
I was first in Bangkok Christmas '73. Loved what I saw and experienced but so sad I didn't take photo's! No digital cameras of phones of course and films and developing very expensive to me as a 21 year old! * Better to spend the money elsewhere in those days!! Cheers Pat.
A very difficult subject and one in which you can't please everyone. Do you knock down slums to rehouse people in better conditions, or just improve the slums and not tear people up from where they have lived all their lives. A sympathetic look at life in BKK, imo you have to have progress, all those new rail lines are changing BKK forever and look unsightly to many but their benefits with improved traffic flow and hopefully lower pollution are required to move things forward for the majority. This, to me, is the real problem, the individual or small community can end up suffering just to appease the masses, who is right and who is wrong, the only thing I can say is make sure what you are doing is right because you can never put the clock back. Another insightful video, cheers Pat. :)
I agree you might not get the views you deserve.
But those of us that do ‘tune-in’ appreciate them all the more.
Great video Pat.
That's why I keep doing them. It's a tough job, but someone's gotta do it. All those cats would be missing out on a bit of fame.
12:41 "Rue de brest" wow that's actually a very interesting reference because in Brest, there is a street called "Rue de Siam" or Siam street which refer to when siamese ambasador came to France in Brest, it left quite an impression on the locals hence changing the name of the main street to "Siam Street"
Finally l know...cheers!
Im sad to see this happening. I love history and you do a great job taking us back in time. Thanks for the work that you do.
This is such an incredibly important topic. The challenge is how to bring Bangkok into the future without erasing or acknowledging it's past culture. The move to sterilize the urban culture with faceless high rise architecture misses the understanding of how street life in the heart beat of what makes the city so fantastic. Tall buildings with empty plazas may look great but no one wants to live in a place that is only that. The challenge is to have both. It takes more sophisticated urban planning. The current style is because doing it were educated 20 -30 years ago when this idea for modernization was fashionable. It's out of date. Tall buildings are fine, but at street level use the opportunity to interact for retail activity. The tall buildings are full of staff that need lunch and other day to day needs met. Use that space to enliven the city not sweep is all away with broad plazas with no place to sit and chat with friends.
Keep it up Pat and hopefully start a conversation with the leadership to acknowledge and engage the ordinary folks that create culture and the color that makes the city great!
Totally agree with you Pat. If we don't remember our history we're bound to repeat it.
In a Scala Theatre, they were showing “Alice doesn’t live here anymore” directed by Martin Scorsese in 1974. I wonder if Thais got the film back then 🫣
They got all the films shown back in the day, there was a fire at the old Sukhumvit theatre during a showing of The Holy Grail, or was it Life of Brian. I wilk check!
They got all the films shown back in the day, there was a fire at the old Sukhumvit theatre during a showing of The Holy Grail, or was it Life of Brian. I wilk check!
Great content, Pat. I am a Thai 90's kid who missed the old architectures and the old scenes when I grew up. In Summer, I spent time in BKK for ice skating or spending time at the shopping malls, lol. To be honest, Thai retails know how to draw shoppers to the mall , being apart of their lifestyles. I have had great experiences in Thai malls more than The USA . Siam Square has a different vibe for the next generation. In 2021 article, an up-font payment was required for 600 mil Baht from CP Development (1st spot Thai Retail Developer )to pay PMCU for 600 Mill Baht only 2.76 acres. In order to connect Block A and Siamscape. The idea is to develop the Street Shopping scene.
a sign that thailand is behind the times is the building of more malls
due to covid malls are not profitable and online shopping is better value
Good point. They all sell the same things.
But most malls I know they are visited very well visited with a lot of customers. Not only talking about the malls around Siam square like MBK, or T21 or ICON Siam, but also places like Tha Phra Mall in Ratchaprueck, The Mall Bangkae (Lak Song MRT), The Mall Bangkapi. There is still a lot of demand.
555 The Mall Bangkapi is the only place I know where I can get ink cartridges for my pen.
There are so also opposite example, one sad example is The Mall Ramkhamheng with many closed shops.
They should move some old buildings to a park similar to the Edo open air architectural park in Tokyo
Bangkok ranks high on the most visited cities in the world listings, the city is becoming more and more a megapolis, it has longstanding challenges with traffic congestion and pollution, the city is literally sinking and in all that, there are historical buildings going down and the erection of what is considered modern and appealing (we need glamour and attractions, who needs a cinema, when the vast majority is watching online) is apparent. I can understand it from the overall perspective of each side, preserve and modernize, grow and become (more) sustainable. It starts with a vision on the long term, where does Bangkok want to be in let's say 2300? And which parts of its history should be still there and how would they integrate in this modern 2300 vision of Bangkok.
You must know every bit of central BKK Pat! Wonder when Soi Cowboy will be demolished? It's surrounded by modern buildings & the real estate value must be huge!
Bangkok Pat's videos makes Bangkok stand out as THE city. What is London, Paris and New York compared to old but changing Krung Thep. Venice has its canals but Bangkok has khlongs Maybe the khlongs will be the last defence against the ongoing battle between commercial modernization and heritage.
Shopping Malls… with on line shopping, malls in the USA are being shut down due to no customers. Research says, “ in their heyday, malls totalled 2,500 in the 1980s. In the next ten years there may be just 150 malls left…”. So will eventually e-commerce in Thailand eventually effect the existence of their shopping malls?
Many thanks for all your videos Pat, they are all so very interesting.
The face of many cities around the world is changing, alas it is for the worse.
I first went to Singapore in 1975, and there was so much beautiful Chinese architecture, all that has been replace by ugly glass monstrosities, the same is happening where I live, Phnom Penh is loosing its French Colonial architecture and being replaced by ugly modern design skyscrapers.
Carry on with your excellent videos Pat, I am thoroughly enjoying them.
The FCC on Sisowath Quay is getting demolished and that's good. Those old French buildings may look nice but they're terrible for the environment and the economy.
Awesome ! I never knew that about the Clash album. I actually saw the Clash Live in concert in 1983 when they opened up for The Who at Shea Stadium in Queens, New York City.
There was an alley behind the Scala Cinema that you'd enter next to the cinema, it curved around and ran down the whole block, which had one food stall after another with excellent quite cheap food. Busy every weekday. We used to go to go eat there almost daily when we studied nearby. Gone now obviously. 😢
th-cam.com/video/ZB1kF5vPB4s/w-d-xo.html
It's in here, Jaroen visited before it was destroyed
@@BangkokPat Yes, I just saw it. Thanks. The alley seemed pretty dead compared to when I used to go there, many stalls empty of food sellers. Understandable since it was in its dying days, and toward the end of COVID. A great loss.
at 9:31 - WOW had no idea the Combat Rock cover shot was taken in Bangkok. Thanks for bringing that up, amazing! 🙏
Wonder if Th abangkok Palace Hotel has a blue plaque mentioning them 😇
Great video Pat. I especially enjoyed the Makkasan part as my condo is right next to the ALR Makkasan station looking west with a view of that whole area. I enjoy watching the conventional trains on the the Eastern line as well as the newer ARL. I can see cars moving around in the maintenance depot also. A couple weeks ago I jumped on the conventional train going west at Asoke (it stops even though it's not a station) and rode it to Hua Lamphong. 2 baht! There is a deteriorating cycling track next to the Makkasan station and now I know why it's been abandoned. I still use it occasionally if it looks like rain because I can move to the area under the rail link if it starts raining.
Eastern line is a lot of fun....learn the train times and it's straight forward. That station under the ARL at Makkasan is called Asoke Halt, there's a few of those along this route, basic platform only. It's also good as a short cut into the Talat Noi / Chinatown / Electric boat route at Hua Lamphong....as you know!
@@BangkokPat Yes, that was the idea, to ride the electric boat to the river but it only went two stops for some reason. I used the opportunity to check out Rambuttri Alley and that area on the way to the river. I found the real time updating of the trains online and spent some time using it to predict when a train would pass by the condo. It's a bit laggy at times, but I timed it right when I went down for the ride.
Just a note of thanks for you very excellent efforts, and we hope that you continue this for a long time to come. (Been here since 1983)
Cheers Steven, 40yrs is a couple of lifetimes for many!
Danke!
Thanks a lot Alfred! 😍
Brilliant on many levels: historical documentation, analysis of loss of Bangkok’s heritage, assemblage of b-roll and effort to uncover older photos and videos,…
Many thanks Anders, glad you appreciate my efforts mate.
@@BangkokPat …and I forgot to mention the most important element: the cats! :-)
Most properties in Bangkok are long term lease that have expire and new development are form through new lease making a lot of money for the land owners.
Mate, your channel is a gift. It’s a time capsule in itself
Thanks and glad you like the videos! Good to know I'm not the only moaning old git pining for the old days!
@@BangkokPat well from an Aussie with love, you ARE English after all. If you weren’t moaning I’d think there’s something wrong. Some of those old buildings looked fantastic though. What a shame, especially the one on the siam site
These videos will be used for history lessons down the road
I hope so!! I might make the videos members only in 20yrs time, make a bit of cash!!
It’s used to have one of the best Peking Duck restaurants in Bangkok at Scala theater.
Thank you, Pat. Your videos will age like fine wine.
Say no more. Boom ! Well said BKK Pat.. GREAT VIDEO.
Wonderful video! I remembered the OG Siam Square/Centre, and I do miss them. It's not glitzy, but it has its own charm. Scrapping the tram network is probably the most shortsighted thing for Bangkok and left the old town with no proper transportation network.
P.S. I'm not holding my breath for Makkasan redevelopment though - it would be a decade before anything would be done in a meaningful way. The silver lining is at least it is not being managed by SRT.
They scrapped the trams as they had the first monorail project in mind around 1964, and of course it didn't happen!
@@BangkokPat I think somewhere on the internet there's a long list of transportation projects that didn't materialise in Bangkok and what we have is a very fragmented system unlike London or Hong Kong.
I first flew into Bangkok in December of 1987, Pat--and as you HAVE so correctly pointed out, Krung Thep HAS changed a great deal since I first got there almost forty years ago! Some changes HAVE been for the better but a lot of "Old Bangkok" HAS been lost to modern-day crapola. Thank you kindly for showing us the capital of Siam when it WAS such a vastly different place--and that WASN'T all that long ago, either! I'm very much looking forward to your next chapter.
Cheers Sean, glad you liked it 😎
Absolutely first class production and fantastic information.
Maybe the BBC or Discovery Channel et al would buy your documentaries?
Many countries have preserved their heritage as time marched on..... Sadly Thailands ability to plan and develop land, or redevelop, in a sensible way is nearly zero.
My first words in the second sketch.....
5:13 - looks like a huge recycling bin... 😁
Still blocks a historic bridge
You have a deeper storytelling than other Vloggers.
Thanks for the compliment, appreciate it mate.
Great video as always Pat. Brought back alot of memories for me of Bangkok back in the 80s and 90s.
The last film I saw at the Scala was Slumdog Millionaire. It seemed to be the perfect theatre to watch that movie in for me. Dana of Idea Studio has a couple of the seats from there at his place.
Bangkok Palace is where I stayed on my first night in Thailand, good memories, miss those days 🙃
Great Video Pat. I moved here in 1992
Bangkok a 1st world city Yes. Bangkok a 3rd world city Yes.
A taste of both living side by side. For me thats the cities attraction. A city you can choose your lifestyle within a few steps.
I used to go to the Scala and nearby lido cinemas a lot when i lived in Bangkok prior to Covid . The problem was they were nearly always empty . They had some interesting films as well as the usual new releases . Lets face it Bangkok is not a city of culture , very few museums ,galleries ,theatres or concert halls . It is a shame they could not preserve the Scala building however .
In a mad rush to be modern and appear modern, the past is lost irretrevablly.
Jeez I love these videos on old Bangkok. Well done, Pat.
Spelt modernisation wrong 😉 Another great video.
Really? Where? 😬
That was such an iconic building, they never should have torn it down. A landmark. I met the woman who owned it, used to chat with her sometimes. She told me she was trying to keep it going. It sounded like this was coming.
Landowners are Chulalongkorn University who should know better given their standing as an educational institution, but cash speaks and heritage suffers.
Great video Pat about Bangkok and changes over the years. It’s sad that money always wins above anything else. I understand every major city changed over the years but as you shown in ur vid too many old and beautiful buildings already are gone too make space for anther shopping mall or high buildings. Which sometimes isn’t bad at all but they must also keep some history of this town. When I visit Bangkok the first time in 2001 until 2023 some many things has changed in Bangkok luckily not only bad things. I still love the city very much and I can only hope they also start to keep more of the old houses and buildings instead of demolishing them.
Love your subtle cat “inserts”
I'm under contract to put the cats in otherwise they would have a contract out on me...
@@BangkokPat I’m not surprised having met quite a few Thai cats!:)
You're the man, BKP.
Thanks
Thanks very much Hans 😻😻😻
Thank goodness for vlogs like yours Pat. The past will never be forgotten. It’s such a shame what is happening in BKK . The thirst for a modern city does seem to be at the expense of classic architecture. The Scala cinema was such a shame , gutted they didn’t even keep some of it . However it’s not just BKK it’s world over these days
Luckily Bangkok has it charms on its temples and floating markers and night markets without looking at the new skyscrapers flowering next decade.
Great video Pat. That Scala Theatre was so beautiful and elegant, so sad they knocked it down. The Makasaan development looks interesting, especially the three red brick sheds being saved for a railway museum. One I'd definitely visit. Looking forward to episode 2!
Cheers, for me it's still not a given that the railway sheds will stay. Heritage status or not, believe it when I see it.
May Allah bless you
Bangkok is constantly changing even in just the short time I have been here! Amazing deep dive into the history with this video
Glad you enjoyed it Rob. I'm always moaning.....
God ! They certainly like their shopping malls in Bangkok.
More debt for the under educated to gain face is the status quo it seems.
Thank you so much for all your bangkok videos pat. I look forward to visiting the kingdom in November visiting bangkok & phuket.
Glad you like them and hope you have a great trip when you arrive in a few months! Cheers.
My home is about 10-minute walk from the old custom house. Since I was a child, I always dream that it will become a museum or public space on the riverside. It's just a dream cause the government does not understand about the concept of creative economy and how to earn money along with conservation, so they can do only give an auction to the private company to turn it to 6-star hotel.
I used to love flying into Bangkok after spending 11 months in Tokyo. I loved the lack of order, so I hate seeing parts of Bangkok become those generic commercial developments that Shanghai and Tokyo have built. How bland. Having said that, what a shame Bangkok lost its trams and the Scala theater is gorgeous. What are they thinking?! Love the geeky videos Pat, don't stop.
Cheers mate 😻
I wish I visited in the 90s