These are getting better and better. I had the privilege to visit twice, 3 weeks at a time. My sister is an ex-pat there. As I watch these they take me back to my visits. My sister is a walker... we'd walk 7-8 hours a day. I would love to go back but Covid, age and $ will make that difficult. So loving experiencing your walks vicariously. Thank you.
Great are to walk around, night or day and so quiet at the moment. I think maybe some countries would switch off the lights to save electricity and stop people going out but that's not possible I suppose. I often walked 3-4hrs a day shooting here, I was in the are almost a month for the 2 videos. Thanks and hope you're well.
I really love your video, especially the introduction of old side of Bangkok. I always visit Bangkok for walking in the old city as a "Bangkok walker", which provides me a feeling of returning to my childhood in Hong Kong. The atmosphere and style in old city are very similar to Hong Kong in the early 1960s.
Really nice, informative and long video Pat. I like it. Most of the Videos are about 10 minutes only. For the most people is this a good length but if I can choose I prefer longer videos. As always you do a good research and compairing about the old and new Bangkok :) PS.: 2011 (my first time in Bangkok) they got me with the "Palace is closed"-Scam. I made a nice Tuk Tuk Tour for 300 Baht to several interesting places and ended up by an indian Tailor who kicks me out after I told him 10 times that I didn't want buy anything from him :D
Thanks Franko, glad you're happy with the ridiculously long running time, it wasn't my plan! Sorry to hear about the ''Grand Palace is closed'' scam, at least you didn't buy any suits, maybe the Indian tailor was annoyed with tuk tuk scammer ''find me dumbass who needs a suit''
@@paulrogers6866 I was young, alone and the first time in Asia 😂. I've learned my lesson and the sightseeing tour was nice. Altogether about 3 hours. So the cost and value was ok for me. I go to the Palace the next day and this time I was prepared. 🤭😉😋
“The Grand Palace is closed” still exists?? I first heard that in 2011 but it looks like the old tricks live long in the old city. As usual another cool video by Bangkok Pat. There’s quite an eeriness to a quiet Bangkok but strangely enough, it’s still charming. And now I’ll savour the moment that I am the first commenter. 😎
Didn't realise it went back so many years actually, and the reason why I say you gotta be dumb is how can there be a connection between being a tourist visiting a temple to then thinking ''maybe I need some gems, gold or a suit'' If I wanna buy those I'd set out on a special trip to do so, not suddenly agree with a complete stranger that I should go look at some.
I read about it in the 2000 Lonely Planet Guidebook. I lived in Bangkok from 2000-2005. The Jim Thompson House Museum is also a place where this scam is practiced...at the beginning of the long soi. Unfortunate.
@@BangkokPat yes exactly. From sightseeing to scam shopping is a drastic shift so agree with your assertion that you’ve got to be pretty dumb to fall for that. Some of the scammers I read are pretty clever though and they’ll say GP is closed but I know some hidden spots and of you’re pretty adventurous there’s the cardinal rule of always trust a local. But in this case, please don’t. They’ll still take you to the fake gem shops. 😐
I've recently discovered your videos Pat - they are really well made! I've been here since the 90s and really appreciate the effort you go to with your research; I particularly like the flashbacks. Keep at it fella!!
My favorite Bangkok channel on TH-cam! PS "Blinded by the light" is Manfred Mann, not ELO ;).... absolutely correct about it being a Classic take of the Springsteen tune 😀
Blinded by the Light was Manfred Manns Earth Band. Apart from that, great video as always. I was taken in by the Closed Palace trick only 3 years back. That's how thick I am. Luckily lost nothing but an hour or so and my pride.
Thanks you Peter,. Yep, it certainly was not ELO. It was always in my mind as ELO probably because of the era and they had a few hits out as well. I'm not the only one in google who thinks it was ELO though!!
I will have to check out blinded by the light by ELO there's another blinded by the light originally written by Bruce Springsteen and done by Manfred Mann's Earth Band as well that is pretty good. Thanks for all your hard work and research putting these incredible videos together.
Pat- Thanks for the insightful tour. Your knowledge of the city and story telling ability are really quite impressive. I also love the historical images interspersed with the modern, it gives the video a documentary quality. Well done.
Thanks very much Michael, great to hear from you. That area had so much history I didn't mention, there's possibly another hours worth for another video......but not just yet!!
Great videos, Pat. 👍You've got an instant subscriber after watching the latest one. Your time and efforts on researching the subjects and production style are highly appreciated. Your videos are so much more in-depth, educational and archive-worthy than the rest. Will watch back all the way to your earliest one. Keep up the good work. Best of wishes for the growth on your channel and your life. 🙏
Thanks Paul, appreciate the kind words, sorry for late response, YT haven't given me any notifications for about 2wks, dunno why. Hope you've by now watched a few of the old videos!!
@@BangkokPat You're most welcome Pat. Yes, I've finished watching all of your videos, from the earliest one to the latest "Bangkok Cat" episode. Best of wishes for the growth of your channel. Keep up the good work, and may you always be in peace and joy. 🙏
Interesting, Intriguing and entertaining very well put together another quality vlog from BBK Pat so good I'm gonna watch it twice. Thanks Pat Stellar work indeed.
Always shied away from this area due to the gem scammer stories, and crowds, what a wonderful virtual tour with night and day perspectives, and so comprehensive! Appreciate the effort you put in. Loved the emerald buddha and the nat. gallery! Must go as a bucket list thing.
Hey Pat. I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoy all of your videos. This video reminds me of a very special trip I took down the Chao Phraya. As we passed the temples the late afternoon sun hit them at just the right angle. They glittered like Disney castles. It was brief but I felt for sure the architects had desighned them to do that. That is one memory among many that I shall never forget
That's were great place for walks around and shopping I do remember I was there couple of times back In the 60s . Looks a lot Deferent then now a days. I appreciate you for sharing with me.
By far the best videos about BKK on TH-cam, great scenes and beautifully documented. I have a feeling that I'm watching a BBC programme rather than a random TH-cam video. Thnx.
Thanks Black Cat, hope you saw yourself in a few videos, Asok and Makkasan for a start!! I tried hard to make the channel unlike others doing their vlog thing here.
I discovered your channel and have been binge watching all day...very interesting I must say! I must visit, thanks for the info Pat. Keep up the good work! 🙂
I been to Bangkok frequently and explored every possible local nooks and corners streets and soi, and, you are showing me more than I can discovered by myself. We have the same interest of exploration like buildings , bridges, history and legends. Thanks for your introductions. I may re-trace certain areas of interest again. I regretted not having been to Washington Square much earlier as lonely planet did mentioned and I never have thought it will be all completely gone such a huff.
Just discovered your channel and am a huge fan right away! The format of your presentation, the production values, audio quality, even the choice of soundtracks... editing on the beats, and of course your thorough research. Huge props and kudos. The only thing you probably might look at upgrading are the map graphics the way Johnny Harris does them. GREAT STUFF!
As ever Bangkok Pat yet another excellent video. Imagine doing the swing and falling off back in the day, I thought riding a Tuk Tuk during a rain storm was adventurous!
Thanks you very much Ashley. The thing is, the swing had a reward if you could grab the treasure so the risk could be justified. They even wanted to revive the giant swing a few years ago....www.thaitravelblogs.com/2018/04/the-bma-is-considering-reviving-an-old-brahmin-ceremony-at-bangkoks-landmark-giant-swing/
I love seeing these then and now type of vlogs. I may have walked past some of these places without knowing how old they were or how they were developed.
I'm crazy about doing then and now shots, it's often a challenge to find the same spot where the original view was taken from. I've had to return to locations the next day and do them again from a slightly different angle!
Great stuff, wish I was still in BKK so we could nerd out on the city's sights and history. Good you didn't venture in that alley, I did once and it was full of passed out heroin addicts. Two major sights in the area I'd encourage you to look into if you haven't yet, the sculpture hall at Silpakorn uni (and it's small Silpa Bhirasri museum, arguably the most successful and revered farang ever) and the three "phraengs" (phraeng phuthorn being the most beautiful one). Thanks for the great video can't wait to watch the rest !
Cheers Tristian, it's a feast for nerds, this city if only everyone would understand that.... The alley didn't seem like a nice place and had a bad vibe, and it had started raining too. I missed that uni as it was closed (as was quite a few things) and if not I reckon I'd have gone, but I didn't know about the csulptures...
Thank you very much for this - I have thoroughly enjoyed many of your videos. One thing that I find telling is that this video has 12000 or so views. The one on Nana Plaza has had 50,000 - says it all I think!!
That drivers done that turn a few times before. Nice walkabout, remember a couple of those things. Went to Ayutthaya where the old City, where the past King used to Clarinet in the [?] 50s. Would have liked to see and hear that. We also spent a few days in [?] Nakom Pathom. Nice job m8, bout 33:20 there was a flash of light behind a cloud in the upper right. Looked pretty specy! Keep up the good work. Thanks!
Appreciate the kind words mate! The Old City is probably the most interesting part of Bangkok and I spent over 3wks doing the two videos. At first I was trying to put everything into one video but it got too much so I did the Khao San Road area first. Some fun night walks too.
I wish I'd been able to see stuff like this way back when. Amazing videos, easy watching, beautifully shot, edited, researched and put together. It's not often you see material this good on TH-cam. This part of the city is one I know so well and yet I had never seen the pictures of the Democracy Monument being built. I never knew about those gates. Bangkok is such an amazing city and this older part of the city is often overlooked by tourists even though it surrounds Khao San Road. Thanks for this great work.
I wanted to show that there's more to the area. I loved going around there. I started shooting April 13th, did the Khao San Rd half of the old city then did this bit. Originally was gonna be all one video of about 30mins. What a ridiculous calculation that ended up being! I'll miss it!!
Hey young man that's was awesome of what you were doing well done. I assume you are younger Then me . Me and my husband we are in our 70s . I'm enjoyed watching you showing around the Old city of Bangkok.
I think that this is your best video to date. Really enjoyed this and you are right the buildings are simply stunning in the right light - probably also a feature many people have fallen into in the drinking spots of bangkok. If I am correct I spotted 6 cats, you trying to perform a Jesus like act and a fascination for showing traffic light countdowns at 6 also. Keep up the great work Pat, it is definitely worth the wait as far as I am concerned.
Nice one Paul, glad you think so, the traffic lights are unintentional. In fact they can be a pain in the arse with my auto focus if there are a lot of lights moving about in shot but I seem to have got away with it.... As for the cats, I'm amassing an army of them to photobomb other Thailand vloggers videos. Too many vloggers are just marching through areas walking and talking and not taking notice of the local wildlife
another fabulous video pat i love all the old photos showing old bangkok i learn so much from your channel cant wait to get back there , all the best keep them videos coming
Cheers Nicholas, the then & now pics are a fun challenge that often finds me standing in weird places to get the angle as near to the old photo as possible!
I use to made a night tour by bicycle around Rattanakosin Island also connected to China Town . Bangkok old town always looks cool at night , recommend .
Thanks! Good ifdea, biking ropund those streets with a decent cam would make great video, pretty sure Global Travel Mate has this idea, not sure. When you walk around it often enough you realise it's not that big an area, just a lot of small sois and back streets. Adventurous time shooting!
One of the best Bangkok channels out there. Let’s hope you journey out and expand your efforts to the rest of Thailand?! Thai subtitles? My Thai friends and family love them. It was definitely very different this time. I was there late 2020 and returned in early 2021. ASQ in Klong Thoey. A lot of the fairies to the islands were closed down. But I still got some sand in my socks. Keep up the good work
Thanks a lot mate, always glad to hear that some Thai viewers are enjoying it, in the early days I got a couple of sarcastic and derogatory comments in Thai, but from other channels I've heard this happens a lot. Shame really. Thai subs, proper ones are something I considered but the cost of getting them perfect isn't cheap. This video is a particular favourite of mine, I spent 3wks around the old city doing this and the Khao san Rd video, and hanging around at night was very interesting.
@@BangkokPat you’re more than welcome Khun Pat. There are a couple of hacks I have seen on other channels regarding subtitles. I’m not sure how they do it but it looks like they were using Google translate and overlaying it. I grew up on stories of the Kingdom. The Mosquito Bar. In mixed families/Amerasian American war refugees in the 70s and 80s. The Washington Square bit you did almost made my eyeballs sweat. If you get to Issan, the holdouts in Korat and Udon Thani are interesting. The lack of subtitles don’t slow me down!
Malcolm, you're the first to mention that, and I was starting to wonder...so that night visit was worth it after all!! BTW, thanks so much for the support, well appreciated.
Another very well made video 👍👍 Well informative with lots of historical video clips and photos, and excellent narrative with comfy voice. Thanks for your nice works done and sharing Pat 👍. Btw, talking about the tourist scam in Bangkok, I think this similar case could happened in any big city flooded with tourists, maybe I’m wrong. But I had experienced it once in Bangkok, shame to tell you. That was the first time when I hoped onto a tuk-tuk after a nicely negotiation about price. We had an easy chat at starting, then after few minutes inside the ‘bracket’ driven by him, he brought something up from his side door and showed me a piece of laminated A4 paper written with words kind alike ‘ I agree to let this driver to help to tour guide and take me to places of attraction ...... ‘, something like this. And off course I immediately felt speechless and trapped. He started to persuade me to accept with trying to get word of ‘ok’ or ‘ Yes’ or maybe just a ‘nod’. ( so be very careful, a simple head posture will lead you to somewhere else 😅) . So, I keep telling him that ‘ I don’t want ! Mai-ao (for those who first time here, learn up this word 😅)’, and I insisted and stressed out my decline several times. Then, do you know what happened next? He drove the tuk-tuk exactly alike the Pierce Brosnan’s tuk-tuk passegner stunt in one of his commercial ads. But finally and luckily we still arrived safely to my place of interest and ‘not his place of interest’. 😅
Thanks very much JP, very kind of you. Scams happen all over, some of the ones in London were quite terrible, 20yrs ago anyway but I also thought back then you gotta be real dumb but these are ''confidence tricksters'' who would appear legitimate. Good that you got out of the tuktuk intact, you almost signed your own death warrant, so to speak!!
Bangkok Pat Yeap Pat, scams happens everywhere. Indeed we’d all signed the warrant immediately when we struggled out from the narrow tunnel.! When a human was born, he or she could never escape from living sufferings, sickness, ageing and death. 🙏🏼
I like your style of vlog. Nice that you stand and talk. Love the cats. I spent a month in BKK in 2005. I loved the place. Clearly, I missed a lot. I hope travel gets easier.
Thanks Alison, apologies for such a late response, I do try and get to all comments!! The cats are hard to avoid in Bangkok !!! I prefer standing and talking, more natrual. The selfie vloggers are different, they need to be speaking as much as the camera's on them I suppose.
Thanks mate. Luckily in the Old City they have certain heritage related restrictions about modern developments or anything that would change the appearance of a historic area. That petrol station was at an odd angle in the road which is why it's oddd, and the City Pillar Shrine is on part of the location.
Great vid, at least I can still get around Bangkok during lockdown thanx to you. I used to love "getting lost" in random areas of the city back in the day, lonely planet as my guide,but would have been much better with the history you provide, thanx again .
Thanks Ian, I used to mock the Lonely Planet but since I've done these videos and leraned the value and hard work that goes into reserach, I've grown up a bit. The old city is a great area to get lost in, and there are a few nice bars around to have a cold drink along the way, which weren't open when I was doing the video.
I use to made a night tour by bicycle around Rattanakosin Island also connected to China Town . Bangkok old town always looks cool at night , recommend .
Thanks a lot !! I've walked around Klong Toei and taken a few pics already, but it's a bit off limits at the moment. I do intend to and it'll be a challenge for sure.
Another great video, Pat! Lately I did a lot of walking in that area, but it’s nice to get to know more background information. And yes, Ratchadamnoen Road at night (also in the day) does look a bit grim. Not mentioning the back (Soi Troike) of it! Anyway, looking forward to your next video mate!
Thanks again, appreciate it mate! Walking around there it's quite sad now, but I also remember Sanam Luang being pretty scary at night when they stopped all sports by 11pm and let the homeless take over after that. I know everyone has needs, but in Sanam Luang I think they were exploited more by the bad elements of people back in those days I saw it (2010)
Gradually catching up with your videos. Another absolute banger ! But your music knowledge needs brushing up on. It was Manfred Mann, not ELO. But I'm sure someone else would have picked up on that. Nice one, Pat.
Many thanks mate, great to hear from you and hope all is well. This was a long shoot, was supposed to be all one video of old city including Khao San Road but I split it up as I underestimated the size and just how much interesting stuff there is around this part of the city. Bit of a longer running time yet again!!
Nice area, would like to live around Soi Rambutri at the moment, then move away when the tourists all return. Some lovely back streets. An old aerial map from 1950 shows a bit of it.
Cheers, thanks. I'm trying to work that out....City of the Kings...google found nothing, so which city exactly? I'm open to any suggestions for location!
They just keep getting better Pat. I was thinking.... just One Cat, then they came thick and fast !. This longer format suits your style mate hope it’s here to stay. It’s nice to put names to places, I’ve walked most if not all of the streets you covered, but never knew the st names( have to admit I’m a bit like that in London too though !) walking around the Grand Palace walls at night is so calm I used to do it most nights I was in BKK and just see where I ended up. Then get a motorbike taxi home. Thanks for the great content mate.
Thank you Charles! The cats are an ideal way of keeping viewers hooked at certain points. Obviously not everyone is convinced but it's hard to ignore the large numbers of cats I see when shooting. Probably because I spend more time stopping in a place to shoot, and not constantly walking along with my cam like most vloggers.
On my first visit back in 1999, I was on a date my last night in Bangkok and we were in that area. I tried to get to see the Palace or Wat Po, but we arrived too late, it was dark already. The girl I was with (a uni grad) got an idea and went to talk to a guard. She returned and took me into Wat Po's grounds after hours. Guard let us in. We wandered around checking it out for a while, all dark and empty.
Used to base myself just off that area off Khao San Road when in Bangkok, great history in that area. I’d spend hours poking around there. A great video
Sorry for late response Chuck, that area is steeped in rich history and doing that video was great hanging around there at night with the many cops and army who were just sitting about bored, things were just about to be closed down again and I thoght they might ask me to leave the area, government said all unnecessary travel was to be avoided, but they said nothing, even laughing at me doing take after take to get the dialogue right!
Can you please cover the history of what the Cobra swamp Cemetery of what became today’s Suvarnabhumi airport as I’ve tried to look for what Cobra swamp looked like before the airport was built.
I did mention the history briefly there in this video: th-cam.com/video/pDcvHYJ4zgI/w-d-xo.html but I do intend to do a video about both airports, definitely a lot of potential scary stuff in there.
Another fabulous video Pat. Obviously much work goes into research and obtaining old photos and video and please tell me you have a person helping you with your”to camera”pieces. 🙏👍
Thanks Gary, it's a lot of work and I work alone, camera as well. All zooming while I'm walking and talking is added in the editing afterwards. I doubt anyone would have much fun out with me shooting, I'm a nightmare!
Another awesome video. Thank you :-) I had no idea Thailand supported the Allied war effort in The Great War. I wasn’t sure if it was planned but walking through the shoe deep water puddle near the war monument appeared a tad ironic. As did the gods setting off the lightning in the background as you were closing the video. Well timed. Thank you :-)
Thanks a lot mate! I had no choice but to wade through the water, that or shoot near the monument amongst the noisy people smoking and arguing. I didn't notice the lightning until I edited, it hadn't rained for a few days!
These are getting better and better. I had the privilege to visit twice, 3 weeks at a time. My sister is an ex-pat there. As I watch these they take me back to my visits. My sister is a walker... we'd walk 7-8 hours a day. I would love to go back but Covid, age and $ will make that difficult. So loving experiencing your walks vicariously. Thank you.
Great are to walk around, night or day and so quiet at the moment. I think maybe some countries would switch off the lights to save electricity and stop people going out but that's not possible I suppose. I often walked 3-4hrs a day shooting here, I was in the are almost a month for the 2 videos. Thanks and hope you're well.
Very well thought out and produced video. The history is very interesting,
Thanks Will, glad you like it mate.
I really love your video, especially the introduction of old side of Bangkok. I always visit Bangkok for walking in the old city as a "Bangkok walker", which provides me a feeling of returning to my childhood in Hong Kong. The atmosphere and style in old city are very similar to Hong Kong in the early 1960s.
Glad you enjoyed it thank you. I was in HK 2yrs after handover, now it's a different place!
Really nice, informative and long video Pat. I like it. Most of the Videos are about 10 minutes only. For the most people is this a good length but if I can choose I prefer longer videos. As always you do a good research and compairing about the old and new Bangkok :)
PS.: 2011 (my first time in Bangkok) they got me with the "Palace is closed"-Scam. I made a nice Tuk Tuk Tour for 300 Baht to several interesting places and ended up by an indian Tailor who kicks me out after I told him 10 times that I didn't want buy anything from him :D
So there you go Pat, we have learned who one of the village idiots is!! 😄🤣😂😆😄🤣😂
Thanks Franko, glad you're happy with the ridiculously long running time, it wasn't my plan! Sorry to hear about the ''Grand Palace is closed'' scam, at least you didn't buy any suits, maybe the Indian tailor was annoyed with tuk tuk scammer ''find me dumbass who needs a suit''
@@paulrogers6866 I was young, alone and the first time in Asia 😂. I've learned my lesson and the sightseeing tour was nice. Altogether about 3 hours. So the cost and value was ok for me. I go to the Palace the next day and this time I was prepared. 🤭😉😋
“The Grand Palace is closed” still exists?? I first heard that in 2011 but it looks like the old tricks live long in the old city. As usual another cool video by Bangkok Pat. There’s quite an eeriness to a quiet Bangkok but strangely enough, it’s still charming. And now I’ll savour the moment that I am the first commenter. 😎
Didn't realise it went back so many years actually, and the reason why I say you gotta be dumb is how can there be a connection between being a tourist visiting a temple to then thinking ''maybe I need some gems, gold or a suit'' If I wanna buy those I'd set out on a special trip to do so, not suddenly agree with a complete stranger that I should go look at some.
I read about it in the 2000 Lonely Planet Guidebook. I lived in Bangkok from 2000-2005. The Jim Thompson House Museum is also a place where this scam is practiced...at the beginning of the long soi. Unfortunate.
@@majorkade I'd imagine there's a few variations of this scam
@@BangkokPat yes exactly. From sightseeing to scam shopping is a drastic shift so agree with your assertion that you’ve got to be pretty dumb to fall for that. Some of the scammers I read are pretty clever though and they’ll say GP is closed but I know some hidden spots and of you’re pretty adventurous there’s the cardinal rule of always trust a local. But in this case, please don’t. They’ll still take you to the fake gem shops. 😐
@@majorkade they’re everywhere!
I've recently discovered your videos Pat - they are really well made! I've been here since the 90s and really appreciate the effort you go to with your research; I particularly like the flashbacks. Keep at it fella!!
Thank you very much Jimbo, glad you like the channel, and hope you're familiar with the areas! Lots more coming mate!
Binging your videos. Great stuff! They go down like a coconut soufflé. Keep'em coming!
Thanks a lot for the analogy, seems perfect as I love coconut souffles!
My favorite Bangkok channel on TH-cam! PS "Blinded by the light" is Manfred Mann, not ELO ;).... absolutely correct about it being a Classic take of the Springsteen tune 😀
Love the mix of archive photos and new ones. Really well done.
Thanks, great to hear from you!
Blinded by the Light was Manfred Manns Earth Band. Apart from that, great video as always.
I was taken in by the Closed Palace trick only 3 years back. That's how thick I am. Luckily lost nothing but an hour or so and my pride.
Thanks you Peter,. Yep, it certainly was not ELO. It was always in my mind as ELO probably because of the era and they had a few hits out as well. I'm not the only one in google who thinks it was ELO though!!
@@BangkokPat you were in nursery school back then surely.
@@DrFingers I was born in 1973 so yeah, just about!
Bangkok Pat sure has saved me a lot of reading time and miles of legwork 🙃Thank you so much
I love the snippets of history of the local areas.
Well, Bangkok Pat, this is my greatest find on TH-cam. Excellent work - I've subscribed!
Thanks Marko, great to hear from you, welcome abroad.
17:57, a stunning sky blue old Mercedes. I have no idea what model but it looks great!
The guy was quite surprised at my request to film it, but I'm sure it's not the first time!
Fantastic old footage again Pat,,thanks as always
Cheers Geoffrey, glad you're still around mate!!
Pat, I now 68 and have never seen old Bangkok, Thanks so much.
Yet more incredible archive footage. Fantastic stuff Pat!!
Thanks a lot, there was so much to choose from for that video, was hard!
I will have to check out blinded by the light by ELO there's another blinded by the light originally written by Bruce Springsteen and done by Manfred Mann's Earth Band as well that is pretty good. Thanks for all your hard work and research putting these incredible videos together.
Pat- Thanks for the insightful tour. Your knowledge of the city and story telling ability are really quite impressive. I also love the historical images interspersed with the modern, it gives the video a documentary quality. Well done.
Thanks very much Michael, great to hear from you. That area had so much history I didn't mention, there's possibly another hours worth for another video......but not just yet!!
Great videos, Pat. 👍You've got an instant subscriber after watching the latest one. Your time and efforts on researching the subjects and production style are highly appreciated. Your videos are so much more in-depth, educational and archive-worthy than the rest. Will watch back all the way to your earliest one. Keep up the good work. Best of wishes for the growth on your channel and your life. 🙏
Thanks Paul, appreciate the kind words, sorry for late response, YT haven't given me any notifications for about 2wks, dunno why.
Hope you've by now watched a few of the old videos!!
@@BangkokPat You're most welcome Pat. Yes, I've finished watching all of your videos, from the earliest one to the latest "Bangkok Cat" episode. Best of wishes for the growth of your channel. Keep up the good work, and may you always be in peace and joy. 🙏
loved that pat made my night keep up the good work
Glad to hear it, thank you so much!! I'm out every day shooting!
Always great Pat. Blinded by the light song was by Manfred Mann !
EXCELLENT FABULOUS JOB PAT ...
the best channel to get information about Bangkok. thank you sir
Interesting, Intriguing and entertaining very well put together another quality vlog from BBK Pat so good I'm gonna watch it twice. Thanks Pat Stellar work indeed.
Thanks a lot Mai, glad you enjoyed it, and to think I could have filled another 20mins with so much more in the old city!
Always shied away from this area due to the gem scammer stories, and crowds, what a wonderful virtual tour with night and day perspectives, and so comprehensive! Appreciate the effort you put in. Loved the emerald buddha and the nat. gallery! Must go as a bucket list thing.
WOW, Pat! Cool video; enjoyed it very much! You did a lot of work to create it. Thanks! Cheers!!
Thank you again!! A lot of lonely nights shooting round there but a great place to walk at night, plenty of cops and army about too!
Hey Pat. I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoy all of your videos. This video reminds me of a very special trip I took down the Chao Phraya. As we passed the temples the late afternoon sun hit them at just the right angle. They glittered like Disney castles. It was brief but I felt for sure the architects had desighned them to do that. That is one memory among many that I shall never forget
Splendid effort Pat excellent as usual.
Thanks very much, appreciate the kind words mate.
That's were great place for walks around and shopping I do remember I was there couple of times
back
In the 60s . Looks a lot
Deferent then now a days.
I appreciate you for sharing with me.
It's a fantastic part of old Bangkok.
By far the best videos about BKK on TH-cam, great scenes and beautifully documented. I have a feeling that I'm watching a BBC programme rather than a random TH-cam video. Thnx.
Thanks Black Cat, hope you saw yourself in a few videos, Asok and Makkasan for a start!! I tried hard to make the channel unlike others doing their vlog thing here.
Simply the best! Please, make more ✌️
Thank you so much! I'm doing my best to increase output!!!
I discovered your channel and have been binge watching all day...very interesting I must say! I must visit, thanks for the info Pat. Keep up the good work! 🙂
Thanks! The old city is currently doing celebrations and activities for 240th anniversary so worth visiting quick!
@@BangkokPat it won't be quick Pat but definitely worth considering next year!!
Thai history is so interesting. Each of your video draws me into learning about the history!
I been to Bangkok frequently and explored every possible local nooks and corners streets and soi, and, you are showing me more than I can discovered by myself. We have the same interest of exploration like buildings , bridges, history and legends. Thanks for your introductions. I may re-trace certain areas of interest again.
I regretted not having been to Washington Square much earlier as lonely planet did mentioned and I never have thought it will be all completely gone such a huff.
Great video. I always promise myself that I'll avoid the usual tourist dives and just meander about. Time never seems to be on my side.
Another great video, and thanks for sharing. See you again soon.
Thanks a lot, glad you liked it, I could have got around 20 other places, so much history around that area
Just discovered your channel and am a huge fan right away!
The format of your presentation, the production values, audio quality, even the choice of soundtracks... editing on the beats, and of course your thorough research. Huge props and kudos. The only thing you probably might look at upgrading are the map graphics the way Johnny Harris does them.
GREAT STUFF!
Thanks, thats an old video and l have changed and updated a few things!!!! Glad uyou found the channel Francesco!
Just discovered your comment here hehehe Cheers!
As ever Bangkok Pat yet another excellent video. Imagine doing the swing and falling off back in the day, I thought riding a Tuk Tuk during a rain storm was adventurous!
Thanks you very much Ashley. The thing is, the swing had a reward if you could grab the treasure so the risk could be justified. They even wanted to revive the giant swing a few years ago....www.thaitravelblogs.com/2018/04/the-bma-is-considering-reviving-an-old-brahmin-ceremony-at-bangkoks-landmark-giant-swing/
I really appreciate you for
Showed the old part of
Bangkok from the early 1906 Bridges . I don't believe I been there before.
I love seeing these then and now type of vlogs. I may have walked past some of these places without knowing how old they were or how they were developed.
I'm crazy about doing then and now shots, it's often a challenge to find the same spot where the original view was taken from. I've had to return to locations the next day and do them again from a slightly different angle!
Great stuff, wish I was still in BKK so we could nerd out on the city's sights and history. Good you didn't venture in that alley, I did once and it was full of passed out heroin addicts. Two major sights in the area I'd encourage you to look into if you haven't yet, the sculpture hall at Silpakorn uni (and it's small Silpa Bhirasri museum, arguably the most successful and revered farang ever) and the three "phraengs" (phraeng phuthorn being the most beautiful one). Thanks for the great video can't wait to watch the rest !
Cheers Tristian, it's a feast for nerds, this city if only everyone would understand that....
The alley didn't seem like a nice place and had a bad vibe, and it had started raining too. I missed that uni as it was closed (as was quite a few things) and if not I reckon I'd have gone, but I didn't know about the csulptures...
I like the background music!
I love how you are showing
The old part of Bangkok some of them I been there
Many of times in my early
Years of age.
Thank you very much for this - I have thoroughly enjoyed many of your videos. One thing that I find telling is that this video has 12000 or so views. The one on Nana Plaza has had 50,000 - says it all I think!!
Very interesting! Thanks so much for the tour. I'm learning a lot
That drivers done that turn a few times before. Nice walkabout, remember a couple of those things. Went to Ayutthaya where the old City, where the past King used to Clarinet in the [?] 50s. Would have liked to see and hear that. We also spent a few days in [?] Nakom Pathom. Nice job m8, bout 33:20 there was a flash of light behind a cloud in the upper right. Looked pretty specy! Keep up the good work. Thanks!
Cheers Greg, was a lot of fun to make that video 😇
I love the "wild side chapter"! Great footage again!
Cheers mate. I could have got a bit more daring and shot a bit more down the alley ways but best not to. That's why I gave up the ghost story....💀
@@BangkokPat yeah I get it. But still, nicely done!
Thanks for sharing!
Thank you Stan, great to hear from you!!
This work is absolutely outstanding!
Appreciate the kind words mate! The Old City is probably the most interesting part of Bangkok and I spent over 3wks doing the two videos. At first I was trying to put everything into one video but it got too much so I did the Khao San Road area first. Some fun night walks too.
I wish I'd been able to see stuff like this way back when. Amazing videos, easy watching, beautifully shot, edited, researched and put together. It's not often you see material this good on TH-cam. This part of the city is one I know so well and yet I had never seen the pictures of the Democracy Monument being built. I never knew about those gates. Bangkok is such an amazing city and this older part of the city is often overlooked by tourists even though it surrounds Khao San Road. Thanks for this great work.
thank you for once again a very interesting and informative video!
And thank you for your support Hans, the next video is totally different by the way....
@@BangkokPat, that one will be completely boring and uninformative??? :-)
@@jjamdekkers I hope not but it's a bit of a change of subject!!
@@BangkokPat, I'm looking forward to it!
Great Video Pat, I rearly venture into that part of Bangkok anymore, you've inspired me to return
I wanted to show that there's more to the area. I loved going around there. I started shooting April 13th, did the Khao San Rd half of the old city then did this bit. Originally was gonna be all one video of about 30mins. What a ridiculous calculation that ended up being! I'll miss it!!
Great video, Pat.
Great place to explore, particularly after dark!
Hey young man that's was awesome of what you were doing well done.
I assume you are younger
Then me . Me and my husband we are in our
70s . I'm enjoyed watching you showing around the
Old city of Bangkok.
Great video as usual👍🏻
Thanks again mate, hope you're well.
Very well done video , facinating stuff .
Great, hope the running time was ok and not too long!!
Excellent work, Pat!
Thank you Bryan, nice to hear from you, hope you're well!
@@BangkokPat I'm well, can't complain. Hoping the same is for you too.
I think that this is your best video to date.
Really enjoyed this and you are right the buildings are simply stunning in the right light - probably also a feature many people have fallen into in the drinking spots of bangkok.
If I am correct I spotted 6 cats, you trying to perform a Jesus like act and a fascination for showing traffic light countdowns at 6 also.
Keep up the great work Pat, it is definitely worth the wait as far as I am concerned.
I vote for best I've seen, but haven't watched them all yet.
This video was for all those outraged by the Nana video, now it balances up the decency factor on the channel.
Nice one Paul, glad you think so, the traffic lights are unintentional. In fact they can be a pain in the arse with my auto focus if there are a lot of lights moving about in shot but I seem to have got away with it....
As for the cats, I'm amassing an army of them to photobomb other Thailand vloggers videos. Too many vloggers are just marching through areas walking and talking and not taking notice of the local wildlife
@@BangkokPat and just as well then that there was no flying the kite that evening
@@MarkRobert-BKK In the past there was plenty of ''flying the kite'' in the dark corners, 500 Baht it cost, I heard.
Thank you for the information... nicely presented 🙏🏼
another fabulous video pat i love all the old photos showing old bangkok i learn so much from your channel cant wait to get back there , all the best keep them videos coming
Cheers Nicholas, the then & now pics are a fun challenge that often finds me standing in weird places to get the angle as near to the old photo as possible!
Great stuff. Pat
Cheers Pink Apple!
Pat, you are the man. You are one of the GOOD reasons TH-cam was invented.
Thank you very much Jeff, it's people like you I love making videos for! Cheers.
Thanks for this info, Pat. I have learned a lot from you.
Another good video, Pat.
Thank you Grant, glad you're liking the videos mate!
I use to made a night tour by bicycle around Rattanakosin Island also connected to China Town . Bangkok old town always looks cool at night , recommend .
Thanks! Good ifdea, biking ropund those streets with a decent cam would make great video, pretty sure Global Travel Mate has this idea, not sure. When you walk around it often enough you realise it's not that big an area, just a lot of small sois and back streets. Adventurous time shooting!
great presentation Pat 👍🏻
Glad you enjoyed it, great area to walk any time of day.
One of the best Bangkok channels out there. Let’s hope you journey out and expand your efforts to the rest of Thailand?! Thai subtitles? My Thai friends and family love them. It was definitely very different this time. I was there late 2020 and returned in early 2021. ASQ in Klong Thoey. A lot of the fairies to the islands were closed down. But I still got some sand in my socks. Keep up the good work
Thanks a lot mate, always glad to hear that some Thai viewers are enjoying it, in the early days I got a couple of sarcastic and derogatory comments in Thai, but from other channels I've heard this happens a lot. Shame really. Thai subs, proper ones are something I considered but the cost of getting them perfect isn't cheap. This video is a particular favourite of mine, I spent 3wks around the old city doing this and the Khao san Rd video, and hanging around at night was very interesting.
@@BangkokPat you’re more than welcome Khun Pat. There are a couple of hacks I have seen on other channels regarding subtitles. I’m not sure how they do it but it looks like they were using Google translate and overlaying it.
I grew up on stories of the Kingdom. The Mosquito Bar. In mixed families/Amerasian American war refugees in the 70s and 80s. The Washington Square bit you did almost made my eyeballs sweat. If you get to Issan, the holdouts in Korat and Udon Thani are interesting. The lack of subtitles don’t slow me down!
10:38 the trick that never gets old.
It's shocking that so many fall for it....
31:52 great punchline 5555555 thanks for another fantastic vid Pat
Malcolm, you're the first to mention that, and I was starting to wonder...so that night visit was worth it after all!! BTW, thanks so much for the support, well appreciated.
Here I go watching again ,I love your work Pat 3 time
Great area for history and you can't avoid anything as there is so much around every corner!
Just discovered this channel. These videos are amazing. Keep up the great work - I’m sure it will pay off!
Cheers Owen, glad you've found the channel, welcome aboard. Hope you find time to get through all the other videos too!!!
Another very well made video 👍👍 Well informative with lots of historical video clips and photos, and excellent narrative with comfy voice. Thanks for your nice works done and sharing Pat 👍. Btw, talking about the tourist scam in Bangkok, I think this similar case could happened in any big city flooded with tourists, maybe I’m wrong. But I had experienced it once in Bangkok, shame to tell you. That was the first time when I hoped onto a tuk-tuk after a nicely negotiation about price. We had an easy chat at starting, then after few minutes inside the ‘bracket’ driven by him, he brought something up from his side door and showed me a piece of laminated A4 paper written with words kind alike ‘ I agree to let this driver to help to tour guide and take me to places of attraction ...... ‘, something like this. And off course I immediately felt speechless and trapped. He started to persuade me to accept with trying to get word of ‘ok’ or ‘ Yes’ or maybe just a ‘nod’. ( so be very careful, a simple head posture will lead you to somewhere else 😅) . So, I keep telling him that ‘ I don’t want ! Mai-ao (for those who first time here, learn up this word 😅)’, and I insisted and stressed out my decline several times. Then, do you know what happened next? He drove the tuk-tuk exactly alike the Pierce Brosnan’s tuk-tuk passegner stunt in one of his commercial ads. But finally and luckily we still arrived safely to my place of interest and ‘not his place of interest’. 😅
Thanks very much JP, very kind of you. Scams happen all over, some of the ones in London were quite terrible, 20yrs ago anyway but I also thought back then you gotta be real dumb but these are ''confidence tricksters'' who would appear legitimate. Good that you got out of the tuktuk intact, you almost signed your own death warrant, so to speak!!
Bangkok Pat Yeap Pat, scams happens everywhere. Indeed we’d all signed the warrant immediately when we struggled out from the narrow tunnel.! When a human was born, he or she could never escape from living sufferings, sickness, ageing and death. 🙏🏼
I like your style of vlog. Nice that you stand and talk. Love the cats. I spent a month in BKK in 2005. I loved the place. Clearly, I missed a lot. I hope travel gets easier.
Thanks Alison, apologies for such a late response, I do try and get to all comments!! The cats are hard to avoid in Bangkok !!! I prefer standing and talking, more natrual. The selfie vloggers are different, they need to be speaking as much as the camera's on them I suppose.
That was... comprehensive. Thank you for this Pat. I wonder where all the petrol stations went to? I didn't see a single one.
Thanks mate. Luckily in the Old City they have certain heritage related restrictions about modern developments or anything that would change the appearance of a historic area. That petrol station was at an odd angle in the road which is why it's oddd, and the City Pillar Shrine is on part of the location.
@@BangkokPat That's nice. Though I do like a nice heritage petrol station.
Great vid, at least I can still get around Bangkok during lockdown thanx to you. I used to love "getting lost" in random areas of the city back in the day, lonely planet as my guide,but would have been much better with the history you provide, thanx again .
Thanks Ian, I used to mock the Lonely Planet but since I've done these videos and leraned the value and hard work that goes into reserach, I've grown up a bit. The old city is a great area to get lost in, and there are a few nice bars around to have a cold drink along the way, which weren't open when I was doing the video.
Great one Pat. Now I have more to chat about when I go around myself :-)
Hahahahaha. Don't be a mooch, mate. :-D
Thanks! Feel free to say it all !! Maybe rearrange a sentence or two....
I use to made a night tour by bicycle around Rattanakosin Island also connected to China Town . Bangkok old town always looks cool at night , recommend .
Another good video Pat.
Would be interested to see a video on Khlong Toei.
Thanks a lot !! I've walked around Klong Toei and taken a few pics already, but it's a bit off limits at the moment. I do intend to and it'll be a challenge for sure.
Yes, steer clear at the moment. I suppose the only worse place in bkk at the moment for Covid may be a Bkk prison.
Another great video, Pat! Lately I did a lot of walking in that area, but it’s nice to get to know more background information. And yes, Ratchadamnoen Road at night (also in the day) does look a bit grim. Not mentioning the back (Soi Troike) of it! Anyway, looking forward to your next video mate!
Thanks again, appreciate it mate! Walking around there it's quite sad now, but I also remember Sanam Luang being pretty scary at night when they stopped all sports by 11pm and let the homeless take over after that. I know everyone has needs, but in Sanam Luang I think they were exploited more by the bad elements of people back in those days I saw it (2010)
Gradually catching up with your videos. Another absolute banger ! But your music knowledge needs brushing up on. It was Manfred Mann, not ELO. But I'm sure someone else would have picked up on that. Nice one, Pat.
I am fully aware of that now, the video was a year ago. It's the vocal that made me think ELO...
Brilliant video Pat, well done
Many thanks mate, great to hear from you and hope all is well. This was a long shoot, was supposed to be all one video of old city including Khao San Road but I split it up as I underestimated the size and just how much interesting stuff there is around this part of the city. Bit of a longer running time yet again!!
Love your vlogs pat always interesting
30 minutes this time real treat thanks
Thanks a lot Phil, appreciate it. More on the way, really glad you enjoyed it.
I lived around there a decade or so ago. I used to commute across the Pinklao Bridge on my Honda Click. Happy days.
Nice area, would like to live around Soi Rambutri at the moment, then move away when the tourists all return. Some lovely back streets. An old aerial map from 1950 shows a bit of it.
Wow thank you very much for your information history of old town 😄
Thanks for the kind words, it was a long video to make but it was fun going around that area!
Great story, looking forward on to 'City of the Kings' next video maybe ?
Cheers, thanks. I'm trying to work that out....City of the Kings...google found nothing, so which city exactly? I'm open to any suggestions for location!
Ratchaburi
Great tour! Must get down when Shenanigan's is open.
Thanks Ian....... but I didn't noticed any Shenanigans in the old town.....oh yes there is actually, in Khao San Rd
@@BangkokPat Hi Pat,
Try Surawong opposite Meridien Hotel
Great video 👍
Cheers Willy.
They just keep getting better Pat. I was thinking.... just One Cat, then they came thick and fast !. This longer format suits your style mate hope it’s here to stay.
It’s nice to put names to places, I’ve walked most if not all of the streets you covered, but never knew the st names( have to admit I’m a bit like that in London too though !) walking around the Grand Palace walls at night is so calm I used to do it most nights I was in BKK and just see where I ended up. Then get a motorbike taxi home. Thanks for the great content mate.
Thank you Charles! The cats are an ideal way of keeping viewers hooked at certain points. Obviously not everyone is convinced but it's hard to ignore the large numbers of cats I see when shooting. Probably because I spend more time stopping in a place to shoot, and not constantly walking along with my cam like most vloggers.
On my first visit back in 1999, I was on a date my last night in Bangkok and we were in that area. I tried to get to see the Palace or Wat Po, but we arrived too late, it was dark already. The girl I was with (a uni grad) got an idea and went to talk to a guard. She returned and took me into Wat Po's grounds after hours. Guard let us in. We wandered around checking it out for a while, all dark and empty.
Subscribed recently and love knowing about the history of BKK
Just discoverd your channel and i love it 👍❤
Used to base myself just off that area off Khao San Road when in Bangkok, great history in that area. I’d spend hours poking around there. A great video
Sorry for late response Chuck, that area is steeped in rich history and doing that video was great hanging around there at night with the many cops and army who were just sitting about bored, things were just about to be closed down again and I thoght they might ask me to leave the area, government said all unnecessary travel was to be avoided, but they said nothing, even laughing at me doing take after take to get the dialogue right!
Hard work! Thnxa lot
So nice of you, thank you!
The scammers at the palace are endemic of the attitude to foreigners throughout LOS. So easy to stamp out, but they never will. We both know why Pat?
Pat mate. Blinded by the Light was Bachman Turner Overdrive.....lol.
Can you please cover the history of what the Cobra swamp Cemetery of what became today’s Suvarnabhumi airport as I’ve tried to look for what Cobra swamp looked like before the airport was built.
I did mention the history briefly there in this video: th-cam.com/video/pDcvHYJ4zgI/w-d-xo.html
but I do intend to do a video about both airports, definitely a lot of potential scary stuff in there.
Interesting video Pat 👍
Thanks 👍appreciate it mate!
Another fabulous video Pat. Obviously much work goes into research and obtaining old photos and video and please tell me you have a person helping you with your”to camera”pieces. 🙏👍
Thanks Gary, it's a lot of work and I work alone, camera as well. All zooming while I'm walking and talking is added in the editing afterwards. I doubt anyone would have much fun out with me shooting, I'm a nightmare!
Another awesome video. Thank you :-)
I had no idea Thailand supported the Allied war effort in The Great War. I wasn’t sure if it was planned but walking through the shoe deep water puddle near the war monument appeared a tad ironic.
As did the gods setting off the lightning in the background as you were closing the video. Well timed.
Thank you :-)
Thanks a lot mate! I had no choice but to wade through the water, that or shoot near the monument amongst the noisy people smoking and arguing. I didn't notice the lightning until I edited, it hadn't rained for a few days!
They were America & UK enemy in WW2 thats to their PM.
a great video, thank you.
Thanks Thomas, have a happy new year for 2022.