Do you ever long for the old Bangkok ?

[gobbledonk]

Reading William Warren's book on Jim Thompson has me wishing I could turn back the clock, but living in BKK without aircon doesnt strike me as a particularly 'good time'.

 

http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/printed-books/jim-thompson-the-unsolved-mystery-william-warren/

 

Whatever your take on Thompson is, I highly recommend this book. Warren, unlike many authors, actually knew the man and he draws on his own knowledge of SE Asia to paint a vivid picture of Thailand in 1945-1967, when Thompson disappeared. Warren has also written a stack of beautifully illustrated gardening and art/craft books, but thats a topic for another thread.

 

Happy to hear from anyone who was actually there in the aforementioned period - easy to get all nostalgic for something you havent endured

[Flashermac]

As far as I know, Warren is still living. He's from Georgia and taught at Chulalongkorn University for years. He's a prolific writer. though he caught some flak for not really saying what he thought happened to Jim Thompson, Instead, he just gives an assortment of theories.

 

The Bangkok of the 1970s and '80s was delightful, in comparison to today. Nevertheless, we bitched about how big it was and how bad the traffic was. If only we'd known. Bangkok was about 2 to 3 million when I came here. Ekamai was in the sticks and Don Muang seemed a long way away. Traffic sped through the city, and accidents could be deadly. We complained because it was too fast - not too slow.

 

Since there were almost no high rise building, cool breezes blew and you didn't really need a/c. Even streets like Sathorn were lined with big shade trees. Taxis drove with the windows open and always felt cool enough.

 

Look for something by Jorges Orgibet. He came here the same time as Jim Thompson and shared a house with him.

 

 

[Mentors]

I lived with my then Thai girlfriend and her family somewhere near the Democracy monument in 1987.

 

The place with original wooden houses is gone in the meantime. It was a pleasent and great time.

The traffic was not so great and the beer was frozen.

[gobbledonk]

Thanks Flasher - you'll never be able to go back to the old BKK, but at least you have the comfort of knowing that you wont have to negotiate Suk in 50 years time. Sure, we'll have flying cars by then, right ? (thought we'd have them by 2001 when I was a kid in the 70s)

[Flashermac]

Orjibet talked about how polite Thai drivers were in the 1940s and '50s. They would stop for pedestrians and other drivers and wave them past. That was certainly gone by the time I got here.

 

Trink really should write a history of the nightlife, but he can't be bothered. He has a fantastic photo collection of it too. Really a shame.

 

Orjibet wrote some about the nightlife in the late '40s and '50. He did a column called "Backdrop" for Business in Thailand magazine for many years. He used some of his columns to put together "From Siam to Thailand: Backdrop to the Land of Smiles", published by Kofco in 1982. Really worth hunting down - some great photos in it too.

 

 

http://www.bangkokpicture.com/pictures/oldbangkok.php

 

[Faustian]

I'd like to have seen it. I was born too late!

[unit731]

Yes, the good old days.

 

The gals were less expensive as were the hotels.

 

It was a quiet peaceful Bangkok back then.

 

Nostalgia.

 

I have film pictures that some day I wish to convert to digital. Only if I had the time and energy.

 

I remember one time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

[Flashermac]

1973 prices ... 100 baht "aw nigh" and she wouldn't run off in the morning either. If you really liked a gal, you gave her 200. Sigh ...

 

 

[cavanami]

You took a river taxi as there was no BTS!

[shygye]

1950s is the old Bangkok? Shouldn't that be 1850s?