I love the information and demeanor of your videos. I've been traveling to Thailand since 1987 and appreciate hearing the history of areas I used to know and visit in days gone by. Great stuff!
The first time I went to Thailand I stayed at the Indra regent. I was a little disappointed as the pictures did not reflect the dated room that I stayed in. I too was suprised at how dirty the area was. Staying in Sukhumvit on my next trip was not much better, but it helped me understand that basically this is how Bangkok is. I too went up the Baiyoke sky tower ( when most of the tourists there were Chinese only a few years ago) and went to to the bar and had the buffet dinner at the restaurant there. Baiyoke is like a time capsule from the ‘90s . It too hasn’t been renovated since it was built, and I think is in need of a refresh. In conclusion, I like to thank you Pat for bringing us the history of Pratunam, with some pictures of its past, and where it’s heading today.
Thanks Paul, Pratunam is indeed a bit of a time capsule, even looking at pics of the area from the 70s it's unmistakenly Pratunam. Baiyoke have nice rooms as I've seen and buffet used to have a cult following. I sat in the bar with my free drink after I went to the top and it's definitely as you say, a 90s time capsule, including the bar!
Top drawer again Pat, thanks mate. So refreshing to see someone real on RUclips. Hopefully you are still doing walking tours, will definitely get involved when I get over. Absolutely love these videos. Cheers
In the early 1980s When I first came to live in Bangkok Pratunam was where I landed.... I spent the first year living in an apartment somewhere behind the Indra Regent shopping mall looking onto the railway line. There was an English language school in the same building where I got my first teaching job @ 40 baht per hour, That apartment building is no longer there now... I went back there a few years ago... Place had changed beyond all recognition... except for the Indra Hotel and shopping mall which had just got more grubby
There goes my childhood memories. I grew up in this neighborhood when Soi 21 was but a residential alley and Pata department store just opened under Indra hotel. Thanks for the update.👍
So happy to have discovered this down to earth informative channel. So sick of the infotainment supposedly slick personality driven garbage found on the Thaiger. They just regurgitate news found from different sources. No originality, you on the other hand do research and I love the non studio live shots. Congratulations!
Thanks very much Bob, glad you enjoy the format. I couldn't possibly do a personality driven channel like the many others, it'd be quite boring I think. Content wins eventually I reckon.
No matter how easy to dismiss they are, I always love supernatural stories ^_^ God bless those people helping the homeless cats and goodbye Pratunam market, I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to appreciate you T_T
hi from Australia,love your channel,Pratunam soi 19 First House Hotel was my home away from Home when in BKK 2001 - 2007...AUD $22 - $29 a room incl Bfast ,QB, fridge,TV,Air Con .absolute outstanding value back in the day,triggers so many good memories,this was my backyard & starting point trhuout all my trips to BKK during that period the hustle n bustle of the daytime market was my equivalent 1pm - 4pm to the daytime barfly over in sukhimvit soi 4, fantastic times remember having to walk south down Ratchadamri rd everynight for 25 mins,way past Big C, to get on the BTS outside the sportsclub(forget the name of the station) & land in Sala Deang for my dinner and then extra curricular activities. Star of Light Bar was frequently included in my travels thanks for the memories of this wonderful place : )
Love that you used Franko’s video! Great video that one, with an awesome background song to boot 😎 Ah Pratunam. Unforgettable place as this was the area I stayed in when I first visited Bangkok, I thought it was dreary back then but it looks even more so back then. But don’t get me wrong, I have fond memories of that place and I always appreciated that I had a view of Baiyoke which is a skyscraper I really like. Though I do wish I did more ghost hunting back then. And THC wouldn’t be too bad either (if it existed in 2011 that is). Cool video as always, Pat! You make any area very interesting!
Before the Airport line is was quite chaotic and even more dreary, used to use the teachers bookshop by the railway line, DK Today which are still going strong.
@@BangkokPat I have to check that out then! Your channel's grown massively over a short period of time Pat so I really appreciate when you take the time to respond to comments 💪
i'm shocked. Pratunam is my favourite place to stay. Not been since 2019. Always liked staying in the Baiyoke. I loved the market. I am truly sad about this. Thank God I didn't just turn up expecting it to be like it used to. I'll keep the good memories.
Thanks Pat, another great video, up until 2020 I had been visiting Pratunam district since the late 70s , shopping in Pratunam Market,getting lost inside the myriad of ally ways ,almost suffering a panic attack to find an exit, being stuck inside as the flood waters rose.taking home great shopping bargains(that I didn't need or did not fit) . I am disappointed it has gone but thats progress . I enjoyed just breathing in the atmosphere, not the THC . Oh well have to settle on Platinum Plaza . Thanks again Pat.
I think whatever stalls were trading in the final days would move to Palladium or nearby, It was on its last legs anyway. Still a good bargain to be had around there.
Another great vid Pat. I remember taking my boy up the Bayoke Sky Tower just over 20 years ago when it dominated the Bangkok skyline. How times change.
Thanks Pat, very enjoyable. I agree, it's one of the greyest, grimiest central areas but I always enjoyed a trip to Pratunam via the Klong Sansaeb. It's a shame about the old market being demolished but hopefully Platinum Mall is still going, which usually saves me a trip to Chatuchak Market lol. Cheers!
Another fine Vlog . . . Thank you. I am a Bangkok novice - was there only once - for a month in 2005. I hope to visit again and maybe see more of the country. I've gotten older and am more protective of my health. I was/am fascinated by Spirit Houses and the significance of the supernatural in Thailand.
Thanks Alison, the whole spirit house thing is to be explored a bit more, there's an interesting book by Christopher G. Moore called 'Spirit House' that's worth picking up by the way.
love your videos and appreciate your hard work! simply be careful with typos in your titles. saw a couple of them throughout your playlist. not a big deal but still visible. cheers.
Your mention of number 13, reminded me of my friend who died in a soapy massage parlor along Petchburi Road, in room #13 on the 13th floor. That was over 20 years ago.
Great video. I love Baiyoke Sky. I haven't been there since the pandemic began. I remember even with pre-booking that it used to take a while to actually get upstairs to the restaurant with the queues and then the same when trying to get back downstairs afterwards.
In June 1995, a major department store in Seoul collapsed and 502 souls perished with it. Guess what stands on that tragic site now. Yes, a posh condominium complex! President elect of Korea who won the neck and neck battle just last week is known to be a resident. I guess Koreans are indifferent or 'unsuperstitios' compared to the Thais. Thank you for another great video! BTW your before&now comparison edits always amaze me. They're so precise!
Thanks very much! In the end money always talks even over superstition but many plots of land with histories of death or supernatrual activity are empty here in Bkk.
My very first market experience in BKK back in 96 was waking up from The Rembrandt Hotel on Suk 18 walking down to Pantip Plaza to buy some bootleg software and then to Pratunam market and immersing myself in the chaos and overwhelming my senses. Walking down the random alley ways and being amazed at the vibrancy of it all. Thanks for the visit back!
Actually I do remember the Indra Regent Hotel and it was the very first hotel I stayed at on my first trip to Thailand in 1984. I recall there was a huge disco maybe in the basement and it was packed with Thais. A Cyndy Lauper song was playing and the DJ would cut the music and you would hear the Thais singing to the song... the accent was hilarious! Plus the large shopping mall that was part of the complex, well it was large for those days. My friend and I went out the next day to walk around the crowded streets, it was super hot, a bad smell and an amazing culture shock with beggars everywhere. Thank you Pat, you brought back a lot of memories :-)
…..all the clubs have been closed down ….. Another nice to watch and well researched ORIGINAL piece of content :-) thank you I’ve never thought of checking that area out of an evening, so thank you for showing me. The mall diagonally opposite Pratunam, The Palladium was in pretty dire straits last time we were there (March 2020) and I can’t imagine it doing any better now. Young people were using the upper empty floors to practice their KPop dance routines. With more apartments being built the distance to Ratchatewi BTS appears a much shorter walk too. Thank you for the Cats of Bangkok updates :-)
@@BangkokPat -Thank you. I'm a new comer to Thailand. My first visit was in 2015.I like hearing about the old days.Fortunately I was able to become acquainted with Hua Lamphoang Staition before it becomes defunct.
Pat as usual awesome video, nothing against other utubers u just in your own league mate , never even seen just an average vlog for bkk pat , you r the man mate !!!!!
Thanks Stephen, appreciate the kind words mate, I try and put a bit extra in whatever scenes I do, to maximise what's on screen in the running time. Cats of course take up some of this but no complaints.
My wife and I lived in a condo opposite the old Pantip plaza, and pretty much directly across from Centre Point. In our building, a man distressed over his finances jumped off his balcony, and a few months later a security guard doing his rounds stepped into an empty elevator shaft and plummeted to his death. Monks were called in. Lol I walked pretty much all the sois of Pratunam, even at night. I never felt unsafe, but I didn't really like the occasional whiff of urine and toxic chemicals. 😕 Not very sad to see the eyesore part be replaced. Time marches on! Thanks for another fabulous video.
Good video Pat! Pratunam in Bangkok is a shopping district that is never dull and boring, but by the looks of things it is dull and boring. A very good place for shopping through the activity of buying goods or services, especially from a store. Buying what people they need or want. Pratunam Market has clothes, shoes, and fashion accessories at affordable prices. The actual mean of that place is floodgate by a gate that can be opened or closed to control a flow of water. Also, a place designed to regulate the flow of water.
Thanks for vlog Pat. I got some Aviator shades in the old market in 2018 I think, 5mins before closing. The stall was only on the perimeter - I was too scared to venture deep within, in case I got lost. The route to Platinum Market from the Big C has been much improved over the yrs. I just watched the link vlog you provided, to the Irish fella. Thanks for your honesty. I was a student in '91 at the Poly/Uni on Holloway Rd. I had digs on Amhurst Park, so used to go down the Seven Sisters Rd.
I was very surprised you had a video on Pratunam. We go back with good times there. I would stay at the Opera Hotel on Soi 11 Petuburi right next to the First Hotel. Since 1988 it was my home away from home. I was in the garment business in Seattle so I would go on buying trips to BKK to Pratunam area to do all my buying I would buy Tin Tim T shirts for Bt150 and see them them for $20 made good money those days. Opera Hotel was a hotel for US Army Special Forces guys on R and R. All torn down now, but the owner made millions. In 1988 First Hotel huge fire and killed lots of Singaporean tourists. Good to see the old hood, got my passport stolen in the market in 1991 there. Thanks for the tour and all the found memories of Pratunam.
I lived in Pratunam for years. Never saw or heard of any ghosts. Very sorry to see the old garment market go. I made a very good living selling all that stuff.
Another great video! I have great memories of Pratunam. In 2001-02, I bought clothes from the wholesalers there and sold them on ebay. It was enough to live off of for about a year or so. I lived on Soi Nana at the time. Another story there.
Pat what are you doing 👌 the song references are killing me the specials was the one that took me back to the 80s 👏👏. Ghost stories are very powerful things to some people !!!!!!! The view from the sky tower was stunning and BKK was so quiet from that view . Another area that is changing 🥺 and losing its charm it had great vlog
Pratunam has always been a good choice for shopping and cheap but great hotels. It was the Mecca for electronics, anything computer or "pirated" software, games and movies. All gone! Went back last year and it has changed so much yet nothing has changed.
Hello 👋🏻 I am from Hong Kong 🇭🇰 and I appreciate that your video always give the truth in Thailand to us. Be honest, it is hard to watch the video like you in Hong Kong coz many Hong Kong KOL only concern the entertainment catering etc. thank you for your video❤️🙌🏻🙏
Another fantastic video. I think your videos offer a unique perspective on Bangkok. I just saw a video about Chuvit Garden being cleared and redeveloped into another mall/condo/hotel tower. Apparently a very tall one. I thought you could provide the back story on Chuvit Garden. It is after all one of political power and influence, police corruption, night-life entertainment, a story of the Bangkok 'True Crime' genre.
Thanks very much! I gave the Chuvit Garden back story in two videos: Five Decades of Nana & Yesterday in Sukhumvit. The Nana video has a longer bit on the whole story.
I stayed at Baiyoke Sky in 2012, didn't see any ghosts but I also couldn't appreciate the view from my room as the the advertising on the tower also cover up the windows with a mesh.
It should be noted that the "legal" pot on Thailand has an allowable thc content it is similar to hemp or cbd. For like US residents who have powerful pot it is unlikely they would experience a high at all on 3.7% thc when in the USA the normal is 28 to 30% cannabinoid thc.
On the pot subject. My 25 year old son stayed with me 1 year ago as he was was between jobs and places . He and his mates were smoking bongs in the garage. They were loud and I had to tell them to chill as I didnt want to upset the neibours. Anyway My son who knew I was pot head 100 years ago convinced me to try a bong. I did and to much applause from his mates I did it in one breath . Never ever will I smoke this modern day stuff ever. Either I am too old or they have developed a hyper weed.bearing mind I had not smoked in over 20 years.
@@ian-wu2bb Youre not wrong alot of people say its not the same as from years ago. Some of the stuff today, especially concentrated forms will make you hallucinate.
G'Day Pat , gotta like all the ghost stories its like a rubber band - lets see how far we can stretch it to believe hmmm lol , interesting to see if they dig up the old site n find a skeleton now thats a twist for a story ... Great content as usual !!! Catchya
Thanks for the upload. 1. Oasis- What's the story, morning glory? 2. Haircut 100- Fantastic Day 3 Depeche Mode- Just can't get enough 4. Human League- Don't you want me? 5. Prince- When doves cry 6. Men at Work- Down under
Nice video. I lived just around the corner near Bangkok Palace, at the end of Soi Ratchaprarop 8. Really interesting area and a lot went on. Have you done a vid around there? Can't say I'll miss the Market though it is an end of an era.
@@BangkokPat I'll check them tonight Pat. I've been randomly dipping into your vids rather then systemically going through them. Keep up the good work.
Another great story told BKP. I loved your story about patpong, could you do a story about his American lover and the house he half built near sam roi yot.
According to scientists who research the benefits of Cannabis as a medicine, you need at least 100mg of CBD per dose for it to even register in the bloodstream. Most CBD marketed medicines are therefore just placebo's. Also, anyone claiming a high from CBD is clearly uneducated on the matter. Both THC and CBD are still interesting propositions for pain and stress relief and helping with insomnia, nausea and appetite problems etc.. but the right dosage is important and varies from person to person apparently. What's good for one person can be bad for another and can even cause addiction (in 6% of users) and anxiety, insomnia and memory problems if used wrongly or too often. More formal research needs to be done on benefits and side effects and there needs to be a set of standards put in place to regulate it as a medicine and create products with accurate and consistent doses so people can trust what they're consuming. We're not quite there yet.
Interesting info Nick, it certainly does vary from person to person. In the UK there's a lot of the stronger skunk weed and it definitely causes addictions and sleep disturbances in high doses, not the mellow I was always used to in the old days.
If anyone's looking for another place to buy cheap clothes, etc., try Bobae Market and Bobae Tower. I visit the area for other reasons (there's lots of halal food around the mosque) but I do buy my socks there. Probably not as large or diverse as Pratunam in terms of sheer volume, but... And there's a Saen Sap canal boat stop there, too. The back of Bobae Market opens up onto those railway tracks north of Hua Lamphong Station where people live next to the tracks.
CBD does have a few uses TBF, but there's nothing like the real thing. Ganja tourism is a great idea - the first country that goes all-in will reap HUGE rewards. The only snag is the horrendous quality of herb over there - about the worst I have ever sampled, but that was years ago, I think they will soon learn how to grow properly. Let's have a whole episode on herbal matters Pat!
Back in the late 70s Thai sticks were available and it was really good ganja. Had a yellow tinge to it and came in a brick of 20 sticks. Tied on thin pieces of bamboo with twine it was some of the best I've smoked in Thailand.
@@gray2942 weren't they dipped in opium, though? There are so many legends it's hard to know. I can't imagine how they went from that to the dog-dirt I encountered in the early 2000s, anyhow.
@@gray2942 MEMORABLE smell and taste. I'd rate it the best I've had, if not the strongest. Some of the new strains are heroin strong and not enjoyable to me, like eating ghost peppers...too much of a good thing.
Baiyoke ll Towers when it was built to be one of the tallest buildings in the world. But faced with the economic crisis in 1997, designed to reduce the size of the height
There's C.B.D. and then there's C.B.D. I recently got some for anxiety and insomnia. The ordinary C.B.D. oil is just a very mild relaxant like valerian tea only ropey, but the Delta 8 or the C.B.D.-0, you wouldn't want to operate heavy machinery or drive as its very physically 'slow'. Like being physically drunk but with a clear head almost. True, its not exactly pot but its not nothing by any means, and unfortunately has a very quick tolerance build up. Great for anxiety but just complicates the Insomnia.
My fun BKK story.. I arrived 2 months b4 covid, no room, backpacking, went straight to red-light district. Met an American from Chicago within 5 min of getting out of taxi. He offered I stay with him, I accepted the offer. He lived 30th floor, penthouse downtown. Soon as I walked in, this man broke out a kilo of weed and told me he didnt even smoke.. We toked up on his balcony and went out partying for 2 weeks straight, every night. It was the wildest time.
First Hotel used to be the stinkiest soi ...soi 11 😆...wow coming home early morning .. walking past the kitchens 🤮🤮..Opera Hotel (which was a great old 60s/70s hotel,now flattened 😭 ) spent months on end there ,was just past First Hotel .Loved that area early 90s,so many dodgy places..was exciting ❤️
I love the information and demeanor of your videos. I've been traveling to Thailand since 1987 and appreciate hearing the history of areas I used to know and visit in days gone by. Great stuff!
Since 1984 here😉
I agree! Flashbacks are great!
The first time I went to Thailand I stayed at the Indra regent. I was a little disappointed as the pictures did not reflect the dated room that I stayed in. I too was suprised at how dirty the area was. Staying in Sukhumvit on my next trip was not much better, but it helped me understand that basically this is how Bangkok is. I too went up the Baiyoke sky tower ( when most of the tourists there were Chinese only a few years ago) and went to to the bar and had the buffet dinner at the restaurant there. Baiyoke is like a time capsule from the ‘90s . It too hasn’t been renovated since it was built, and I think is in need of a refresh. In conclusion, I like to thank you Pat for bringing us the history of Pratunam, with some pictures of its past, and where it’s heading today.
Thanks Paul, Pratunam is indeed a bit of a time capsule, even looking at pics of the area from the 70s it's unmistakenly Pratunam. Baiyoke have nice rooms as I've seen and buffet used to have a cult following. I sat in the bar with my free drink after I went to the top and it's definitely as you say, a 90s time capsule, including the bar!
Love these videos so much, get a real feel for the city and its stories
Top quality! I could watch these all day. I've been to Thailand many times, but have always wished for this kind of info. Thanks so much!
Thaks Luca, hope you enjoy the videos!
Another stellar production! I really enjoyed this.
Thank you Scott, the song still rocks!
Top drawer again Pat, thanks mate. So refreshing to see someone real on RUclips. Hopefully you are still doing walking tours, will definitely get involved when I get over. Absolutely love these videos. Cheers
In the early 1980s When I first came to live in Bangkok Pratunam was where I landed.... I spent the first year living in an apartment somewhere behind the Indra Regent shopping mall looking onto the railway line. There was an English language school in the same building where I got my first teaching job @ 40 baht per hour, That apartment building is no longer there now... I went back there a few years ago... Place had changed beyond all recognition... except for the Indra Hotel and shopping mall which had just got more grubby
There goes my childhood memories. I grew up in this neighborhood when Soi 21 was but a residential alley and Pata department store just opened under Indra hotel. Thanks for the update.👍
Hi Pat: Will top up your drink token next time we visit. Great vid.
Thank you Bob
Thanks Pat - again you delivered!
Great to hear that Andi, thanks.
So happy to have discovered this down to earth informative channel. So sick of the infotainment supposedly slick personality driven garbage found on the Thaiger. They just regurgitate news found from different sources. No originality, you on the other hand do research and I love the non studio live shots. Congratulations!
Thanks very much Bob, glad you enjoy the format. I couldn't possibly do a personality driven channel like the many others, it'd be quite boring I think. Content wins eventually I reckon.
Thriling stories and images. The pauses, the silence, and then those earrie sounds! So good, thank you.
No matter how easy to dismiss they are, I always love supernatural stories ^_^
God bless those people helping the homeless cats and goodbye Pratunam market, I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to appreciate you T_T
I love your video format and narration style. All the best!
hi from Australia,love your channel,Pratunam soi 19 First House Hotel was my home away from Home when in BKK 2001 - 2007...AUD $22 - $29 a room incl Bfast ,QB, fridge,TV,Air Con .absolute outstanding value back in the day,triggers so many good memories,this was my backyard & starting point trhuout all my trips to BKK during that period
the hustle n bustle of the daytime market was my equivalent 1pm - 4pm to the daytime barfly over in sukhimvit soi 4, fantastic times
remember having to walk south down Ratchadamri rd everynight for 25 mins,way past Big C, to get on the BTS outside the sportsclub(forget the name of the station) & land in Sala Deang
for my dinner and then extra curricular activities.
Star of Light Bar was frequently included in my travels
thanks for the memories of this wonderful place : )
Love that you used Franko’s video! Great video that one, with an awesome background song to boot 😎 Ah Pratunam. Unforgettable place as this was the area I stayed in when I first visited Bangkok, I thought it was dreary back then but it looks even more so back then. But don’t get me wrong, I have fond memories of that place and I always appreciated that I had a view of Baiyoke which is a skyscraper I really like. Though I do wish I did more ghost hunting back then. And THC wouldn’t be too bad either (if it existed in 2011 that is). Cool video as always, Pat! You make any area very interesting!
Before the Airport line is was quite chaotic and even more dreary, used to use the teachers bookshop by the railway line, DK Today which are still going strong.
@@BangkokPat I have to check that out then! Your channel's grown massively over a short period of time Pat so I really appreciate when you take the time to respond to comments 💪
i'm shocked. Pratunam is my favourite place to stay. Not been since 2019. Always liked staying in the Baiyoke. I loved the market. I am truly sad about this. Thank God I didn't just turn up expecting it to be like it used to. I'll keep the good memories.
Thanks Pat, another great video, up until 2020 I had been visiting Pratunam district since the late 70s , shopping in Pratunam Market,getting lost inside the myriad of ally ways ,almost suffering a panic attack to find an exit, being stuck inside as the flood waters rose.taking home great shopping bargains(that I didn't need or did not fit) . I am disappointed it has gone but thats progress . I enjoyed just breathing in the atmosphere, not the THC . Oh well have to settle on Platinum Plaza . Thanks again Pat.
I think whatever stalls were trading in the final days would move to Palladium or nearby, It was on its last legs anyway. Still a good bargain to be had around there.
Another great vid Pat. I remember taking my boy up the Bayoke Sky Tower just over 20 years ago when it dominated the Bangkok skyline. How times change.
Thanks Pat, very enjoyable. I agree, it's one of the greyest, grimiest central areas but I always enjoyed a trip to Pratunam via the Klong Sansaeb. It's a shame about the old market being demolished but hopefully Platinum Mall is still going, which usually saves me a trip to Chatuchak Market lol. Cheers!
Platinum Mall is a great place, a little spartan at the moment but worth a look. I know many guys who spent years around Pratunam and loved it!
Another great video thanks Pat ! Nice compelling video shots and content ! Great stuff
Thanks Graham.
Another fine Vlog . . . Thank you. I am a Bangkok novice - was there only once - for a month in 2005. I hope to visit again and maybe see more of the country. I've gotten older and am more protective of my health. I was/am fascinated by Spirit Houses and the significance of the supernatural in Thailand.
Thanks Alison, the whole spirit house thing is to be explored a bit more, there's an interesting book by Christopher G. Moore called 'Spirit House' that's worth picking up by the way.
These are the best & most informative blogs I've seen about Bangkok.
love your videos and appreciate your hard work! simply be careful with typos in your titles. saw a couple of them throughout your playlist. not a big deal but still visible. cheers.
Your mention of number 13, reminded me of my friend who died in a soapy massage parlor along Petchburi Road, in room #13 on the 13th floor. That was over 20 years ago.
Great video. I love Baiyoke Sky. I haven't been there since the pandemic began. I remember even with pre-booking that it used to take a while to actually get upstairs to the restaurant with the queues and then the same when trying to get back downstairs afterwards.
It's back up and running with special offers for stays, each night has late check out from what I heard. Cheers Noel.
In June 1995, a major department store in Seoul collapsed and 502 souls perished with it. Guess what stands on that tragic site now. Yes, a posh condominium complex! President elect of Korea who won the neck and neck battle just last week is known to be a resident. I guess Koreans are indifferent or 'unsuperstitios' compared to the Thais. Thank you for another great video! BTW your before&now comparison edits always amaze me. They're so precise!
Thanks very much! In the end money always talks even over superstition but many plots of land with histories of death or supernatrual activity are empty here in Bkk.
Enjoyed your video and have just subscribed. I've seen and experienced ghosts in Taiwan , where I live and in New Zealand and South Africa.
Thanks Ostevo, hope they weren't too scary. I feel a lot of vibes in these empty places but I'm there to get the footage so it never bothers me.
Great video pat.
Thanks a lot mate, catch you soon....
Pat, you are an excellent storyteller and have created an excellent, enjoyable format for your videos. Thanks for such interesting content.
Wow, thank you very much Matthew!
i love your edits and cuts... filming all by yourself inspiring
Thanks Peter, takes a bit longer doing a video but well worth it!
Great channel , I used to stay at Juldis tower next to the market back in the early naughtys , good times we had me and my mates :)
The area has lost its sparkle since the mid 00s
Amazing place Krung Thep maharnakorn
My very first market experience in BKK back in 96 was waking up from The Rembrandt Hotel on Suk 18 walking down to Pantip Plaza to buy some bootleg software and then to Pratunam market and immersing myself in the chaos and overwhelming my senses. Walking down the random alley ways and being amazed at the vibrancy of it all. Thanks for the visit back!
I wonder if the Pantip Plaza is still there? Is it? I loved browsing around in the different floors there.
Another well documented & educational video. Thanks for clearing up the CBD / THC debate too! Ps thanks to Franco for that great footage 👍
Would be curious to know your story pat, both Anglo and Thai if you could do a video on that?
ruclips.net/video/ET0Ixf-x0xE/видео.html&ab_channel=ThairishTimes
Wow. Best script of the macabre aspects of old krungthep so far. Rock on!
Another winner BKK Pat, thank you for another solid informative and entertaining video ..... Human League :-)
Glad you enjoyed it Daniel, cheers mate. There was also a couple of song titles subtitled as well........
Thanks for another interesting video Pat, I do enjoy your presenting style and the research you do. Thanks again.
Good video. Stayed in the Indra Regent 21 years ago this week.
Thank you for the shoutout and the use of my footage :)
You're welcome 😊
Yeahhh great footage Frankie 😉
Brilliant thanks Pat for taking us around 😀
Thanks for another block buster mate. I might even visit some of these areas when I go over in May...as long as PCR test is negative :D
Thanks Pat. Most enjoyable mate! 👍
Thank you, Sir. I think the "secret sauce" to your videos is the attention paid to the script. Bravo! Thank you again, RPS
Great Video, Its been many years since I have been anywhere near Pratunam. Its all a bit sad that its all but gone. Great Video thanks Pat
Great stuff again Pat!
Actually I do remember the Indra Regent Hotel and it was the very first hotel I stayed at on my first trip to Thailand in 1984. I recall there was a huge disco maybe in the basement and it was packed with Thais. A Cyndy Lauper song was playing and the DJ would cut the music and you would hear the Thais singing to the song... the accent was hilarious! Plus the large shopping mall that was part of the complex, well it was large for those days. My friend and I went out the next day to walk around the crowded streets, it was super hot, a bad smell and an amazing culture shock with beggars everywhere. Thank you Pat, you brought back a lot of memories :-)
One coffee on the way Pat followed by a beer chaser. Hoping to get back to soon.... As always well done mate.
Thanks Les, look forward to the chaser of course!
Thanks for another interesting vid!
…..all the clubs have been closed down …..
Another nice to watch and well researched ORIGINAL piece of content :-) thank you
I’ve never thought of checking that area out of an evening, so thank you for showing me.
The mall diagonally opposite Pratunam, The Palladium was in pretty dire straits last time we were there (March 2020) and I can’t imagine it doing any better now. Young people were using the upper empty floors to practice their KPop dance routines.
With more apartments being built the distance to Ratchatewi BTS appears a much shorter walk too.
Thank you for the Cats of Bangkok updates :-)
Great film once again Pat..... i was hoping the guess the band prize was a trip to 1975 😉
On my Bucket List! Thanks.
Have a good time in Pratunam David!
@@BangkokPat -Thank you. I'm a new comer to Thailand. My first visit was in 2015.I like hearing about the old days.Fortunately I was able to become acquainted with Hua Lamphoang Staition before it becomes defunct.
Pat as usual awesome video, nothing against other utubers u just in your own league mate , never even seen just an average vlog for bkk pat , you r the man mate !!!!!
Thanks Stephen, appreciate the kind words mate, I try and put a bit extra in whatever scenes I do, to maximise what's on screen in the running time. Cats of course take up some of this but no complaints.
Always refreshing to watch your work unfold 👍🏼
Lived around there for about 10 years. Amazing memories, I feel sad when walking around there these days
My wife and I lived in a condo opposite the old Pantip plaza, and pretty much directly across from Centre Point. In our building, a man distressed over his finances jumped off his balcony, and a few months later a security guard doing his rounds stepped into an empty elevator shaft and plummeted to his death. Monks were called in. Lol I walked pretty much all the sois of Pratunam, even at night. I never felt unsafe, but I didn't really like the occasional whiff of urine and toxic chemicals. 😕 Not very sad to see the eyesore part be replaced. Time marches on! Thanks for another fabulous video.
Welcome 🤗🤗🤗 to Thailand
Thank you very much indeed.
Great stories there Pat 👍 keep them coming mate
Good video Pat! Pratunam in Bangkok is a shopping district that is never dull and boring, but by the looks of things it is dull and boring. A very good place for shopping through the activity of buying goods or services, especially from a store. Buying what people they need or want. Pratunam Market has clothes, shoes, and fashion accessories at affordable prices.
The actual mean of that place is floodgate by a gate that can be opened or closed to control a flow of water. Also, a place designed to regulate the flow of water.
Thanks for vlog Pat. I got some Aviator shades in the old market in 2018 I think, 5mins before closing. The stall was only on the perimeter - I was too scared to venture deep within, in case I got lost. The route to Platinum Market from the Big C has been much improved over the yrs. I just watched the link vlog you provided, to the Irish fella. Thanks for your honesty. I was a student in '91 at the Poly/Uni on Holloway Rd. I had digs on Amhurst Park, so used to go down the Seven Sisters Rd.
Nice one, Justin, know that street well. In 1991 Holloway/Finsbury Park was about to have a crack problem.
I was very surprised you had a video on Pratunam. We go back with good times there. I would stay at the Opera Hotel on Soi 11 Petuburi right next to the First Hotel. Since 1988 it was my home away from home. I was in the garment business in Seattle so I would go on buying trips to BKK to Pratunam area to do all my buying I would buy Tin Tim T shirts for Bt150 and see them them for $20 made good money those days. Opera Hotel was a hotel for US Army Special Forces guys on R and R. All torn down now, but the owner made millions. In 1988 First Hotel huge fire and killed lots of Singaporean tourists. Good to see the old hood, got my passport stolen in the market in 1991 there. Thanks for the tour and all the found memories of Pratunam.
Forget Cannabis ... I'm addicted to your VDOs!
Thanks Anders, very glad to know that mate!
I always appreciate your videos from Bangkok 😀
You might not have the most views or subs but this is the best content of any Thai channel. Quality every video.
I lived in Pratunam for years. Never saw or heard of any ghosts. Very sorry to see the old garment market go. I made a very good living selling all that stuff.
superb again cheers
Thanks Brian, glad you liked that mate.
Hey Pat they have just legalised Kratom in Thailand carry out some research great stuff.
Never tried but might for experimantal purposes, thanks for the tip.
Good stuff but only once a week.
Thanks, love your videos
Another great video!
I have great memories of Pratunam. In 2001-02, I bought clothes from the wholesalers there and sold them on ebay. It was enough to live off of for about a year or so. I lived on Soi Nana at the time. Another story there.
Here from your interview with the Irish lad . Thairish channel
Cheers Stevo, glad you've given the channel a try!
Pat what are you doing 👌 the song references are killing me the specials was the one that took me back to the 80s 👏👏. Ghost stories are very powerful things to some people !!!!!!! The view from the sky tower was stunning and BKK was so quiet from that view . Another area that is changing 🥺 and losing its charm it had great vlog
Love these neighborhood stories!
Keep up the good job Pat. I actually slept once for a few nights in first hotel. That was easily 20 years ago.
Always enjoy your channel. Have you ever considered doing a video on the Oil tanker disaster which happened on New Petchaburi Rd in 1990?
I covered it in my video ''Chit Lom & Phloen Chit''
Thanks for the tip! You the man!
Pratunam has always been a good choice for shopping and cheap but great hotels. It was the Mecca for electronics, anything computer or "pirated" software, games and movies. All gone! Went back last year and it has changed so much yet nothing has changed.
Ohh wow .. the Indra Regent.. used to stay there back in the late 70s
Nice hotel it was back then, not so much lately according to tripadvisor!
Always say at The Amari at Pratunam... love it.. love the shopping and night markets in Pratunam
Ah, ghost stories! Great research.
My favorite video that you have done is the one on the Mandarin Oriental. Are there any more historical hotels you can share with us? Thank you.
I can't think of one right now, Oriental was the first proper hotel in Thailand
Hello 👋🏻 I am from Hong Kong 🇭🇰 and I appreciate that your video always give the truth in Thailand to us. Be honest, it is hard to watch the video like you in Hong Kong coz many Hong Kong KOL only concern the entertainment catering etc. thank you for your video❤️🙌🏻🙏
Thanks Kelly for the kind words.
Another fantastic video. I think your videos offer a unique perspective on Bangkok.
I just saw a video about Chuvit Garden being cleared and redeveloped into another mall/condo/hotel tower. Apparently a very tall one.
I thought you could provide the back story on Chuvit Garden. It is after all one of political power and influence, police corruption, night-life entertainment, a story of the Bangkok 'True Crime' genre.
Thanks very much! I gave the Chuvit Garden back story in two videos: Five Decades of Nana & Yesterday in Sukhumvit. The Nana video has a longer bit on the whole story.
I stayed at Baiyoke Sky in 2012, didn't see any ghosts but I also couldn't appreciate the view from my room as the the advertising on the tower also cover up the windows with a mesh.
It should be noted that the "legal" pot on Thailand has an allowable thc content it is similar to hemp or cbd. For like US residents who have powerful pot it is unlikely they would experience a high at all on 3.7% thc when in the USA the normal is 28 to 30% cannabinoid thc.
On the pot subject. My 25 year old son stayed with me 1 year ago as he was was between jobs and places . He and his mates were smoking bongs in the garage. They were loud and I had to tell them to chill as I didnt want to upset the neibours. Anyway My son who knew I was pot head 100 years ago convinced me to try a bong. I did and to much applause from his mates I did it in one breath . Never ever will I smoke this modern day stuff ever. Either I am too old or they have developed a hyper weed.bearing mind I had not smoked in over 20 years.
@@ian-wu2bb Youre not wrong alot of people say its not the same as from years ago. Some of the stuff today, especially concentrated forms will make you hallucinate.
@@ian-wu2bb -Here in Nevada ,I stick with the Indica.
G'Day Pat , gotta like all the ghost stories its like a rubber band - lets see how far we can stretch it to believe hmmm lol , interesting to see if they dig up the old site n find a skeleton now thats a twist for a story ... Great content as usual !!! Catchya
Cheers Steve, I agree those stories stetch the realms of reality but I'm not gonna argue, that market was kinda creepy!
Thanks for the upload.
1. Oasis- What's the story, morning glory?
2. Haircut 100- Fantastic Day
3 Depeche Mode- Just can't get enough
4. Human League- Don't you want me?
5. Prince- When doves cry
6. Men at Work- Down under
My go to neighborhood in BKK.
Easy to get there from the airport.
I miss Thailand.
You'll return soon Eric I'm hoping.
Nice video. I lived just around the corner near Bangkok Palace, at the end of Soi Ratchaprarop 8. Really interesting area and a lot went on. Have you done a vid around there? Can't say I'll miss the Market though it is an end of an era.
You mean Makkasan? I covered that are in both Makkasan video & Chit Lom & Phloen Chit videos
@@BangkokPat I'll check them tonight Pat. I've been randomly dipping into your vids rather then systemically going through them. Keep up the good work.
Pat,what’s the music at 9:30…..?….it’s great
Lance Conrad ''Elevator Lines''
Send me an email and I can send you the track. It's a little known artist.
@@BangkokPat cheers, email?
@@daviddenham1511 djpat2000@hotmail.com
@@BangkokPat email?
Another great story told BKP. I loved your story about patpong, could you do a story about his American lover and the house he half built near sam roi yot.
According to scientists who research the benefits of Cannabis as a medicine, you need at least 100mg of CBD per dose for it to even register in the bloodstream. Most CBD marketed medicines are therefore just placebo's. Also, anyone claiming a high from CBD is clearly uneducated on the matter. Both THC and CBD are still interesting propositions for pain and stress relief and helping with insomnia, nausea and appetite problems etc.. but the right dosage is important and varies from person to person apparently. What's good for one person can be bad for another and can even cause addiction (in 6% of users) and anxiety, insomnia and memory problems if used wrongly or too often. More formal research needs to be done on benefits and side effects and there needs to be a set of standards put in place to regulate it as a medicine and create products with accurate and consistent doses so people can trust what they're consuming. We're not quite there yet.
Interesting info Nick, it certainly does vary from person to person. In the UK there's a lot of the stronger skunk weed and it definitely causes addictions and sleep disturbances in high doses, not the mellow I was always used to in the old days.
If anyone's looking for another place to buy cheap clothes, etc., try Bobae Market and Bobae Tower. I visit the area for other reasons (there's lots of halal food around the mosque) but I do buy my socks there. Probably not as large or diverse as Pratunam in terms of sheer volume, but... And there's a Saen Sap canal boat stop there, too. The back of Bobae Market opens up onto those railway tracks north of Hua Lamphong Station where people live next to the tracks.
CBD does have a few uses TBF, but there's nothing like the real thing. Ganja tourism is a great idea - the first country that goes all-in will reap HUGE rewards. The only snag is the horrendous quality of herb over there - about the worst I have ever sampled, but that was years ago, I think they will soon learn how to grow properly. Let's have a whole episode on herbal matters Pat!
Back in the late 70s Thai sticks were available and it was really good ganja. Had a yellow tinge to it and came in a brick of 20 sticks. Tied on thin pieces of bamboo with twine it was some of the best I've smoked in Thailand.
@@gray2942 weren't they dipped in opium, though? There are so many legends it's hard to know. I can't imagine how they went from that to the dog-dirt I encountered in the early 2000s, anyhow.
@@gray2942 MEMORABLE smell and taste. I'd rate it the best I've had, if not the strongest. Some of the new strains are heroin strong and not enjoyable to me, like eating ghost peppers...too much of a good thing.
Baiyoke ll Towers when it was built to be one of the tallest buildings in the world. But faced with the economic crisis in 1997, designed to reduce the size of the height
Really? That's interesting to know. How much did they reduce?
Thanks Pat,always look forward to seeing your videos 🙏
There's C.B.D. and then there's C.B.D. I recently got some for anxiety and insomnia. The ordinary C.B.D. oil is just a very mild relaxant like valerian tea only ropey, but the Delta 8 or the C.B.D.-0, you wouldn't want to operate heavy machinery or drive as its very physically 'slow'. Like being physically drunk but with a clear head almost. True, its not exactly pot but its not nothing by any means, and unfortunately has a very quick tolerance build up. Great for anxiety but just complicates the Insomnia.
I'll stick with the real deal, I stopped trying to get high on CBD about 5yrs ago.
@@BangkokPat Probably wise, unless your a chronic pain sufferer, its way too expensive to use for a mere fuzzy buzz.
My first ever visit to Thailand in 1992 I stayed at Baiyoke Tower 1.
Lee that was considered a luxury hotel back then!
My fun BKK story.. I arrived 2 months b4 covid, no room, backpacking, went straight to red-light district. Met an American from Chicago within 5 min of getting out of taxi. He offered I stay with him, I accepted the offer. He lived 30th floor, penthouse downtown. Soon as I walked in, this man broke out a kilo of weed and told me he didnt even smoke.. We toked up on his balcony and went out partying for 2 weeks straight, every night. It was the wildest time.
Sounds like a great trip. bit of a fast mover!
Having not been to Bangkok since Covid hit I had no idea the market was closing. So sad, another piece of history gone.
First Hotel used to be the stinkiest soi ...soi 11 😆...wow coming home early morning .. walking past the kitchens 🤮🤮..Opera Hotel (which was a great old 60s/70s hotel,now flattened 😭 ) spent months on end there ,was just past First Hotel .Loved that area early 90s,so many dodgy places..was exciting ❤️