Always found it strange why the Khmer was filled with sordid details & yet the Siam would not have an eye blinked!

Thanks for the feedback guys, that helps paint a picture of what it was like.

I think what is really interesting to me is that there seemed to be less activity on the streets in comparison to say Ho Chi Minh City, Phnom Penh etc. I'd done some reading into this and discovered the due to the huge amoutn of malls now, many high street shops have been closed up. It certainly seems to be true upon inspection, even on parts of Sukumvit you can see it.

Also of note is the Governments push against street food.

Tbh, based on my three trips there, Chinatown is probably the most vibrant part of the city of Bangkok to me.

Sukumvit road was alright in parts, but really not overly compelling overall. I was struggling to see what the fuss was about tbh.

First/early visits to a place like Bangkok are always going to make a lasting impression, as time marches on and I became familiar with the place the novelty and uniqueness wore off to some extent. The excitement and anticipation of what might lie ahead I used to get in the arrivals hall of Don Muang slowly but surely became less over time, everything was so different back then, 1994 for me, to where I came from.

I wouldn't go as far as saying familiarity breeds contempt but we are discussing a nightlife area and over time you start to recognise the false facade that it is, ( Private Dancer ). which when added to the commercialism/modernisation, increased expense and reduced personal feel all diminished the appeal of the area, experience and Bangkok in general.

I do wonder whether any youngster stepping fresh of the plane in Bangkok these days will experience the same buzz and excitement we did. Through technology they are arriving in a place they are visually familiar with, having watched every YouTube video available, a mass transit ride into town reveals none of the old Thai smiles you read about but a crush of unhappy tired looking people with their heads buried in their mobile phones. As you walk to Nana for the first time you see streets lined with modern concrete, glass and marble high rise facades and the same global shop and restaurant chains as back home. You find yourself a bar stool, the girls don't look up from their mobile phones, eventually you manage to attract their attention and the menu reveals you are going to be paying more for your beer than the local back home, surely not !! Where did it all go wrong ?

Your drink arrives, " What's your name, where you come from ? ". Some things never change however.

La Quenta wrote: ↑Mon Jan 04, 2021 9:28 am Thanks for the feedback guys, that helps paint a picture of what it was like.

I think what is really interesting to me is that there seemed to be less activity on the streets in comparison to say Ho Chi Minh City, Phnom Penh etc. I'd done some reading into this and discovered the due to the huge amoutn of malls now, many high street shops have been closed up. It certainly seems to be true upon inspection, even on parts of Sukumvit you can see it.

Also of note is the Governments push against street food.

Tbh, based on my three trips there, Chinatown is probably the most vibrant part of the city of Bangkok to me.

Sukumvit road was alright in parts, but really not overly compelling overall. I was struggling to see what the fuss was about tbh.

Agree with all of what you say, I've based myself in Chinatown for the last few years on any visits as its's the closest to the older character and feel streetwise, with Silom Road only a short ride away for choice at night. Did take advantage of the great hotel deals on offer in higher Sukhumvit on my last trip, the few open bars were doing great deals for a change as well in the current climate.