Street of Shame

[Bangkoktraveler]

OK, what posts here by members of this board confirming and telling their own stories about how the lower sois of Sukhumvit? Are we also part of this PR campaign??

 

 

 

sois off of suk soi 50 have had a lot of construction over the years.

 

Wife is building an apartment building right now.

 

So what is going on with lower suk?

 

Cost of land is too much.

assessed value of property is too much.

The possibility of making a go there is not too good.

 

[buddha]

exit2dos: If seeing a guy crawling down the street, masked black widows of Jihadists buying costume jewelry, pretty little country girls looking like rough tough little hookers, trannies who look like Miss Universe and could kick your ass offends you or anyone else, don't go there.

 

In one sentence you describe a more realistic scenario of what 'the suk' is actually like than the article posted by the OP. Very entertaining. Thanks.

[charmonman]

All I know is Sukhumvit isn't as much fun as it used to be - the construction projects between soi 11 and 21 have turned it into a bit of a dead zone. The only thing remaining that adds a bit of life is the fairly pathetic remnant of the "new" Thermae and the small cluster of food stalls around it. Mind you, I definitely don't miss the katoeys who used to accost every male passerby in the early to mid nineties. The original site of the Thermae, beside the Miami Hotel, is still a vacant lot last time I checked, after they tore the place down in '96. I don't know if Bangkok has such a thing as a city planning department, but if they do, they're doing a pretty crappy job on Sukhumvit.

[Gadfly]

OK, to put things back in proper perspective, two quick points:

 

1. Exitdocs, in referring to me, says: "I don't get the "Street of Shame" crap you keep writing about. " I assume this is a mistake, since I didn't start this thread or write the article that started this thread, But many, including me, have posted on the changes to lower Sukhumvit. But we are not (I am certainly not), as exitdocs suggests, advocating some evangelical agenda, but rather, comparing (a) the current state of the lower sois Sukhumvit to ( what this area used to be and other areas of Bangkok (say, Soi Cowboy or even Thonglor), which are more sanuk than lower sois of Sukhumvit are now. That is pretty obvious.

 

2. This little exchange with exitdocs was about whether Sukhumvit from Emporium to Siam Paragon was going to change into a large shopping mall. I can't quite figure what evangelical christians or any other religious group have to do with this discussion (but notice the misdirection created by the distracting injection of religion into this discussion), but getting back to the point, does anyone here really believe that in this economy at this point in Thailand's history (read: unstable) that Sukhumvit from Emporium to Siam Paragon is on the tipping point of turning into one large and upscale shopping mall?

 

We can all agree that is sheer nonsense. Exitdocs refers to developers and PR jobs. You gotta ask: "why?" And then you should ask: do we have someone on this board now who is trying to unload some property or other bad investment on the lower sois of Sukhumvit?

 

If so, he has my sympathies and I wish him the best of luck ('cause he'll need it).

[buddha]

I am actually looking to purchase a beer bar in the soi 10 complex.

[jxxxl]

I have a Thai friend who comes from a prominent Thai business family. He is a career banker turned entrepreneur and real estate developer.

 

About eight years ago, we were having dinner and a visiting farang business associate asked this guy what was the 5th Avenue of Bangkok and he said Sukhumvit road.

 

So, if Thais consider this stretch of road one of the highest rent districts of Bangkok, how do you think they react when the drive past and see what's going on today. From a sex tourists perspective it may feel like paradise, but the thais see it as a complete shit hole brought about by corruption. "Street of Shame" is an appropriate title Sukhumvit has earned and all Thais should be ashamed of it.

 

It would have been a lot better for everyone if the action stayed indoors.

[simie]

I agree but of course we have to remember the Thai's brought it upon themselves. Nearly all the late night shit on Sukhumvit now is a direct result of Purachai's social order campaign of 2001. As you say would have been far better if they'd have kept more of the action inside licenced bars.

Simie.

[jxxxl]

...the Thai's brought it upon themselves.

 

They absolutely did.

 

I remember someone writing when we were discussing the early closing times, that this would create all sorts of new opportunities for the coppers. I think this was spot on and we are seeing the results of that.

 

I can't believe Thais are so stupid that they allow this kind of shit to be perpetrated by the police and politicians and don't make a squeak.

[Gadfly]

I remember someone writing when we were discussing the early closing times, that this would create all sorts of new opportunities for the coppers. I think this was spot on and we are seeing the results of that.

 

I can also remember several of us making exactly this point. I also recommend others dismissing it as sheer nonsense.

 

 

[chuckwoww]

I can't believe Thais are so stupid that they allow this kind of shit to be perpetrated by the police and politicians and don't make a squeak.

 

They do boil over now and then. That's when the army steps in.