What has changed in Thailand since your first visit?

[tomcat]

...a more flavorful and fresher selection of large and cherry tomatoes (in the 2 supermarkets I frequent, anyway); the availability of fresh basil and other herbs used in western cooking; local grapes and avocadoes for sale; a vast improvement in mall dining choices; ladyboys seem a tad more presentable (under streetlights); online 90-day registrations...

[happynz]

It's really nothing special, but it's long gone and that was midnight in the middle of Sanam Luang sitting on really short stools slurping up khanom jeen, munching on veggies and listening to melancholic tunes on the noodle lady's transistor radio.

[Troy]

^ Talking of old tin shacks, walls used to be made from teak leaves and/or old cardboard with newspapers, now breeze block is the norm.

[cyrille]

avocadoes (under streetlights)

Dim bulbs.

[misskit]

No more men fishing in the moat in Chiang Mai with crossbows. Personal automobiles were few so no traffic. There were bus plunges killing dozens of people every month. No more farmers in overloaded pickups running traffic lights because they didn’t know what they were. No more going to Kad Suan Keow and seeing villagers afraid to step on the escalators. My friends were all young, good looking people, now are all old codgers.

[Bogon]

Going to rent a VCD from the local Mangpong.

[Troy]

One thing that is the same, they still steal my fu£cking fish!

Good luck to them, another year where they end up with nothing big because they steal the small.

[beachbound]

The quality, portion size, and of course price, of restaurant food.

[Joe 90]

Lulu has got older and still achieved fvck all apart from trying to troll random peeps on random obscure Internet forums.

His papa must be so proud his protégé has accomplished so much

[cyrille]

Lulu has got older and still achieved fvck all apart from trying to troll random peeps on random obscure Internet forums.

His papa must be so proud his protégé has accomplished so much

If only he could have achieved on a large scale, for example saving the forum from dying, like you have.

Then there was all that sweeping up you did at work over the weekend.

[Joe 90]

There's a lot less second hand bookshops in Chiang Mai

[cyrille]

There's a lot less second hand bookshops in Chiang Mai

'fewer', and that makes no sense whatsoever.

[Joe 90]

Ciz the gift that keeps giving.


BTW there's fewer educational institutions that accept koh San Road degrees

[cyrille]

Not flouncing or suggesting other posters are putting their daughters at risk tonight?

Those are normally your 'go to' options at this time in the morning.

[Joe 90]

#triggered

They're not there's, missed opportunity Ciz.

[Seekingasylum]

The greatest change has been I’ve got a lot older, as indeed have the majority of farang expats. Beer gardens have disappeared, Thai food has become rubbish in most farang bars, Thai are now increasingly fat, but perhaps the worst change is that access to credit has indebted them all to the degree that life for most has become a very serious affair indeed.
But as Fondles has remarked, and I didn’t register, no more cold towels!
But still, their infantilism, profound ignorance and cognitive inability all remain delightfully present.

[thailazer]

Humility. 3 decades ago, every hotel employee would lower their head as they passed you. I remember feeling embarrassed that they would do that. Not the case today, although there is still some respect in some places. Tourism hasn't been good on keeping the earned respect of the past.

Cars. Chiang Mai mornings used to involve waves of motorcycles and nary a car. Now it is a jam of cars! Samlors could be seen all over the city.

[Seekingasylum]

Familiarity breeds contempt.

[david44]

Familiarity breeds contempt.

and chlldren

Fewer Squid on a bike Hawkers
Thankfully no elephants mahoots hawking bananas in busy traffic
Lightly modded TV transitioned to heavily modded Asean post nong in the barrel era
Lightly modded TD to an insult tournament
Ajarn Forum and SZS came and went good buddies gone RIP JJ et al

I guess like everwhere cell phone so that everyone's gazing at a screen be it games gambling dating hornpub or invaluable satnav , google maps

More out of town Malls fewer cinemas
Far fewer mendicant monks here now.
Pre sat tv net Shopee Ali Lazada the Bangkok Post on Sunday was a must read and comfort parcels from home of marmite and rare eats

Lost backpackers behind Nancy Chandlers picture maps of Bangkok
Drinking Smoking Gambling Dining Cars all the way from BKK to Penang

Far easier visa bounces no photos or dabs at airports
Where I live no building permits or inspections back then
500 baht cash only exit tax at Don Muang
No skytrain choices away from the klongs was walk baht bus mototcy taxi or taxi,
I'm rarely in Bangkok do Motorcycle Taxs still ply the sois from BTA stations?
Seem to be fewer passenger minivans here perhaps due to increased car ownership?

Major changes of regime and regs but largely inaffected unlike the Spring Smog!!

It used to be ANT n SMEG now it's RANT n SMOG

[Edmond]

there's fewer

They're not there's

Maybe on the 3rd attempt....



Kawa introducing the Ninja 250 around 2008.
Then the 650 series around 2009/10 and opening up their big bike centers. Honda following suit with their Big Wing franchises around 5 years later.

[cyrille]

You don't have to buy Marlboro cigs from a dodgy stall on the street, because their importation and sale was 'illegal'.

Pharmacies don't seem to sell Mekhong Whisky and Khrong Thip ciggies anymore.

Soft drinks served in plastic bags are less common, in '89 they were never in cans.

Thankfully, there are more 'western style' pubs than just Bobby's Arms, and even 34 years later a pint of lager can cost less than it did there.

[aging one]

1979, No air conditioning in all taxis and most cars. No skytrain or any other higher speed public transportation. No expressway above Vipawidee Rangsit rd, or going out the back side past Mochit bus station. Taxi's had no meters, The Dusit Thani hotel, and Chokchai tower on Sukumvit were the two tallest buildings. You drove all the way down Sukumvit rd. to get to Pattaya which had clean beaches.

The best international restaurant was Nicks No. 1 with Hungarian cuisine at the corner of Sathorn and Rama 4. Thai International was considered one of the best in the world, and was managed by SAS.

[armstrong]

[nidhogg]

What has changed in Thailand since your first visit?

- the King.

[cyrille]

R-i-g-h-t.

The time.

The year.

The century.

My underpants.