What has changed in Thailand since your first visit?

[Barty]

A few weeks ago, I was sitting in my car on Sukhumvit road in Bangkok, waiting for the lights to turn green so that I could turn right to enter Soi 26. In the car with me was one of my first business partners in Thailand. Both of us have been travelling to Thailand since the late 1980’s. I was at the front of the line, and while waiting for the light to change, numerous motorcycles pulled up in front of us to turn right. Most of the motorbikes were for food delivery, but three of the bikes were taxis. Each one of the taxis had a female passenger. This is what prompted my question to the gentleman that was sitting with me, “What has changed in Thailand since your first visit here”.

I asked this because of what I observed of the women sitting on the motorbike taxis.

All of them were sitting on the bikes straddling the seat, not side saddle. I doubt you would have seen that in the 80s or 90s.

All three of them had visible tattoos. It would have been very unusual to see a woman with a tattoo when I first came here, even somewhat unusual to men with visible tattoos.

All three of them were chubby, with one of them close to being obese.

All three were showing a lot of skin, with the larger lass wearing a see-through top that showed the tattoos on her back.

For some reason it amused me to see these three ladies and observe the contrast of what was acceptable in the 80s to what they can do today.

Of course there are a lot of other things that I notice that have changed, but I thought I would kick this question off and ask, what do other Teakdoor members notice that has changed since their first visit to the country?

[Topper]

Ladies in Thailand are breaking boundaries from what is considered "polite".

[Troy]

There was only one car in the village on my early visits, many more now. It was before mobiles and there was one telephone kiosk, shared by the village.

[Joe 90]

Obesity, the exchange rate..

[Neverna]

Lots more coffee shops and much better coffee available.

[hallelujah]

Lots more coffee shops and much better coffee available.

I've noticed this on my last few visits too. You go to any small town and you'll find coffee shops almost next door to each other at times.

I like the Amazon ones as far as a chain goes (they come in handy when you're on holiday and on the road from town/city to island), but you're spoilt for choice pretty much anywhere, aren't you?

[helge]

Rates for whores and hotel rooms probably gone up from 300 baht a night.



Nah, only joking. Always went for the cashiers

[Norton]

All three of them had visible tattoos

No tattoos my first year and a Thai won the Miss Universe contest. So many changes not just Thailand but worldwide. The vid an example of just how much.

[S Landreth]

what do other Teakdoor members notice that has changed since their first visit to the country?

You can now see wind turbines, solar panels, EV’s and Thai females in tiny bikini’s

[DrWilly]

Washington square and Clinton Plaza gone.

[Fondles]

no more cold towels when ya enter a bar.

[armstrong]

McDonald's now have spicy nuggets.

[Wonton]

Number of tourists, 2.5M early 1980's.

[aging one]

Number of tourists, 2.5M early 1980's.

Heaven it was...

[Shy Guava]

Things I don't see so much, or never, anymore:

1. Gaily painted Isuzu 10 wheel trucks with a wooden bench seat with only enough room for the driver to sit sideways.
2. Filthy Sarm Taharn fuel stations
3. Civilians wearing guns
4. Orange Squash buses with the busboys hanging out the doors and windows doing acrobatics
5. Kamoys stealing interprovincial telephone lines
6. Giant hand painted movie posters
7. No hands restaurants (maybe I'm just old)
8. Bellboy (aka pimp) desks on every floor of upcountry hotels
9. Datsun Bluebird taxis with the floors rotted out so your feet went through like Fred Flintstone

[Hugh Cow]

Washington square and Clinton Plaza gone.

I loved Washington square and the vibe.

[Troy]

You can now see wind turbines, solar panels, EV’s and Thai females in tiny bikini’s

You won't see any of those in bikinis in the NE. Women don't even wear bikinis in the swimming pool!

[hallelujah]

Slow ferries to the islands.

Becoming fewer and fewer as they are gradually replaced by those ghastly speedboats.

Give me a 1 hour leisurely ride on the top deck with a beer in the hand instead of being packed in like sardines on a 15 minute slalom across the waves any day of the week.

[cyrille]

You won't see any of those in bikinis in the NE. Women don't even wear bikinis in the swimming pool!

Dunno wtf he's talking about there.

The occasional tattooed hooker, maybe.

[aging one]

Dunno wtf he's talking about there.

The occasional tattooed hooker, maybe.

Then you have not been to a nice resort pool in a while. Go to any upscale resort and you will see them, and most are looking really nice. A big change it seems since covid.

I personally think it has to do with social media, Tic Toc and Instagram being the place to find the photos.

[Bettyboo]

It was good, it's now shite...

(I suspect getting married might have been the main issue...)

[Norton]

Big changes in roads system. A 1965 road map.

[Pragmatic]

Immigration laws.

[armstrong]

LEO have changed the design of their can.

[Storekeeper]

* Navy carriers now pull in pier side but back in the old days we had to roll up our trousers and wade ashore.
* 7/11s in the villages.
* Not as many, if any, TEFLer jobs advertised on ajarn in the places I used to be interested in … Nakhonsawan, Phichit, Rayong.
* Lots more “international” schools in Patters and no farangs anymore where I used to work.
* Seems like way more cars and trucks compared to motosais compared to just 15 years ago.
* More concrete abodes and less tin shacks in the village of Taphan Hin.