Market Friday: around my childhood house, ไปเดินเล่นรอบๆแถวบ้านเก่า

in #esteem5 years ago (edited)

This is my entry for #marketfriday hosted by the sweet and compassionate @dswigle. Last weekend I went to get some silver for rainy day investment. So, I had the chance to visit the old area where I grew up as a child. The old house was very close to the Sampeng market, the oldest shop-houses shopping mall in Bangkok.

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I got off the bus and walked pass a row of shop-houses which have been selling hardware since I was a kid running around the area. These Chinese must have been living here for at least three generations. These row of houses were built during the Reign of King RamaV with very long lease at very cheap rents. That’s why working Chinese families settled along these two story town houses and built their fortune in China Town and Sampeng Market.

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The road leading to my old house was at the end of this row of hardware shops. But I could not enter as the whole area has been under construction and renovation. There was a change in the management of this prime site of property. Gone was the philosophy of cheap rents for poor working people to have a roof over their heads so they could make a decent living. This location is at the other end of China Town so it is very convenient for Chinese merchants and vendors to have their businesses. The housewives could rent a stalls in Sampeng Market to sell food, snacks, clothes and household goods to earn extra income.

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There is a black curtain and a few security guards are positioned around the row of houses still under renovation. I had to ask for permission to take photos here.
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A billionaire offered to take over all these historical houses and turn them into a profitable real estate project. This meant that all the leases could not be renewed and all families had to move out even though they had lived there since their grandparents’ generations. I remembered our family moved to a much bigger house when I was twelve years old. Whenever I could, I would go back to see the old house and my old neighbours. This was the place where I had so much good time with friends and lots of wonderful adventures.

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I walked around trying a find the shortcut nearest to the old house but I could not get to see the house. So, I visited the old corner where locals would come for their Chinese chicken rice and tofu milk in the morning. But they have long gone, I found an old Chinese gentleman with his old sewing machine offering repair and stitches for shirts and trousers including changing of zippers and elastic bands for shorts and trousers.

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This came as a surprise to me as we normally see old Chinese lady working at the sewing machine. This old man must be on his own and needs to support himself. I was glad that local people allowed him to station at the space next to their building.
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Just round the corner of this building is the old and well known Chinese herbal medicine store. The whole place had been modernised and air-conditioned! They wouldn’t let me take photos so I had to take photos outside. It’s called Vechapong-osod.

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I remembered my mother taking me to this Chinese medicine clinic as a very young kid. An old Chinese doctor would put three finger tips to read my pulses on both arms. I was suffering from a bad bout of allergy with red rashes all over my arms and I was very itchy. I hated the herbal medicine which included cockroaches’ dried shits. The taste was terrible and I was made to drink the boiled herbal medicine twice a day for two weeks. I got over my allergy but I became very aggressive after being forced to take the black smelly liquid. The grand old doctor passed away a long time ago, otherwise I would have asked him to check my pulses again for some calming herbal medicine.

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I realised later that the cockroaches’ droppings in my medicine was not a joke. During a visit to one of my distant Chinese uncle who practiced Chinese internal martial art; I saw a big glass jar with several cockroaches inside. He told me that he collected their droppings for making some medicine. I almost ran away in disgust and fear. So, I was made to drink these droppings! I became in altered state since the truth was fully revealed to me.

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After recalling this nasty experience while walking around my childhood’s playground, I had to find some colourful diversion nearby. Things have changed! I found several shops selling Chinese bowls, porcelain and feng-shui cures. When we were kids, we would never see any goods from communist China; now we find things made in China everywhere.

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อาทิตย์ที่ผ่านมาเราไปซื้อเงินเม็ดเพื่อการลงทุนที่ไชน่าเทาวน์ เราจึงถือโอกาสไปเดินเล่นที่บ้านเก่า ไม่ไกลจากสำเพ็งนัก แต่เราเข้าไปเดินดูบ้านเก่าไม่ได้ เพราะตอนนี้ตึกแถวโบราณที่สร้างในสมัยรัชกาลที่5 ได้ถูกประมูลโดยเจ้าสัวที่เป็นเจ้าของเบียร์ช้าง เขาทำโครงการใหญ่โตมาก ปรับปรุงบ้านเก่าๆประมาณสามร้อยกว่าหลัง ให้ดูใหม่เอี่ยมเพื่อทำกำไรในการขายและปล่อยเช่าระยะยาวในราคาที่ทันสมัย นั่นหมายความว่า ตึกแถวของทรัพย์สินส่วนพระมหากษัตริย์ที่ เคยให้คนจนเช่าระยะยาวในราคาถูกมากๆ กลับกลายเป็นโครงการอสังหาริมทรัพย์สำหรับทำเงิน เพราะแหล่งที่ตั้งเป็นทำเลทองมีราคาที่ดินสูงมาก และอยู่ในย่านธุรกิจ

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คนที่เคยอยู่มาสามสี่ชั่วอายุคน ต่างต้องย้ายออกและหาที่อยู่ใหม่ คนที่มีทางไปก็โชคดีไป แต่คนแก่ๆที่อยู่ตามลำพังและคนที่ไม่รวยก็นับว่าน่าสงสารมาก เราไม่ได้รับอนุญาตให้เข้าไปเดินเล่นในเขตก่อสร้าง แต่เขายอมให้ถ่ายรูปได้ ครอบครัวเราอยู่ที่นี่จนเราอายุสิบสองขวบ จึงได้ย้ายบ้านไปอยู่ที่อื่น เรามีบ้านที่ใหญ่และกว้างขวางมากขึ้น แต่เราก็ยังคิดถึงบ้านเก่าที่มีความทรงจำดีๆและน่าตื่นเต้นมากมาย ถ้ามีเวลาว่างๆ เราก็จะไปเยี่ยมเพื่อนบ้านเก่าแก่ที่ยังหลงเหลืออยู่ เพื่อนเก่าสมัยเด็กๆก็ย้ายกันไปหมด เราติดเงินเพื่อนที่เป็นลูกร้านขายทอง พอจะไปใช้เงินที่เคยยืมเอาไปซื้อขนมมาให้น้องกิน ก็ตกใจที่เขาตายด้วยโรคหัวใจไปนานแล้ว เขาตัวอ้วนใหญ่ตั้งแต่เด็กแล้ว

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เราก็เดินหาร้านขายข้าวมันไก่ และนํ้าเต้าหู้ที่ทุกคนต้องมาคอยคิวซื้อ แต่เขาไม่อยู่แล้ว มีแต่ชายจีนสูงอายุนั่งเย็บผ้าและเปลี่ยนซิปกางเกงอยู่แทนที่ เราก็เดินเลี้ยวไปที่มุมถนนเพื่อเยี่ยมร้านหมอจีน ที่เราเคยไปหาตอนเด็กๆ ร้านเปลี่ยนไปมากมีการติดแอร์ด้วย เขาไม่ให้ถ่ายรูปในร้าน ก็เลยต้องถ่ายรูปแต่ข้างนอก เราเคยต้องดื่มยาต้มที่ทั้งดำและขม แถมยังมีส่วนประกอบของอึแมลงสาปด้วย ทำให้เรากลายเป็นคนก้าวร้าวตั้งแต่เด็ก เพราะถูกบังคับให้ดื่มยาต้มพิษแสนขมหลายสัปดาห์

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เราต้องหาทางผ่อนคลาย จากความทรงจำที่แสนขมด้วยการเดินดูของสวยสีสดใสแถวนั้น เราเห็นความเปลี่ยนแปลงชัดเจน เราเจอร้านขายของมาจากจีนหลายสิบร้าน ตอนเด็กๆเราจะไม่เคยเห็นของจากจีนเลย เพราะตอนนั้นจีนยังเป็นคอมมิวนิสต์ ร้านขายเครื่องถ้วยขาม ของแต่งบ้านและของแก้เคล็ดในบ้านมาจากจีนมากมาย

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นอกจากนี้ กระแสการสะสมของเล่นโบราณ ก็ทำให้มีร้านเปิดขายของเล่นเด็กมือสองด้วย ถ้าทางบ้านไม่ทิ้งของเล่นเก่าๆ ไปหมด เราก็คงได้เอาของเก่ามาขายด้วย

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There seems to be a trend towards collecting old toys so there are shops selling these old toys. We used to have buckets of miniature cars and toys at home. Had they not been thrown away as rubbish, I would have set up a shop and earn some income.

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This optician has very strange display window; there are so many feng-shui cures among displayed spectacles.

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Wishing you a very nice weekend.

Cheers.

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Wow! This is a nice surprise! Thank you ever so much for your kind support and encouragement.

Wishing you and your team a wonderful weekend!

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What a fantastic addition to the #marketfriday initiative!

I love how much greenery there is in the main street!

And theeeeeeese...... I would have bought them ALL!!!!

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Thanks to @dswigle and her resteem which is how I got here :)

Thank you very much for this surprising support and encouragement!

I am so glad that you enjoy these photos. The old ladies at the ceramic shop would be smiling non-stop if you were to buy half a dozen bowls! Business has been very quiet and they are giving quite a reduction in prices!

If you like ceramics and pottery, you should visit my friend’ shop in central Bangkok. Indian and European tourists often order whole sets as wedding presents and gifts for customers at their hotels!

You should drop by Bangkok one day, and I’ll be your guide!

I am so grateful to sweet Denise @dswigle for being so kind and loving to all budding Steemians and putting a lot of effort in nourishing them all. She certainly has incredible energy and a very big heart!
She really put me to shame for I could not yet achieved the level of being selfless as she did. She has made impact on those she had made the acquaintance and filled their hearts with warming feeling. She’s my ideal teacher for showing me how to live a compassionate life in a quietly gentle way.

Wishing you a very nice weekend.

All the best.

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Do you think that cockroach medicine actually worked???
Nice post!!
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Congratulations @rynow, you are successfuly trended the post that shared by @kaminchan!
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Thank you very much! I’ll have to look this up!

Thank you very much for your generosity! I still don’t know much about this token and how to subscribe, but I’ll look it up!

In fact, I always have a hidden question about Chinese herbal medicine which contains animal parts or bits. In the past, cockroaches were not subjected to lots of chemicals so their droppings might have some medicinal values.

This makes me think about homeopathy and the concept of using poison to cure one’s ailment. Homeopathy believes that plants that cause allergy could be extracted to give the ‘antidote’ for allergic symptoms.

I must say that bitter and smelly Chinese medicine did me a lot of good. My eczema and crazy itchy condition actually disappeared in a month. But I think things have changed, we use too much chemicals in everyday life, so I would not think that it will work as effectively as in the past. Herbs are also less effective unless they are organically grown.

I am very cautious when seeing a Chinese doctor nowadays as it’s quite difficult to find a very experienced and learned herbalist. In the old days, an apprentice had to be trained with his master or teacher for at least twenty years before he could work on his own!

Sorry for my late reply. I was too hectic to sit down quietly for an hour or two!

Cheers.

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What a great market Friday! I love the Chinese medicine story. I have used Chinese medicine a lot, but never cockroach droppings. I'm guessing the US won't allow that sort of thing. It was fun to visit your childhood neighborhood! Have a great weekend!

Thank you very much! Some old Chinese medicine includes dried lizards! I think they should stop using all animal products. I wonder if these animal bits in the formula really work as they didn’t make any lab test!

Have a nice Sunday!

so much to see thanks for sharing with us

Thank you for your kind visit. Have a great day!

My pleasure to visit ;)

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Well! Thank you very much for your good work!

Howdy sir kaminchan! A fantastic slice of culture there and a look at your old neighborhood, so sad what happened to the old house businesses. Very interesting though.

Thanks! Life must go on! I feel the same way, rather sad to see all empty houses! No more old neighbours, no more familiar houses!

Have a good day!

Well, what is disturbing is that many had to move out because of the newer housing but where did they move to? They had a great set up because their business was on the ground floor and their living quarters were on the second floor, right?

Yes! That’s very bad for at least an
old lady I knew since being a kid! She had no family and she has to move to live with some distant relatives far away from Bangkok. It’s very hard as she was already in her seventies!

These are extremely rich businessmen who wanted to make more profits from their prime investment. That’s, by the way, the owners of Chang Beer company here! These are the top five richest family in Thailand!

Gone were the old days of easy and friendly way of life in the old China town area!

That just sounds tragic sir kaminchan, the whole thing! What a shame.

Luckily that old lady has some place to move to! Most people were financially well off, so they could afford new houses! But the old community just disappeared!

I could no longer locate people I used to know as a kid. We had no choice but to let go of the past and made the best of what we have got!

I understand sir kaminchan, that's too bad. It's too bad that the city government couldn't have gotten another location for them.

Well, that's something. Herbal medicine including dried cockroach excrement. :)

Yeah! That was quite a shock to see cockroaches in a big glass jar at my uncle’s house. I hope they have changed the herbal formula as cockroaches nowadays are very different from those small ones in the old days!

So many colorful things to see ;)

Yap! You’ll be quite dazed!

It does look a bit overwhelming :)

A pair of sunglasses or a glass of cool white wine will put you at ease in a minute!

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