Bangkok over the years

Bangkok is a city that welcomes tourists arriving on holiday or business trips. It boasts a population of more than ten million and features high-rise hotels, offices buildings, condominiums, and office buildings. All over Bangkok, you will find multi-million-dollar shopping malls. The gridlocked streets of the city are often clogged with cars and overcrowded. Red light districts are notorious for their seediness and have one of the worst records in the world. The streets are filled with young, unhappy elephants who are sold as beggars to tourists. Roads are a madhouse, pollution is terrible, heat is oppressive, and humidity is constant. The city's temperatures have been steadily rising year after year due to uncontrolled growth over the past twenty years and the growing levels of pollution. Temperatures can reach 40 degrees Celsius in the summer, when temperatures are at their highest, which is between April and June.

What happened to The worst time to visit Bangkok, Noel Coward? What happened to the city once called "The Venice of the East?" Without much thought, the Thai government permitted unabated growth. Planning controls were almost non-existent. Developers who had enough money could go where they wanted, and do whatever they pleased.

What was Bangkok like 30-40 years ago? Yes, it is a much different place and a better place to live. This is based on my personal experience in the 1960s. What was the difference? For one, there was a 60% population reduction. Mass migration from rural areas has not started. It was impossible to count the number of high-rise buildings, which were rarely more than five or six stories high. Although the roads were sometimes crowded, it was not as bad as today. From the suburbs, it was easy to travel to central Bangkok in a reasonable amount of time. Other than the polluted buses and taxis that emitted foul-smelling smoke, pollution was not too bad. It was possible to walk around the city comfortably because of the lower temperatures. This is nearly impossible now. Yes, there was a red-light district. But it was very low-key and not as well-respected as the notorious undiluted flesh-for sale areas.

In the 1960s, Thailand was experiencing problems. Large parts of Bangkok fell under water every August and September as floodwaters came down from the Northern and Central regions. This event happened year after year without flood defenses. Although this problem is now almost gone, it took over four decades to resolve.