Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Alternative Dwellings in Bangkok

Here's a strange dwelling just off Phaholyothin Road, near the Mor Chit Skytrain Station:

Passing by at night, the lights are on. Somehow, just a sliver of a former apartment was preserved in the process of demolition. A parking lot surrounds the structure.

I wouldn't mind living there. Deck it out with vines, potted plants, and eerie lighting.

Here's another joint I've long eyeballed as a possible dwelling:

Cinderella's Castle at the old "Din neramit" Amusement Park. Several generations of Thais have fond memories of this place, as elementary schools would bus their students here for a day of enjoyment. It was hardly world-class and became redundant following the opening of "Dream World."

The park closed about a decade ago, with virtually all the attractions being shuttled off to wherever antiqued attractions get shuttled. Only the castle remains. In the background, you see unfinished condos, victims of the 1997 Southeast Asian currency crisis:

My solution to this double boondoggle: