What has happened to Lower Sukhumvit

[mespike]

Seems the Sukhumvit Road area from Asok to Nana has deteriorated to point of disgust and intolerable environment.

Alot of us were complaining about it 3 years ago but it got worse instead of better. The vendors have totally clogged the sidewalks in places you can barely get though. There are bottlenecks everywhere. I wish stupid tourists would stop buying that crap and 50% of the vendors would go away. There are dregs everywhere in that area now its seems as if has become a forbidden zone for non dregs. 10 years ago Nana was a red light zone yes but there were alot more nice girls hanging around and a hell of a lot less ladyboys. Now there are so many ladyboys there you could form an army not to mention 3rd world degenerates. Africans have the highest incidence of Aids on the planet and Indians have the highest new infection rate. Do you want to be screwing the same girls they are? Therme used to be a place where western men could chill out and meet a fun girl. Now they might as well put a Japs Only sign on it. Beer garden on Soi 7 should change its name to the Used up Veterans and Granny Shack. I think there is a lot of nice girls in Bangkok and very few of them want to go to Lower Sukhumvit. Its become a ****hole and i wish someone would restore it to its previous luster.

Edited February 23, 2011 by mespike

[CobraKai]

I work for an Adventure Travel company and all of our tours to Thailand start at a hotel in the area in question (The Royal Benja, on the same soi as Gullivers). The number of complaints we get from clients about the area has definetely increased in the last few years. I actually like Sukhumvit, as I quite like the noise, smell and general chaos, and there's still lots of good street food to be had in the area - but I do agree that the vendors (and number of beggers around the exit/entrance to Nana BTS, for example) creates an awful first impression. I've never had an issue with the number of Nigerians or Indians in and around that area, since I come from multicultural melting pot London (and have enjoyed beating a few of the Nigerians/Indians at pool in my time!).

[falangboy]

Lower Sukhumvit has certainly changed but I won't say whether its for the better or worse. Every place changes. I liked it better before, but that's based on my own lifestyle. There are a lot more Muslim and African tourist (etc) in the area that makes it a bit less familiar to me but I can't say its a bad thing. I know many African and Arab Muslims who are great people and great customers to local businesses (including bars) in the area (I also know many bars that were really getting killed with orange juice drinkers selling illegal substances).

The closing laws pushed everything on to the street after 1/2am. In the beginning, I enjoyed the atmosphere. Now, not so much. If I had my druthers, I would pick the old Thermae to the street scene in a second. But I can't romantacize that either. Talk about lady boys... you needed to physically fight your way into the bar thru the side alley. And once you were in, you needed squeeze your way around the bar. Still, it was nice to have one or two happening, after-hours places rather than a scattered street fair.

That area has a lot of great restaurants as well. It was the first place to really see a good mix of international cuisine. These days, much of it has moved or been build elsewhere but great places remain. Soi 11 is still one of the best sois for food and entertainment.

I don't really spend a lot of time in Nana or Cowboy these days but they don't seem to have changed too much. I have a lot of friends who come to visit Bangkok regularly and they haven't complained. They still seem to enjoy lower Sukhumvit as much as ever. I think the longer you are here, the more your opinion changes about certain areas.

I'm actually going to disagree (I think) with Bill regarding Patpong. I don't think it has changed one bit since I've been coming here (1989 was my first time). It has always been more tourist driven and, thus, more thick with vendors and traffic. The problem they have had is that they didn't find a way to change. I think they are doing it now with a lot of new places but they fell behind Sukhumvit.

In the end, I think it all comes down to you. The people who come for a visit once or twice a year still love it. The people who live here see the area changing and they don't like it. Probably because no one likes change too much. After all, you moved here because you like the way it was.

Me, I'm an above Asoke guy now (after many years of being a lower Sukhumvit person). I still live near Patpong but I've always partied between Cowboy and Nana. These days, I'm seeing a lot more of the area between Thong Lor and Asoke. Maybe next time I'll be even further up Sukhumvit. I still like all the areas though. And I'll still recommend a lot of places in lower Sukhumvit.

[CiaranM]

and have enjoyed beating a few of the Nigerians/Indians at pool in my time!

jing lor ?? hahahahaha !!!

how's things Kai ? haven't seen u online much here now !! hope things r good !!

[CobraKai]

jing lor ?? hahahahaha !!!

how's things Kai ? haven't seen u online much here now !! hope things r good !!

I'm good thanks. You haven't seen me on Thailandfriends much, but I'm always on facebook! I was staying off this site as I didn't have any plans to return to Thailand for a while and it makes me "homesick" if I think about Thailand too much. Besides, I still get all the gossip etc by looking at Ammy, May, Josie and Deester's facebook updates and photos. I'm in BKK in the first week of April for a friend's wedding, but I can't see any events to sign up for and we have the wedding and Wisky's parents (my inlaws) to juggle so I haven't really made any plans to meet up with anyone (yet)! After Bangkok, we're off to India for two weeks.

[StuckinBKK]

I live on Soi 4. When I come home at night, I avoid the top of my soi and take a back street. I never walk on the 'odd' side of Sukhumvit at night time.

The area is overrun with Arabs and Africans. Last week I was riding my bike up to the lights at Soi 3 and an African guy shouted from 5 metres away, "Hey... wanna buy ganja?"

Arab men walk down the street in gangs of 4 or 5. They don't use the pavements and they don't move for vehicles. Recently I've been driving a car and I've 'moved' a few of them to the pavement with my bumper. I don't understand the 'f uck you' mentality of 'eyeballing' a car. A pedestrian is NEVER going to win. I think they are counting on the driver being too scared to run into them... Bad luck in my case. I've found that people can move remarkably quickly when I drop down a gear and pop the clutch.

Praise the lord for that way of thinking, those filthy pig Nigerians do like a good bit of eyeballing, a mass culling of this vile scum is whats needed, and the fat filthy whores they bring with them. The Arabs/Indians dont cause any mischief though and are civilised enough for this area!

[hbkbkk]

There is alway advantage and disadvantage to everything. One point I do want to share is that I have a much easier time rent out my condos at lower sukhumvit.

[Treborz]

I went to a pool party at Dream Hotel with FHM girls.

I'm staying there in 3 weeks, where do i sign up?