Holiday (Day 5) — Ghost Condo
I decided to stay in Bangkok one more night for the express purpose of trying to climb the 49-story Ghost Condominium located approximately one block from the Saphan Thaksin BTS station. I had seen it the prior day jutting through the city skyline and read some online articles about it but I couldn’t decide if I really wanted to go hiking through an abandoned building. After perusing some more articles, a law enforcement phrase I learned from my first Field Training Officer came hurtling from the depths of my subconscious that this journey fit into the category of: “the juice was worth the squeeze”.
As I mentioned earlier, the Ghost Condo (Sathorn Unique Tower is its real name) is an unfinished skyscraper that halted construction in 1997 (80% completed) due to the Asian financial crisis. Locals believe the tower may be haunted and it also goes by the nicknames: The Ghost Tower and Haunted Skyscraper. According to several of the online articles I read, you walk from Saphan Thaksin BTS station to an alleyway (Charoen Krung Road) at which point you find a way in through the fencing or pay a security guard to let you in.
Prior to starting my Day 5 adventure, I found a breakfast nook called Crepes & Co. (Langsuan Soi 1) that served a wide array of crepes and breakfast skillets. It is located within walking distance from the Chit Lom BTS station. My first impression of the restaurant was clean American style decor with a hint of French asthetics. I ordered the egg, sausage and hash brown skillet which I would not recommend. I also tried the banana crepe with chocolate drizzled over the crepe and it was noteworthy. The crepe was delicately constructed with a slight crisp on the edges and the banana filling provided a subtle balance to the chocolate drizzle. I’m glad I had the crepe after the breakfast skillet because I left with a high opinion of the establishment.
After breakfast, I rode the BTS to Saphan Thaksin station where I disembarked and observed the Ghost Condominium standing like a lone sentry amongst the densely packed Thai neighborhood stores, local restaurants, street vendors, and residences.
Sathorn Unique Tower (Ghost Condo)
I walked approximately one block to Charoen Krung Road and cautiously made my way down the alleyway. There were no other businesses or homes down this road. Except for a couple of locals who were meandering about, I was the only foreigner in the area. I tried several times to defeat the corrugated metal fencing surrounding the entryways with no success. I observed there were several large banners in both English and Thai hanging from the fence that said in large lettering, “No Trespassing”. Parked along the fence line was a rotting rusted minivan which I was going to climb to jump over the fence but at the last minute I observed there was thick black grease covering the exterior making it impossible to grip or climb. I continued walking up and down the alleyway trying to figure out how to get in when two gaunt poorly dressed Thai men peeked over the fence from the Ghost Condominiums second story parking garage and said, “500 Baht. We let you in.” I tried bartering with them but they would not budge on the price. I declined their offer not knowing if there were other people hiding in the building and I wasn’t feeling a great vibe from the two males watching me.
I left the alleyway thinking that there might be another way in that was a little less sketchy and I found an entryway into the main complex through a restaurant on the main street. I started to walk into the restaurant and a Thai male aggressively confronted me. He placed his hand in front of my chest and firmly said, “Go away. No enter.” I had never experienced a Thai person talk or act like that toward me so I decided to finish the excursion.
Reflecting on the experience, I am glad I tried but climbing an empty dilapidated skyscraper in Bangkok was not at the top of my list of things to do. This experience was completely off the beaten path and the feeling I had was that the locals had figured how to make money off foreigners.