Another backpacker told me about this one when I was in Chiang Mai and was gutted I missed it so made sure to have a go when I was back in Bangkok at the end of my trip.
I did a load of research on it as it all sounded a bit dodge – some Swedish backpacker had hanged himself there only a few months ago so I expected it to be fully sealed. Apparently not. Now a small group of entrepreneurial squatters were living there and charging people 200Baht (£4) to enter.
I couldn’t spot an alternative way in and as it was my last night decided to go for it. Definitely my favourite spot in Bangkok, there were only a handful of other people up there.
You make your way up the fifty stories in darkness (no torch, oops) and can see the old dilapidated corridors on your way – all crumbling apart. And the views at the top are simply outstanding – better than the ones at that posh rooftop bar round the corner.
History:
Sathorn Unique Tower is an unfinished skyscraper in the Thai capital city of Bangkok. Planned as a high-rise condominium complex, construction of the building was halted during the 1997 Asian financial crisis, when it was already about 80 percent complete. It is now among the most prominent of Bangkok's many derelict buildings, and has become a destination for urban explorers.
The building reappeared in the news in December 2014, when the body of a Swedish man was found hanged on the 43rd floor. The cause of death was determined to be suicide, though the news prompted discussion regarding the safety and security of the building.
There are several superstitions surrounding the building held by people in the nearby communities. Some believe the building is haunted, as the land upon which it sits is probably a former graveyard. Others believe the location of the building, whose shadow is cast upon the neighbouring Wat Yan Nawa, to be inauspicious, resulting in its failed completion.
Corridors
The elevator shaft from the top, fifty storeys down…
Also, remember that story about an abandoned mall in Bangkok that was filled with fish a year ago? http://www.citylab.com/politics/2015/01/removing-fish-from-a-surreal-abandoned-shopping-mall/384569/
Unfortunately they’ve taken all the fish out now as people were complaining about the influx of mosquitoes. Still, the outside of the mall had some pretty cool graff I thought I’d include:
I did a load of research on it as it all sounded a bit dodge – some Swedish backpacker had hanged himself there only a few months ago so I expected it to be fully sealed. Apparently not. Now a small group of entrepreneurial squatters were living there and charging people 200Baht (£4) to enter.
I couldn’t spot an alternative way in and as it was my last night decided to go for it. Definitely my favourite spot in Bangkok, there were only a handful of other people up there.
You make your way up the fifty stories in darkness (no torch, oops) and can see the old dilapidated corridors on your way – all crumbling apart. And the views at the top are simply outstanding – better than the ones at that posh rooftop bar round the corner.
History:
Sathorn Unique Tower is an unfinished skyscraper in the Thai capital city of Bangkok. Planned as a high-rise condominium complex, construction of the building was halted during the 1997 Asian financial crisis, when it was already about 80 percent complete. It is now among the most prominent of Bangkok's many derelict buildings, and has become a destination for urban explorers.
The building reappeared in the news in December 2014, when the body of a Swedish man was found hanged on the 43rd floor. The cause of death was determined to be suicide, though the news prompted discussion regarding the safety and security of the building.
There are several superstitions surrounding the building held by people in the nearby communities. Some believe the building is haunted, as the land upon which it sits is probably a former graveyard. Others believe the location of the building, whose shadow is cast upon the neighbouring Wat Yan Nawa, to be inauspicious, resulting in its failed completion.
Corridors
The elevator shaft from the top, fifty storeys down…
Also, remember that story about an abandoned mall in Bangkok that was filled with fish a year ago? http://www.citylab.com/politics/2015/01/removing-fish-from-a-surreal-abandoned-shopping-mall/384569/
Unfortunately they’ve taken all the fish out now as people were complaining about the influx of mosquitoes. Still, the outside of the mall had some pretty cool graff I thought I’d include:
