[Abandoned, Derelict, Decaying Locations Around Thailand]

Below are some more images from my trip through the Chernobyl exclusion zone.  The full series of 9 galleries from different locations are here on my website if anyone's interested.  I wish I could have spent more time at each location & come out with some more compelling imagery, but the trek had to be fairly rushed as there is a lot of ground to cover.  Had a feature in the (UK tabloid) Mail last week (and also Spanish/Portuguese/MSN/Daily Star).  Currently reading Midnight in Chernobyl, an excellent account of how the reactors and city of Pripyat came to be, as well as a dive into the abyss of Soviet-era bureaucracy & secrecy.  The new HBO series on Chernobyl is also supposed to be good.  Thanks for viewing, apologies for the 5-image post, each is less than 1MB so hopefully it won't lag too badly.

[Abandoned, Derelict, Decaying Locations Around Thailand]

On 4/26/2019 at 8:49 PM, JaiLai said:

these pictures are amazing!

Thanks so much, it's what I enjoy going most.

[Abandoned, Derelict, Decaying Locations Around Thailand]

4 hours ago, Halfaboy said:

Interesting ! Looking forward to next contributions.

By the way, did you carry devices to measure radio active radiation and if so what were the readings ?

Yes, I brought my own radiometer & the guides had theirs as well.  Below are some readings from different locations/objects.  The first one is from the closest point that we got to the reactor, within 1km.  The lights in the background are on the reactor.  The reading is just over 4 µSv (microsieverts).  For comparison, a typical chest x-ray is 100 µSv, or 0.10 milliseiverts.  The second reading is from a moose skull, which has a high radiation reading for bones, but of course the animal lived in the zone all it's life so it's unsurprising, and it's likely that this animal died of natural causes (or predator attack).  Given the sheer number of animal footprints and scat that I saw, not to mention the sounds of wolves, elk, moose, wild horses, boar and other animals we heard in the forest, it would seem that the wildlife has adapted to the radiation and is doing well in the absence of people.  The third reading is from a discarded piece of military machinery that was likely used in the cleanup.  It maxed out my radiometer.  The other general readings from different locations in the area were low to nonexistant.  Certain surfaces, like the tops of buildings in Pripyat, had high readings.  I wouldn't want to spend a lot of time in the area (and certainly wouldn't go around licking surfaces!), but spending a few days walking around the zone poses little risk.  The real danger with this area would be the cumulative exposure over time.  The final image is of the wild horses we saw on the last day.  It's not the greatest picture but the best I could do given the distance and my gear, still a special moment. The horses were released in the zone in the 90's, around 10 or so were put in as an experiment.  Now there are hundreds.  Nature tends to do quite well without people around.

[Abandoned, Derelict, Decaying Locations Around Thailand]

I didn't take this in Thailand, but it is certainly abandoned-building related, and I started this thread so hopefully that gives me some flexibility ???? . I just returned to Bangkok from a few weeks in Ukraine, where the highlight of the trip was a 4 day 'unofficial' trek into the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone.  We hiked on average 30km per day, usually at night to avoid security in the area.  It was by no means an easy trek, but it was one of the greatest adventures I've ever had.  Wild animals in the zone are thriving in the absence of man, including herds of endangered Przewalski's Horses, a dozen of which ran us by at sunset on our last day.  Unfortunately the organized (legal) tours do not allow you to enter any buildings in Pripyat & you don't really get to see anything.  So, the only way to document the area is to enter the zone illegally with experienced guides & trek long distances.  If you're caught, you basically pay a bribe and are 'escorted' out.  Anyway, I'll try and post more later once I've done processing them (have drone footage as well), but here is an image that I shot just after sunset on the roof of a high rise in Pripyat, the city that once housed 43,000 people, now empty and eerily quiet.  That's the Chernobyl reactor in the background, housed in it's new protective containment structure, a true engineering marvel.  I've posted more on my fb & ig pages for those interested.  Thanks for viewing 

[Abandoned, Derelict, Decaying Locations Around Thailand]

I finished the series of photos from my visit to Castle Mall & they can all be found here, along with details from a bit of research.  Here's a drone video as well. It opened in1995 & the majority of it closed in 2005 due to a combination of new retail competition opening up nearby, poor management, the owner's wife passing away, which led him to lose interest in keeping the business going.  Apparently the cinema had a reputation for being not so clean, lots of complaints online.  The Hot Pot restaurant & Cinema lasted till 2011 & 2013.  Thanks again to @hellbob for sharing his images.  I had heard about this place years ago from a work colleague but had forgotten about it until I saw the pictures.

[Abandoned, Derelict, Decaying Locations Around Thailand]

On 12/30/2018 at 9:26 PM, helbob said:

5000000 Euros is a lot of money for a old airplane ????

 

@diznax

I send you a message with the gps coordinates. I don't want post it in public because to many strange people go there and then it will be closed.

 

Thanks a lot @hellbob.  My wife actually found quite a bit of info about the site online in Thai, including this very dark news story about man who killed his wife & then himself at the water park behind the mall.  I agree with hellbob that it could be a very creepy place at night.  I actually had a moment there when I was a bit freaked out.  I was flying my drone outside the building when a truck rolled up with a bunch of guys in the back wearing military gear and balaclavas & carrying guns.  They all jumped out and ran into the mall.  I realised pretty quickly that they were just the 'terrorist' faction of a BB gun team, there to battle the 'counter terror' group!  It was kind of a weird moment & totally unexpected.  I met them after their game ended, nice guys.    Anyway, it's certainly a unique place, working on the photos at the moment. Below is a picture of the knockoff Aladdin genie at the water park & an aerial shot.  Happy new year everybody

[Abandoned, Derelict, Decaying Locations Around Thailand]

On 12/25/2018 at 9:30 PM, helbob said:

Locals like play paintball here and someone use a opiumpipe. On the stairs and the upper floor much shit of the dove. In the night creepy there.

Excellent pictures, I've heard about that place in the past but didn't know where it was.  Would it be possible to give some basic directions?  I'm planning to go to Kanchanaburi later in January.  Thanks a lot for any info & for the continued shares!

[Abandoned, Derelict, Decaying Locations Around Thailand]

Abandoned discotheque in Petchaburi, full series & info here.

[Abandoned, Derelict, Decaying Locations Around Thailand]

I had avoided Sathorn Unique for years due to the fact that it has been so over-documented to the point of becoming a cliche.  However, I realized that it wouldn't be possible to completely document Thailand's major abandoned sites without visiting the most well-known (and notorious) of them all.  I was recently given access for an hour and a half & tried to shoot it as best I could.  I'm certainly not the first nor will I be the last to take pictures there, this is just my take on it.  Here is the full series.

[Abandoned, Derelict, Decaying Locations Around Thailand]

I did an interview regarding my urban exploration photography in Thailand for the Bangkok Post's Guru Magazine which came out in print today.  Here's a link to the Post's website with the full text if anyone's interested.  Great to see the continued posts, it's always interesting to get a look at the many unusual derelict locations around the LOS.

[Abandoned, Derelict, Decaying Locations Around Thailand]

If anyone is interested, my 'Abandonia' photography exhibition will continue at Wishbeer the Vue in Bangkok (near Saphan Taksin) beginning next Tuesday the 26th of June & running through July 24.  The one I had at Jam went well, so I was able to continue it at a new venue for another month.  Big thanks to anyone who can stop by, they also have great craft beer on tap & some good food.

[Abandoned, Derelict, Decaying Locations Around Thailand]

I got into the old customs house recently & saw how the development is going with this 130 year old building.  HERE are my pictures taken over the last three years at this awesome location.  Looks like another unique & historic Bangkok building will be flipped into a bland commercial property.....

[Abandoned, Derelict, Decaying Locations Around Thailand]

24 minutes ago, Halfaboy said:

Thanks for the announcement. If I am around (I am currently in Europe) I will surely visit.

 

Good luck !

Thanks a lot, hope you can make it!

[Abandoned, Derelict, Decaying Locations Around Thailand]

I have an exhibition in Bangkok opening on May 18 if anyone is interested in attending.  The images document 5 forgotten cultural institutions and venues across Thailand, including stand-alone cinemas, a nightclub, an art gallery and a shopping mall, full details on the fb event page. 

 

If you don't use Facebook & can't see the event details, the show opens with a party at 7pm on May 18 at JAM in Bangkok and the pictures will be up at the location until a closing event on June 8.  

 

My goal has always been to document unusual, fascinating and historic locations and to tell their story before they disappear completely to time & decay.  I want to say thanks to everyone who has contributed to this thread over the past couple of years, you've kept it very interesting!

[Abandoned, Derelict, Decaying Locations Around Thailand]

abandoned restaurant I found on Friday in Bangkok, air con ducts over the bar look like a stick-man stuck in a spider web

[Abandoned, Derelict, Decaying Locations Around Thailand]

A kind request: I was wondering if anyone knows of abandoned sites that might make for interesting pictures in the gulf area around Cha-am/Hua Hin/Prachuap?  I'm headed down for a few days for a short holiday & would like to try and shoot an abandoned beach condo or residence if there is one to be found(I've heard that there are). Thanks for any info if anyone has any to share.  Cheers

[Abandoned, Derelict, Decaying Locations Around Thailand]

Not abandoned-related but in case anyone is interested in seeing some photos...I shot the sak yant festival at Wat Bang Phra today in Nakhon Pathom.  Intense event, to say the least.

[Abandoned, Derelict, Decaying Locations Around Thailand]

1 hour ago, Halfaboy said:

is this really abandoned ?

Yes.  It is looked after by an overseer & his family who stay in a shack on the property.  They groom the landscape and keep the area clean but no one actually lives in or has ever lived the main buildings as construction was abandoned in the mid-1990's.  The owner has been selling off the land gradually over the years & is supposedly trying to sell the main plot as well.  I've seen it up close & it doesn't look like it would make a very hospitable or practical place to live, so I'm not really sure what was planned before the owner ran out of money due to paying legal fees.

[Abandoned, Derelict, Decaying Locations Around Thailand]

I was recently back in Prachuap KK doing some photogrammetry shooting with game developers from the US & I made it back to the Dolphin Bay Mansion with my drone for some overhead shots.  If anyone's interested here is the feature story on the site with my pictures that was published in the Australian news.  Very unusual & kitschy place, especially to be found in Thailand.

[Abandoned, Derelict, Decaying Locations Around Thailand]

The Tio Chew Chinese cemetery in Yan Nawa, Bangkok is a very large complex just off of Soi Chan (between Chan & Sathorn) & a place that I frequently visit for photos as it is in my neighborhood.  There are large parts of the cemetery with older graves that are not maintained, so foliage has taken over much of the stone.  The cemetery itself is a very busy as a fitness area & older folks meeting place(karaoke & tea), so I wouldn't really call it 'abandoned', its just that certain areas are very unkempt.  I recently brought my drone to the location to get an aerial perspective.  I also have a full series (with photos of other aspects of the location) and article I've written about this unique place on my website if anyone's interested.

[Abandoned, Derelict, Decaying Locations Around Thailand]

5 hours ago, xylophone said:

Great pics diznax............are these apts a result of the 1997 crash or another reason?

Yes, I believe so.  They appear to be about that old.  Also, the completed units are numbered up to 45, with the foundations being laid for 46-? but never completed.  So, you can actually see the point where the construction company went bankrupt, where the #45 apartment ends and the next foundation lays incomplete, and so on afterward.  Must have been an enormous loss of investment for someone.

[Abandoned, Derelict, Decaying Locations Around Thailand]

 

 

The drone footage I took of the apartments can be seen here if anyone is interested.  Thanks for viewing

 

 

 

[Abandoned, Derelict, Decaying Locations Around Thailand]

These are some shots taken with my new (registered) drone at the abandoned apartment complex just outside of Bangkok.  I shot a series there a few months ago, but returned with the drone to get the full perspective, as it really is a sprawling location.  There are 45 numbered buildings that look to have been completed, with the foundations of a dozen or so more left when the project was abandoned.  The full series is here.  I also have video footage but have yet to upload it anywhere.

[Abandoned, Derelict, Decaying Locations Around Thailand]

I shot the abandoned prison in Chiangmai this week over a period of 3 days.  The full series of images with historical details is here on my site for anybody who's interested.  Will send this out to publications next month to hopefully get another feature.  Had a pretty creepy experience there with a dark shadow over 6 straight images that I haven't been able to get explanations for in photography forums.  It's a highly interesting but slightly creepy place.  Thanks for viewing.  

[Abandoned, Derelict, Decaying Locations Around Thailand]

This is an abandoned resort that we scouted today outside of Chiang Mai, will revisit tomorrow to document it completely.  It seems to have never been opened, possibly another victim of the '97 TomYumGoong financial crisis.  We also checked out an abandoned women's prison and another site which I'll return to tomorrow to try & to document fully.