Featured Photo: Bangkok’s Ghost Tower

Featured Photos is a series highlighting interesting or cool things I encounter on my travels and the stories behind them.

Note – I do not condone entry to the Sathorn Unique as it is semi-legal at best. Enter at your own risk.

I’ve been in Bangkok now for the past week and it has grown to one of my favorite cities of the trip. Many of the reasons why have to do with the people I have met, but the city has played a big role in bringing us together. Last night, along with two other friends, we capped off our whirlwind week by climbing to the top of an abandoned building in central Bangkok called the Sathorn Unique or Ghost Tower. The building construction was halted after the Asian financial crisis in 1997 and the structure has fallen in to disrepair. It is now commonplace for both tourists and Thais to pay a fee (read- bribe) to the on-site guard to allow entry to the interior.

After a grueling climb up 50 flights of stairs in the 36 degree Celsius air, we were stunned by the panoramic views of the city. Sitting at the top of Bangkok with new friends, I watched the sun drop below the horizon and reflected on how lucky I have been to meet such amazing people, become fast friends, and then hopefully meet up with them somewhere else down the road.

My new friend Ricky quoted an old adage yesterday saying, “take vacations, go as many places as you can, you can always make more money, you can’t always make memories.” This is why I travel.