Thailand is by far one of the most haunted and superstitious countries I’ve ever lived in. Both Korea and Japan have strong beliefs in spirits, ghosts and the afterlife, however I’ve never felt such a strong belief permeating through the general population as in Thailand. Almost everywhere you go, if you ask (and if people are brave enough to share), you’ll hear stories of first hand encounters with ghosts or at the very least, tales of close friends or family members who have run into spirits.
These stories are usually tied to older buildings, areas of the city known for murder or sickness, and the unfulfilled wishes or grudges of the dead haunting those foolish enough to walk alone through Bangkok’s empty back alleys. I’ll admit I don’t know the intricacies of Thai beliefs and superstitions, but simple things like whistling while walking at night carry huge taboo’s and are nothing to be laughed at. People I have talked to have seen figures lingering after them when they get into cabs, ghosts walking in hallways and corridors of condos, and these sightings are often shared and corroborated by others with them.
If you have a chance to walk around the more obscure back alleys in Thailand, and feel like testing whether or not the local superstitions hold any weight, please be my guest. However the times I have walked alone at night and heard a strange sound from within the shadows, I haven’t felt quite so brave to venture further. There is an eerie quality unique to this country that goes further than the stray cats, howling dogs and dark humid nights. There is a heaviness to the shadows which fights back against the light and a distinct notion deep within your stomach that warns you not to push your luck.
Just as I wandered around Wat Mangkon after dark, here are some images of a now abandoned hospital, right in the heart of downtown Bangkok. Even in the full light of day, the shadows seem to hide some darker truths that are best left untouched. Part of me wants to sneak back in at night and wander room to room, and part of me wants to divorce myself of that idea lest it invite even worse visitors into my dreams. Right now I’m just grateful I don’t speak Thai so I can’t listen to the dozens of podcasts and radio programs dedicated to real life ghost encounters and haunting’s right here in Bangkok.
The security gate
Right next to the new buildings at Sathorn
Peeking into the windows
Some graffiti on an upper level wall
Roof top and windows