Locations map: www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=1mHX_lb77g69alTNvzghul_maxIc_re4&usp=sharing Bangkok Community Help Foundation Donate: bangkokcommunityhelp.com/how-to-donate/ Eleven Finger RU-vid Page: youtube.com/@Elevenfinger11
Another side to Bangkok, this is the side that most tourists never see and probably don't want to. What strikes me most is the warmth of the people and the dignity, even though they know that their lives are precarious especially compared to their neighbours. Cheers Pat.
Not the tourists I know, they actually go and see all sides when visiting countries.... I saw lots of poverty in Los Angeles and New York... I saw poverty in London every country or city has its downside
My tuk tuk driver really didn't want to take me to the slums and he thought I was crazy. He wanted to steer me to shopping malls and tourist traps for his kickbacks. I enjoy seeing the reality in each country and I appreciate the volunteer work these guys are doing there.
I sometimes do charity work, with a friend from Singapore, who does it quite often. I’ve been in the slums of Klong Toey a number of times. One recent Halloween, I was impressed with how caring of the younger children, the older children were. How patient and polite they were. Many of them are without one or both parents. Yet in many ways they were unspoiled, more caring and more appreciative than kids from rich families. They were so happy that someone cared about them.
Why were you surprised? What did you expect? Just because some people are less fortunate than others doesn’t mean they live in depression or violence 24/7.
A very good video Pat and very commendable of you to highlight the Khlong Toey that seems to have been forgotten by the Thai authorities and well done to those volunteers who are helping people living in this community.
Those guys from Bangkok Community Help Foundation are the real deal, no bullshit, just getting things done to benefit people. Thanks for a great and educational video.
When my Thai wife was young, her family lived in an area similar to the one show. They came home late one afternoon and the area was burnt to the ground. They were left with nothing, a very hard life. It has since been rebuilt but still a fire hazard death trap, much of the problem is the city fire people couldn't get in because of the very small walk ways. I would say in that area nothing has changed.
Nice work and fun to see some familiar faces in the B-roll. Great job giving a voice to this community. Enjoyed the video and great fortune running into the man himself- Eleven Finger!
Hello Pat! I worked in Khlong Toey in 1993 for ITD on a multi product pipeline that moved aviation fuels and Diesel to Don Muang storage tanks. The people though very poor were great! It was a pretty dirty place however I did eat local food most lunchtimes at side stalls there alongside railway lines! Good experience though, was never threatened--in fact the opposite--some of the people wanted me to stay and have a few beers after work! I politely refused as I didn't want to tempt fate! Good video Pat! Brought back a few memories!
It's good that you show the reality to many in Bangkok - as the vast majority of "Thai videos" are about holidays, red-light districts and other pleasures.
Excellent work Pat! I remember donating to Bangkok Community Help a couple of years ago when the Thaiger did an in depth series on the excellent work being accomplished by this great organization. That was awhile ago, time flies by fast, and it was awesome that you highlighted Bangkok Community Help once again. Greetings from Chicago!
Wow ! What an insight into this area and to the good work Bangkok Community Help Foundation do. It tugs at the heart strings and makes you wish you had the capabilities to help everyone that needed it. Thanks for the work on this video 👍🏼
Thank you for this video and highlighted the wealth disparity. Also for showing those people that are helping. I've walked through some of these communities and after the initial look of shock as seeing a farang there is an immediate smile that comes next. I'll be in Thailand for 3 months at the end of the year and will be donating some time to help those in need. It is the least I can do for feeling so welcomed in this country.
Congratulations Bangkok Pat for producing meaningful content about the Bangkok we love and wish a better future for. In this drive to modernize and gentrify lets not forget the precious people and communities that make it such an amazing city! Keep up with the great work! Btw the fascinating muslim enclave across the canal from Jim Thompsons house is one of my favourite walking areas in BKK!
This video was excellent, thanks for putting it together Pat. The wealth disparity really struck me when I was in Bangkok, luxury condos and shopping malls can just be a stones throw from much less fortunate communities. Hopefully following the recent election things can begin to improve for the majority of Thai people.
In this type of Situation though is to build an entire town of Facilities Far Away from here that can house everyone here! w/ Schools Multiple Play Areas Etc. Basically Garbage disposal. Then Redevelop this Land! Most of these ppl dont want to leave to begin w/!
I'm in awe of what Friso and Greg are doing. I hope they manage to do something for the elderly who haven't left their homes for years, such as outings in a van, etc., to bring them some cheer.
some of these slum areas in different countries become a no go zone, very unsafe, but here i would walk around feeling ok, the trouble with glossy tourest brochures never show you this type of area, but they are the ones that could do with a boost to there economy. nice one Pat keep up the good work!
Reviewing this content after some 4 months & still considering it exemplary & useful. I praise your objectivity & impartiality regarding the way you chose your content topics….there is nothing like reality!!!! The true miracle is how optimistic inhabitants are despite all this sadness & kind of desperation. One more time « merci beaucoup Bangkok Pat »….😊
Been waiting for this one. I've been studying social policy and development at the faculty of social administration, as well as a master in social innovation and sustainability at Thammasat University in Tha Prachan, just to be able to join projects like these, yet I don't know how to do it, and instead I'm stuck in a callcenter, so if anyone knows where to start please let me know. I do speak, read and write (to some extent) Thai as well. Again, very thorough video, this will be up there with the video "Khlong Toei Continent" in no time. Also, major shoutout to 11 fingers for keeping it real! My man!
Hi Jens, let's hope RU-vid pushes this video out to more people and it does get ''up there'' Best thing you could do to get involved is get in touch with them about volunteering.
One of my two absolute favourite pieces you’ve uploaded. Your heart is worn proudly on your sleeve for all to see and I’m really delighted and in complete admiration for how clearly you show this.
The contrast between the One Bangkok and other developments in the area. Slowly the disadvantaged Thais are pushed into the outer suburbs. I keep think of the duty of care governments and how they will be judged in the future how they care for the elderly and very young also those who don't have the ability to care for themselves. It's easy to turn a blind eye, thankyou for your video and others who bring awareness to the plight of those locked into poverty.
what a wonderful and sad expose Pat but thank you so very much for sharing it. I felt sad to the point of tears at a few stages during it and my heart ached with pity. I also felt ashamed that I know this is there and I've never lifted a finger to do anything to help. Those two guys are precisely as you describe..................heros. I know they couldn't do it with other peoples support but none of it would be being done at all if it wasn't for them. I genuinely marvel at what they do.
Not only money, can support with something else like clothes, food, furniture that u don't want, teaching English etc. just contact those guys in case you would like to 😊😊
Thank you so much Pat for this important and fascinating video! It's good to take an unblinking look at this neighborhood and the people who live there. You've done a wonderful job of capturing this experience with a sensitive and sympathetic eye. Bangkok Community Help do some really great work! Happy to donate and sub, thank you for the links! I can't help but think what a great idea it was for the fire extinguishers and training. The thoughts of all that primitive wiring in those cramped wood shacks makes me sweat.
I remember visiting Bangkok in 1988 and there used to be slums right near Ashok and Sukhimvit near the Grace Hotel, its all been cleaned up today, its a different city altogether, seems like the City has pushed all slum dwellers into one area away from the tourists. Great video Pat.
Excellent video Pat, I'm so happy that you are giving Bangkok Community help the exposure too as they do many wonderful things around Khlong Toei. Friso and Gregg are two fantastic guys I've had the pleasure of helping them out even if you can't afford to donate financial wise, go and help with the many projects they have. With out the support of Bangkok Community the lives of many would be a lot less bearable and challenging. Keep up the good work Pat.
Watched with my Thai wife and an eyeopener for both of us, even though I'm semi familiar with Khlong Toei as I head down to cheer for Port FC. The market near the stadium in itself an experience. So glad when I had a few spare quid when in the UK during Covid that I was able to send a little to the guys on the video. True heroes. A top quality vid Pat. Well done.
Thanks mate and great to hear you are aware of the great things those guys do. Kudos for helping them out, and as they said, guys like you are also heroes!
Good work Pat. It never ceases to amaze me how happy these people are despite living a tough life. Imagine walking through one or the sink estates in the UK. I doubt you'd come out unscathed.
Happy ?...Until you go inside have a sit and really listen to their lives. They are NOT happy trust me. They get by. It is buddhist to not show your discontent with the blessing you got because others have even worse. Does that make them happy NO. The smile and talk means nothing at all. Trust me they are miserable as hell...That being said many many people i know in Thailand are beyond salvation on their own choice. Sad but true. i know a LOT of selfinflicted poverty in Thailand. Probably more than poverty without a chance. I stopped helping. Seen enought o stop caring for most of m...Harsh ah well better than a fool.
@White Rabbit Prophecies Good story and happy it turned out so good for you..indeed self made... I have never been dirt poor. I did lose a fortune twice though.. from big hero to absolute zero...Now building my third. .Not my fault but does that matter? My wife comes from the streets literally. Slept on trainstations when 5 yrs old eating from garbage cans. no shoes and one set of dirty clothes was all she owned...She pushed hersefl up to be owner of a real estate development company in Thailand and turned that fortune into a finance company ....She left school at 9...I deeply respect her will to make it anyhow any way. Yea man it's mostly in the head how you maintain yourself and how you grow. That being said i can understand many break down before that.. That's why although i do not cry for every poor person anymore. i will never look down on them or refuse them human responses and friendships....It is the same respect i have for any person. Rich or poor that i show to them too. I love every human. Not the choices they make...Good luck to you man. Thank you for your story.
Thailand has no Social welfare whatsoever, no Child Benefit no Single Mother Benefits that is why Thailand is a land of cheap prostitutes and is a sex tourism destination. Two years ago The Thai king established an old-age pension 10 US dollar a month while he has 11 palaces all over Thailand and more than 12 billion assets in Germany and Switzerland. King Rama 9 put all the show on TV and said that Thailand is the best country in the world we have the best king in the world and the best religion in the world, this cunning king know how to make stupid people exuberant but robbed all the tax money stashed in Bavaria Germany many billion US dollars and when he die and go to hell on the sin of Dante Inferno, he left the treasure for his son, now his son has to pay inheritance tax around 35 % This is the news from Globe :Thai King Mhavjiralongkorn is facing fresh controversy in Germany as local investigators are reportedly looking into whether he has paid the correct property and inheritance taxes in Bavaria, where the Southeast Asian monarch spends much of his time.
BKK Pat, another amazing video. Love your content. We've become accustomed to channels that put out high quantity \ mediocre videos. I get the impression that your standards are closer to award winning documentaries. Entertaining, well researched, and professionally produced. Absolutely brilliant. Thank for sharing your passion and honest content with the world.
We have a guy here in Sweden who grove up in the country side where his father rented a small farm with five cows and one horse (no tractor at that time) and his father said to his son on day,that the last “pj” has no pockets,and that is so true Pat,people are happy with what they got,and yet another interesting video from you.😊
I volunteered for BCG making meals at Greg's restaurant in Sathorn back in 2021.. really happy I could contribute some time to the effort to feed workers locked on construction sites during covid.
Sushmita: Thai people are extremely resilient because it's one culture, hence known as "The City of Smiles" Experienced this when on holiday in 2014 ❤ Thailand ❤
I've been living in an area close to around this kind of housing at northern Bangkok to be precise Rangsit -Nakhon Nayok for over a decade. These area prone to flood as it is in a network of Klong (canal) surrounding a huge area. Great to see you guys did this video to create awareness and easy for those who wish to help them from far. Keep doing this kind of videos instead of those hundreds of videos talking about bar scene in pataya or Soi cowboy. This is so meaningful, Thanks Bangkok Pat!
There are many of those housing estates around Bangkok where they moved slum dwellers and low income people to, they may not look nice but I'm sure many people appreciate living there!
Wow, what an eye opening video, you really do have an ability to engage the viewers from start to finish, you comment when its needed and let the pictures speak for them selves. I have just watched this and remained motionless and very moved with what I saw, the charitable foundation that you showed is really inspirational and it was immediately obvious just how valuable and worthwhile their work is. These people have very little or nothing yet their smiles never seem to fail. It just goes to prove that being materialistic does not bring happiness but family and love does. This really has touched me immensely. Now that was TV quality reporting !!!
I have visited a few shanty towns throughout Thailand over the years. I have never once felt threatened or unwelcome. Have had a few Thais offer me food and water while wandering about. It is a sad situation but many make the best with what little they have. It is a very complicated issue. Perhaps not spending billions of baht on train line improvements the money could have been much better spent on so many better things.
Any future development needs to focus first on improving the local population not lining the pockets of developers. Bangkok should stop trying to mimic Singapore, as much as I have enjoyed visiting Singapore, Bangkok has far too much going for it that risks being destroyed. Lastly, someone should look at signing those kids up, they have a mean right foot, I would have struggled to keep that shot out. Keep up the great work Pat, Bangkok needs you.
Clicked on this by accident and so glad I did, what a fantastic and interesting piece, thank you to the content creator and those you do the splendid work in the area, but most importantly to the Thais themselves for there disposition and dignity
Nice to see a RU-vid video about an impoverished area of a large Asian city that focuses on altruism instead of the usual voyeurism. Keep up the good work Pat and friends.
Oh definitely nevee seen on YT....but you know how this YT game works😎 Hopefully these nice people will benefit from this too, the foundation have been getting a lot of donations!
The kid at 28:38 and what looks like his brother or dad chasing him made me laugh. 🤣🤣 Really really enjoy your content mate. Been binge watching all the vids the last few weeks. Keep up the good work 👍✌️
Another very informative vlog..it's a side of Thailand few get to see and appreciate..the charity do an amazing job indeed.. I can remember stumbling across a very similar neighborhood a few years ago completely by accident I must add. Although it was very confronting I never felt uneasy or concerned for my safety. I definitely think bringing these vlogs to people's attention can only be a positive. Thanks for your time.
Very good video Pat, it open up our eyes. Rich people and very poor people living so close to each other. The Community Help people are doing a great job.
I know you don't need my approval Pat, but I want to commend you on this video, which I see as a return to form for you after your brief dalliance with tabloidesque content ("you could be next for cyanide poisoning!"). These realities are a part of the truth in Thailand, and no Thai government of any shape can be truly successful and just without addressing these and some other sad but reparable situations in the country. All it takes is money and the will, and while there is a lot of money accessible, the will to change these things seems to be harder to locate.
Honestly in order for this place to improve drastically and have proper drainage etc. It would have to be “Developed”! It’s true if Thais, Temples, Celebrities, Media come together to actually fund on the outskirts of BKK for a proper homely community housing 2 story apartment buildings, adequate play area for kids, park, teach them to pick up trash starting with rewards, provide several Dumpsters to dispose, marketplace etc it would help them move on! However if they do touch ups here and there for this community it wouldn’t even last! Basically this section needs to be developed so many of its issues can be fixed while they are properly moved to a new community they can make it their home!
Thirty years ago, used to rent a cold-water apartment right on the edge of the slum, the quick route to the apartment was to leap over a klong and dive down some of the alleys - never had a problem even after coming back in the early hours of the morning. However, less amusing were the lads on two-stroke motorcycles who used to scream their engines on the road outside the apartment at two or three in the morning. Often paid a guy with a motorcycle to take me down to Silom, it only occurred to me later that he might not have been a moto taxi driver but he obviously appreciated the money. The live animal butcher’s market in Klong Toey was really gross, terrible stink. Great video. Isn’t the whole area slowly sinking?
The sight of slums in developing countries no longer shock me as much since the appearance of tent cities and open air drug markets in many big cities in America 😅
Wow, a good in-depth report. I’ve explored that region many times, having lived across the road more or less for many years. What you haven’t managed to convey on the video is the cloying heat and stink from the almost stagnant canals. Nevertheless, there are beautiful green zones and some very gentrified houses. I thought it would be a cheap place to rent, being a slum and all. But it was surprisingly expensive! I rented a house in Samrong and Paknam more cheaply than was available in Khlongtoei! And what I found shocking was when you mentioned that the old grandmother was paying ฿1,500/m for rent. It seems cheap as a Westerner, or compared with the cost of condos in downtown Bangkok. But that is a small fortune for a poxy room. In other parts of Bangkok (or nearly anywhere else in Thailand) you can get a decent-sized “studio” apartment for that price, sometimes even a whole house. Who gets this money? It smacks of exploitation or price gouging. Maybe there needs to be a shift in the thinking of the community as a whole. Unless there is a compelling reason to reside in the heart of Bangkok, life could be so much easier and cheaper and sustainable upcountry, each family with a decent plot of land to cultivate (or a cooperative farm) with smart-farming technology, and maybe 50-60 sq.wa. to build their own house on. If the community agreed to relocate en masse, they could retain their friendships and relationships. Perhaps the fear of losing this is what’s keeping them trapped in their hovels. Maybe the government (or Port Authority) is expecting everybody to go their own way with individual cash payments or something. The community probably needs to be consulted as an entire village (moobaan) and representatives should explore and survey likely sites elsewhere in the country or outskirts of Bangkok…?
