Babylon the Great

[Oliver2]

Last night I chanced upon a distressing Youtube clip of a crumbling and empty Boyztown. All that it needed was tumble- weed to mirror a Sergio Leone spaghetti western.

And then an old memory hit me. In 1995, on one of my early visits, I was in Panorama in the late afternoon when a deranged falang appeared in front of us and started haranguing us in Biblical terms. " All this," he said pointing to my favourite bars, "all this will soon be gone. The time is coming. It will fall!" And other inanities. Eventually, another customer told him leave. Not in those words of course. I laughed then but no longer.

My next thought was of the Biblical story of Belshazzar's Feast and the Fall of Babylon, which I, as a pious Sunday School student, knew well. Remember "the Writing on the Wall ?" God's message to Belshazzar: "Thou art weighed in the balance and found wanting." And the subsequent destruction of a mighty city. That phrase has stayed with us.

Well, you can see where I'm going with the writing on the wall; we've all being seeing that for years. Written not by a deity but by changing social, and economic circumstances. Now given the coup de grace by Covid.

And then a final thought. Babylon may have been " a wicked city". The empire may well have been bloodthirsty but it had its virtues; arts, science, mathematics, agricultural experiment. In short, it was, sort of, civilised. A lot of learning died with its destruction.

Our fanatical preacher may have seen Boyztown's sexual license (or more likely imagined it) but our Pattaya Babylon gave many of us a particular source of pleasure - something that had been denied to some of us until our arrival.

Along with the casualties, and I know there were many, there were also young Thai men who benefitted enormously from their times there, attaining life-styles unimaginable before they saw Pattaya.

And I think of one in particular, now nearly thirty-eight, ensconced on the farm of which he'd always dreamt, with all the mod cons he missed as a boy, and two beautiful dogs. to love.

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[Patanawet]

Oliver, you have a way with words.

[Manforallseasons]

Nice eulogy.

[latintopxxx]

idiots

[Armando]

My next thought was of the Biblical story of Belshazzar's Feast and the Fall of Babylon, which I, as a pious Sunday School student, knew well. Remember "the Writing on the Wall ?" God's message to Belshazzar: "Thou art weighed in the balance and found wanting." And the subsequent destruction of a mighty city . . .

Babylon may have been " a wicked city". The empire may well have been bloodthirsty but it had its virtues; arts, science, mathematics, agricultural experiment. In short, it was, sort of, civilised. A lot of learning died with its destruction.
.

The name Babylon originally meant "Gate of the Gods". How appropriate in the days of Pattaya's heyday. Will it open again?

I think I am correct in adding that Babylon became the great city of the arts and sciences only after it was conquered by Persia's Cyrus the Great. Cyrus even made it the centre of his Empire. Perhaps its many bad references in the Bible refer to the previous regime of Nebuchadnezzar's conquest of the Kingdom of Judah and the consequent transport of large numbers of Jews from Jerusalem to Babylon. There they were held captive for many decades until Cyrus took over. On their return after Cyrus' conquest, they must have told some horrific stories of their captivity.

[Erik]

Permanently closed. Sold to a developer. End if an era

[Patanawet]

As I have just posted in another thread:

"I have been assured that the wonderful French restaurant 'le Bouchon', previously in Patpong 2 has moved into the 'original' Babylon building.
I'll be checking it out soon."
Friends were due to go on Saturday.

[Dodger]

Babylon will always exist in the soul of man. It's just getting more high-tech.

[Oliver2]

Yes; something to do with liberation, accepting ourselves as we are and scorning the false precepts of our elders.

[bkkguy]

"I have been assured that the wonderful French restaurant 'le Bouchon', previously in Patpong 2 has moved into the 'original' Babylon building.
I'll be checking it out soon."

definitely worth a visit - I was there Monday night, fairly busy given they have just re-opened there

the food was good, even good wines by the glass (my fellow diners were non-drinkers), only a small "soft-opening" menu but enough choices, service a bit slow but I am sure that will improve, nice ambiance, a relaxing place to sit and eat, drink and chat, they also have a more private area for large groups. outdoor seating (smoking) and a nice bar, they also have upstairs ready to expand into.

the old French owner was there and two waitresses from the closed Patpong 2 venue - the old place to me had good food but always felt cramped and musty and "old", the new place has a much better "feel" but still the same good food, the owner said it had been his dream for a long time to expand like this! it is a good, but different, area from Patpong and I think it will work out well for him - I'll certainly be going back!