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Il primo post dedicato ai fantasmi ha avuto un discreto successo. Torno quindi a raccontare altre storie su richiesta di alcune amiche. Questa volta focalizzando l'attenzione sulla città dove vivo, Chiang Mai. Ai suoi fantasmi contemporanei è dedicato un libro molto interessante "Ghosts of the new city - Spirits, urbanity and the ruins of progress in Chiang Mai" di Andrew Alan Jhonson, si tratta di un testo di etnografia sulla creazione di fantasmi come risultato della profonda crisi economica che nel 1997 colpì la Thailandia, creando una profonda ferita nello sviluppo di Chiang Mai. Non a caso la maggior parte dei luoghi che si ritengono infestati dai fantasmi sono quegli scheletri di cemento dei grandi condomini la cui costruzione non fu terminata a causa della crisi. Un aspetto interessante per me è che ora alcuni di questi edifici sono stati recuperati e portati a termine, immagino però non mancheranno prossimamente storie sui loro fantasmi che non si rassegneranno ad abbandonarli. Una caratteristica di questa generazione più giovane di fantasmi è che si tratta quasi sempre dei "morti male" ovvero di coloro che abbiano incontrato una brutta morte e i cui responsabili non siano stati perseguiti.
L'edificio più noto è sicuramente il Poi Luang Hotel, un magnifico 5 stelle, da 220 camere, l'ultimo piano caratterizzato dalla struttura circolare dalle grandi vetrate del ristorante girevole. Hotel che ha poi conosciuto un declino fino alla chiusura e la sua immensa ed inquietante mole in rovina fino ad oggi ha dominato la highway sottostante. Il 1 agosto di quest'anno sono iniziate le operazioni di demolizione in previsione della costruzione del secondo Ram Hospital della città. Il 25 luglio la proprietà ha fatto precedere l'inizio dei lavori da una cerimonia di benedizione e buon auspicio officiata da un gruppo di monaci locali.
Certamente i monaci avranno dovuto mettere in campo tutte le loro energie per garantire che tutti i fantasmi abbandonino questo sito. Sembra che diversi clienti paganti siano poi diventati residenti permanenti dell'hotel, avendo qui trovato la loro morte. Una volta decaduto e chiuso il palazzo venne venduto ad un consorzio medico che avviò dei lavori di ristrutturazione. Ma nel corso di un violento nubifragio una delle impalcature in bambù venne spazzata via e due operai morirono, aggiungendosi alla schiera delle anime residenti nell'edificio ormai in rovina. Poi con la crisi del 1997 il consorzio medico andò in fallimento e l'edificio rimase abbandonato divenendo rifugio di balordi. Tra questi ultimi a quanto si racconta si registrò anche un omicidio, allungando così la lista dei male morti all'interno dell'ormai ex hotel di lusso.
Nel testo "Ghosts of the new city - Spirits, urbanity and the ruins of progress in Chiang Mai" di Andrew Alan Jhonson c'è un'immagine che trovo molto affascinante, scattata in quello che evidentemente era il garage dell'hotel in cui sono rimaste abbandonate delle vecchie auto. Insomma oltre ai fantasmi di essere umani anche auto fantasma vintage. Chiedo scusa per la pessima qualità dell'immagine ma è ripresa con il cellulare dalla pagina del libro.
Credits: Le informazioni prinicpali per questo post sono state prese dal già citato "Ghosts of the new city - Spirits, urbanity and the ruins of progress in Chiang Mai" di Andrew Alan Jhonson
e da questo link: http://www.kendobson.asia/blog/haunted-chiang-mai
The first post dedicated to ghosts was quite successful. So I'm going back to tell more stories at the request of some friends. This time focusing on the city where I live, Chiang Mai. A very interesting book "Ghosts of the new city - Spirits, urbanity and the ruins of progress in Chiang Mai" by Andrew Alan Jhonson is dedicated to his contemporary ghosts. It is an ethnographic text on the creation of ghosts as a result of the deep economic crisis that hit Thailand in 1997, creating a deep wound in the development of Chiang Mai. It is not a coincidence that most of the places that are believed to be infested by ghosts are those concrete skeletons of large condominiums whose construction was not completed because of the crisis. An interesting aspect for me is that now some of these buildings have been recovered and completed, but I guess there will soon be stories about their ghosts who will not resign themselves to abandon them. A characteristic of this younger generation of ghosts is that they are almost always the "bad deaths" or those who have met a bad death and whose offenders have not been prosecuted.
The most famous building is certainly the Poi Luang Hotel, a magnificent 5-star hotel with 220 rooms, the top floor characterized by the circular structure with large windows of the revolving restaurant. The hotel then experienced a decline until its closure and its immense and disturbing mass in ruins until today has dominated the highway below. On 1 August this year, demolition work began in order to build the city's second Ram Hospital. On 25 July the ownership preceded the start of work by a ceremony of blessing and good omen officiated by a group of local monks.
Certainly the monks will have had to put all their energy into ensuring that all the ghosts leave this site. It seems that several paying customers have since become permanent residents of the hotel, having found their death here. Once the building had fallen into disrepair and closed down, it was sold to a medical consortium that began renovation work. But during a violent storm one of the bamboo scaffoldings was swept away and two workers died, joining the ranks of souls living in the now ruined building. Then, with the 1997 crisis, the medical consortium went into bankruptcy and the building was abandoned and became a refuge for the fools. Among the latter, according to legend, there was also a murder, thus extending the list of evil deaths inside the now former luxury hotel.
In the text "Ghosts of the new city - Spirits, urbanity and the ruins of progress in Chiang Mai" by Andrew Alan Jhonson there is an image that I find very fascinating, taken in what was evidently the garage of the hotel where old cars were left abandoned. In short, in addition to the ghosts of being human, there are also vintage ghost cars. I apologize for the poor quality of the image but it is taken by mobile phone from the page of the book.
Credits: The main information for this post was taken from the already mentioned "Ghosts of the new city - Spirits, urbanity and the ruins of progress in Chiang Mai" by Andrew Alan Jhonson. and from this link: http://www.kendobson.asia/blog/haunted-chiang-mai
[ENGLISH VERSION]
The most famous building is certainly the Poi Luang Hotel, a magnificent 5-star hotel with 220 rooms, the top floor characterized by the circular structure with large windows of the revolving restaurant. The hotel then experienced a decline until its closure and its immense and disturbing mass in ruins until today has dominated the highway below. On 1 August this year, demolition work began in order to build the city's second Ram Hospital. On 25 July the ownership preceded the start of work by a ceremony of blessing and good omen officiated by a group of local monks.
Certainly the monks will have had to put all their energy into ensuring that all the ghosts leave this site. It seems that several paying customers have since become permanent residents of the hotel, having found their death here. Once the building had fallen into disrepair and closed down, it was sold to a medical consortium that began renovation work. But during a violent storm one of the bamboo scaffoldings was swept away and two workers died, joining the ranks of souls living in the now ruined building. Then, with the 1997 crisis, the medical consortium went into bankruptcy and the building was abandoned and became a refuge for the fools. Among the latter, according to legend, there was also a murder, thus extending the list of evil deaths inside the now former luxury hotel.
In the text "Ghosts of the new city - Spirits, urbanity and the ruins of progress in Chiang Mai" by Andrew Alan Jhonson there is an image that I find very fascinating, taken in what was evidently the garage of the hotel where old cars were left abandoned. In short, in addition to the ghosts of being human, there are also vintage ghost cars. I apologize for the poor quality of the image but it is taken by mobile phone from the page of the book.
Credits: The main information for this post was taken from the already mentioned "Ghosts of the new city - Spirits, urbanity and the ruins of progress in Chiang Mai" by Andrew Alan Jhonson. and from this link: http://www.kendobson.asia/blog/haunted-chiang-mai
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Non è mia intenzione censurare alcun tipo di commento che rispetti le norme del dibattito civile e rispettoso. Però è mio dovere ricordare che in Thailandia vige una legge sulla Lesa Maestà molto severa. Per tanto siete invitati ad evitare qualsiasi commento sui re presenti, passati e futuri, e anche su qualsiasi membro della famiglia reale.