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The higher floors were much more interesting. The standard rooms we had seen on every floor suddenly became suites with massive wide balconies and unbelievable views.
with bathtubs. The views from the balconies were getting better and better as well. As we continued to climb, our stops became more frequent as the motion of walking around and around in circles up the staircase made us dizzy and the drop in the middle of the staircase was getting higher and more dangerous, not to mention the big hole in the wall on the other side leading to what we assumed was the elevator shaft and the crumbling stairs were becoming worse. But the stops on the higher floors were much more interesting. The standard rooms we had seen on every floor suddenly became suites with massive wide balconies and unbelievable views that were no longer being blocked by giant advertising posters, and we no longer had to deal with disapproving looks and finger-pointing from people who could see us from their position in neighbouring buildings. Some of the rooms were so complete I would have been happy to move in if it wasn’t for the long arduous climb up and down to get home every day. Some of them even had fully made-up beds; the fear of coming across a dead body became less likely as no one in
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TheBigChilli
their right mind would carry a dead body this far. Having seen as much as we thought was worth seeing, we made the final ascent and reached the top of the stairs - level 54. It was an awesome sight and an uplifting feeling to be there to enjoy the view that is normally only afforded to those with big bank balances who think nothing about paying to stay in luxur y high-rise hotels. After a quick look around, and taking in the unobstructed 360 degree views, we noticed there was one more level to climb – and the way up was far more dangerous than the ones we had encountered earlier – but we were determined. So we climbed the steep thin planks of wood, grabbing hand-rails and made it to the unofficial 55th floor, basking in the amazing views and enjoying our accomplishment that we earlier had considered unlikely to achieve as we pondered our attempt from the river. Climbing the ghost tower had become the number one on my list of things I would recommend people to do while in Bangkok but not without the advice from what I had learnt on my trip. If you are not fit and agile do not attempt it; if you are afraid of heights you will not enjoy it. Make sure you are sober when you attempt it and haven’t been out at Spice nightclub until 7am with only two hours sleep; bring water to drink on the way instead of beer - and be careful - there are many things that could go wrong. It isn’t the safest tourist attraction but not that much more dangerous than crossing the roads in parts of Bangkok and even crossing certain pedestrian bridges that have electricity wires that look like they have placed deliberately to hurt someone. Basking in our glory would soon have to come to an end though. As beautiful as the sunset was to watch from the 55th floor, it also meant it would soon be dark and getting down was much more difficult than getting up in certain places starting with getting down from the top floor. So we made a rapid descent down only stopping to climb down the dodgy plank ramps where the stairs were blocked. We scaled the fence and were glad to see the chair and barrel still in place and made a swift exit walking right through the kitchen of a restaurant on to the street. We had climbed to the top of the “ghost building” - and returned safely to the bottom. It was a haunting - and exhilarating – experience.