The New World Mall (with fish)

Photos & historical details of the mall when it was in operation: https://www.daxward.com/New-World-Mall-OLD-Photos

In the heart of Bangkok's Bang Lam Phu district, there lies a grand edifice that once stood tall and proud, the New World Mall. Opened in 1983, this grand structure welcomed shoppers and merchants alike, its halls filled with the buzz of commerce. But alas, the mall's glory was short-lived, for it remained open for only 15 years before being forever sealed shut. The reasons for its demise are many, but chief among them were the fires that ravaged its halls, the collapse of its upper floors, and the unauthorized construction that had angered the locals. For the building had risen higher than the nearby Grand Palace, a forbidden act that earned the wrath of the gods and the people alike.

And so the mall lay in ruin, its halls flooded with water, its walls adorned with moss, and its floors overrun with mosquitos. The locals, in a bid to rid themselves of the pestilence, introduced fish into the flooded halls. And thus the fish thrived, multiplying until the halls were teeming with their presence. And the story of the 'abandoned fish mall' spread far and wide, drawing the curiosity of many.

But the fish were eventually removed, for the building was deemed too dangerous for human habitation. And yet, the lure of the abandoned mall proved too great for some. I, for one, found myself drawn to its halls, driven by an unquenchable thirst for exploration and photography. And so I ventured forth, braving the dangers of the unstable structure and the deep, flooded holes that lay in wait.

And there I stood, alone in the midst of a vast and decaying structure, surrounded by the eerie beauty of its ruin. The fish may have been gone, but the graffiti murals that adorned its walls gave the mall a character of its own. And though the mall is still condemned, and the pond may or may not have been drained, the rain keeps the water in place and the fish stocks are returning. And so the mall remains, a haunting reminder of what once was and what could have been.