As always, I perk up with the opportunity to go see some urban ruins…so the Space Roller rink was the perfect chance to scope out a time capsule of another era in Chiang Mai, Thailand. I was intimidated to go alone to this ‘empty’ derelict place where I don’t REALLY know the lay of the land or language (risk analysis). Thankfully @bulenttravels is keen on adventure and we made it happen.
We shared a GRAB to the location I had pinned. It took us maybe 8 minutes to arrive from the city center. It was near one of the bus stations, off a busy road, so it was very easy to find.
We walked up to the building; the sign and stairs were still visible and she was gorgeous. The bottom part was being used for a parking lot and the area between the rink and the building to the right exposed some of the roller rink’s foundational bones among beautiful tropical vines and foliage. We could see some street art peeking out as well. So we walked back around and entered the parking lot. It was time to go inside.
First we went to the bottom floor past the parked cars. We entered the bottom floor of the rink. The structure of the actual skating rink was very much compromised. The outer rails were there but the wooden floor pieces were ripped up with not much remaining beyond the cement base. We could see remnants of the party rooms and various booths. Around the walls were some graffiti, but less than what I was hoping for. We were ready to see what the second floor looked like.
The original staircase was adorned with an arching sign but had collapsed onto the railings. We ducked down and climbed the stairs. From the viewing deck up top there were some great views of the unique shape of the front of the building. The original sign was so impressive in serving a retro reminder of its glory. Along the rest of the second story promenade, some well done art also caught my eye.
Once we entered the second floor, there was a split staircase and some more booths and side rooms. It was so dark that we couldn’t really explore much; there was so much trash on the floor and I was really unsure if the floors were solid. Also I wasn’t willing to dip my foot into the debris and get ankle-deep to find out. The art inside the second floor was more impressive but rare.
Art from the second floor
The whole vibe brought me back to my own experiences at roller rinks growing up. I tried to imagine the youth of Chiang Mai going to this rink to hang out with their friends. I wondered what songs they skated to and what style they wore. I flashed back to my own awkward 5th grade Disney character phase and my friends entering the macarena challenge and winning a pizza party! Such epic times full of energy and youth were had in these spaces. It’s incredible to connect with them across the world.
Brown Beyond Borders 