There's so much going on in Bangkok, so many parts to it, so many people doing so many things. It's bewildering and wonderful but also difficult. The heat, the crowds, the flash floods, the poor air quality, the traffic, the motorbikes on the sidewalks and the rest of it. But for any visitor the rewards are worth it and for a photographer looking for street life it doesn't get much better.
In black and white:
Jurassic street
There used to be a business just down the road from where we lived in northern Bangkok that made large models of dinosaurs and other animals. Their road-side display certainly entertained a lot of passing motorists although I can imagine a few unexpecting children had nightmares.
Rainy season road
It's raining and yet the road ahead is clear! It made me want to shout at the driver, "go, go, while you've got the chance!" but he insisted on stopping to pick up more passengers. Usually rain slows everything down to the point of the dense traffic barely managing a crawl. If you ever get stuck on Bangkok's streets in a heavy downpour just accept it and find a cafe/pub to spend the next hour or so in.
Chatuchak stables
The big and very famous weekend market of Chatuchak (also spelled Jatujak) is nirvana to some, hell to others. If you look hard enough you can probably find anything you want there. I think in this case it was just mundane jeans being tried on and the length tested but he may possibly have been asking about getting some horse-shoes fitted.
Concrete forest
Slowly the city is modernising. The skytrain system has helped a lot and is still growing and there are always other small projects like this elevated walkway that gets pedestrians away from the traffic. The character of the city changes, perhaps declines, as the streets become less cluttered but being less of a jungle does make it more livable for most.
Road busker
The middle of a road might seem like a strange place to pick for a busker to set up but it was near a shopping mall with lots of people trying to cross the road at that point rather than take the longer and more tiring elevated walkway. However, with that truck passing I couldn't hear a single note he played!
The cyclist
I have done a bit of cycling in Bangkok and always pushed my way to the front at junctions to lessen the lungfuls of exhaust I had to breathe but I never had to compete with quite such a mass of motorbikes as this. A brave or foolish man, perhaps both.
In colour:
Heel step
Absolute prove of the inhumanity of children! One of those lucky moments where I caught that elusive "decisive moment". I'm sure the girl was made to pay for her little game.
Bus boy
The different kinds of buses in Bangkok can be confusing. This is the absolutely cheapest kind, which are privately run so very anxious for custom. They are therefore more likely to stop to pick up passengers where they shouldn't and will always hang around too long at the bigger bus-stops in the hope more people will show up. There is also always someone like this hanging out of a window or door trying to persuade people to come aboard. And these buses rattle a lot.
Swabbing
Back at Chatuchak market. A lot of it is covered and it gets very humid. It is one of the sweatiest places I have been to and this poor guy has to work there.
Gutter group
Along the roads outside of Chatuchak market there can be quite an interesting melee of people with many waiting for buses/taxis and lots of stalls supplying them with refreshments while they wait. At the busiest times the wait can be long and this is about the only way to take the weight off your feet. However, just behind that grill behind his feet there are probably one or two rats ready to pop out to grab anything edible that drops.
Contrast
Perhaps like all big cities, Bangkok has enormous decrepancies between the rich and the poor, those with plenty and those in need. Sometimes it just seems more blatant here. However, there is sadly also a cynical element involved where those in need can be part of organised groups earning through begging. I understand that many of those who beg are the most vulnerable being taken advantage of. It makes it hard to know whether to give them anything or not. Perhaps better to donate to social organisations working to solve such problems.
Cool monk
It is always worth remembering that Buddhist monks in Thailand are almost a cross-section of men from Thai society. There are life-long monks who give absolute commitment to the life but the majority ordain temporarily and may only be monks for a few weeks or even just a few days. They do so to earn merit usually for their parents or a deceased relative but also as a way to compensate for something they did wrong including breaking the law. It's therefore a bit hard to expect them all to lose their sense of ego immediately.
