Two of us headed to the old Bangkok just to have a de-stress stroll on Sunday, March 10, 2024. Of course, I had a camera and hoped to get decent street and lifestyle images. Judge yourself, if I succeeded.
We started with a 1-hour bus trip from the outskirts to a metro station Sam Yan. Having traveled a couple of stations, we disembarked in Chinatown and, after a short walk, appeared at Pak Khlong Talat (Flower Market).
I sort of like this destination. Despite the location next to large tourist destinations, that bustling market is actually authentic. It's also popular among Thai young people who come there to buy a bouquet and have a social media photo shoot with the flowers on the Memorial Bridge.
The disappointing part is that most flowers at Pak Khlong Talat are from China so you won't find much unique there... And this is understandable, Thailand is part of the global economy. (If you want to see unique flowers, you better visit the plant market at Chatuchak).
But if you are new in Thailand, Pak Khlong Talat is nice and cool and worth visiting.
Selling marigold in packs
From the point of street photography, I personally slightly dislike all markets because their main activity (selling and buying) is too mundane.
Typing these words, I already see where I had a mistake: I should go there and focus on searching for non-trade activities; as for flowers, they can become part of an unusual, colorful combination (of meaning, for example) with anything else.
That's still the area of the market:
The era of mobile. The Thais are an amazingly polite nation, caring about the psychological comfort of others (without losing personal self-esteem and healthy national pride). However, the downside is the widespread feeling of social awkwardness (in my opinion), and therefore the dependence on mobile phones is pronounced here. Well, really, the best way not to bother others is to simply disappear into your cell phone... Just an opinion.
If you live in a cold country, you may think that that person is homeless. Don't hurry with conclusions. First of all, look at the shoes. Decent and not shabby. He probably works at the flower market and got an urgent need to have a nap.
Sleeping on the ground looks unusual for the foreigner but what is even more unusual: I almost never see Thais sleeping in city public buses...
Still area of the market. I liked that background with the temple and birds on wires and took several pictures.
That bucket hat person isn't a stranger. 🙂 No posing though, he was tired and was just moving his legs, while I felt excited because the light of the tropical sun at last turned so good (5 pm) and I knew it was for a short time.
That's the place to keep in mind. If Lady Luck smiles on me one day when I am there again, I might take a stunning shot there.
Wanut got tired. And my heart was bleeding because we got stuck on the bench...
Taking images of Wanut's sneakers from above, from behind.
"What are you doing?" - "Calm down. I'll buy you shoes when I am rich".
(Nut has a large collection of sneakers but it's never enough for a true shoe lover).
Going back to Chinatown; Wanut is walking like a normal person, and I am running around with the camera.
Something interesting on the way:
Pickups' den...
Mutated old Mitsubishi. Loved the colors.
A slice of house...
That small street with this lovely corner building is another place I keep in mind. That's the place where good shots may appear.
And that's where many cats live.
That wasn't a catsploring walk but I had some food to share in my backpack. The kitty asked, I couldn't refuse.
Old Ford, retired, I had seen it many times, always at the same place, I can't help taking images when passing it.
Charming old Mercedes (and Peugeot that is not far from turning into vintage).
It was getting dark when we stumbled upon this cat, lounging on the ground like Diogenes.
She was so laid-back, self-esteemed, and indifferent about being literally naked with no penny in no pocket, lying next to two expensive cars... Looking at this scene, I concluded:
Rich isn't the one who has expensive cars but the one who is a cat.
Do you agree with that conclusion? What philosophy or religion do cats teach us in your opinion? 😄 Express your thoughts in the comment section! 🙂
More images and stories from Southeast Asia are ahead! Check out the previous ones on my personal Pinmapple map.
I took these images with a Nikkor 50mm on a full-frame DSLR Nikon D750 on March 10, 2024, in Bangkok, Thailand.