Feb 01 2012
This photo is actually from a few years ago during Chinese New Year celebrations along Yaowarat Road in the heart of Bangkok's Chinatown. The scene was an absolute heaving melee of people, all wearing red and having fun to a background of throbbing drums and clanging cymbals. The woman below was enjoying a final pause before a performance on stilts in the midst of the crowd.
The calm before the storm.
Jan 02 2012
One of the most fabulous things about Bangkok (and Thailand for that matter) is the food -- especially the street food. Not only is it delicious to eat, it's also often fascinating just to look at. From bubbling green curry to lip-smacking sweets, there's rarely a good reason not to be munching in Bangkok.
Go easy on the ummm black pepper.
Nov 30 2011
Bangkok's futuristic Suvarnabhumi Airport has been in the news in recent weeks as Thai authorities fought (successfully) to protect it from the floods that ravaged Thailand. Within the sprawling airport though, you'd never know this was going on. A cool lush atmosphere fills the cavernous wings that lunge out to aircraft and, intentionally or not, the suspended lighting lends a tropical feel to it. They've always reminded us of futuristic palm trees hanging from the sky with their pesky trunks removed. Watch out for coconuts.
Watch out for coconuts.
Sep 08 2011
Though the endless overpasses and grimy back alleys of Bangkok might initially make you think otherwise, there really is an endless stream of photo ops and experiences to be had in this complex town. Soak it in, keep your eyes peeled and take a good look around, you never know when the city will do her best showing off.
The always-dazzling Wat Phra Kaew.
Temples abound throughout Bangkok. Here, offerings at Wat Prayoon.
Homemade beef jerky drying in the Thonburi sun.
Old meets new with Wat Pathum Wanaram in the shade of Siam Paragon, Bangkok's biggest mall.
Quiet scenes on busy streets.
An "is this really still Bangkok?" moments: monks leaving a ferry on the Chao Phraya.
Planking outside the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre.
Lotus' for sale out the Hindu Temple Sri Maha Mariamman.
The ladyboy phenomenon is not a myth. See the girls in action every day on the streets or at one of the many popular cabarets.
Colourful urban living.
Waiting for the khlong taxi, the city's most unique form of transport.
Clearly Bangkok's number one priority: electrical safety.
Jun 12 2011
Easily one of the cheapest ways to eat in Bangkok, and in Thailand for that matter, is to pull up a chair at a streetside food stall selling ready-made Thai food served either on a plate, or in little plastic bags for takeaway. While you'll find all manner of Thai food served in this fashion, as in the photo below, Thai curry often takes centreplace.
So many chillies it melted the handle off.
Unless the vendor is smack bang in the middle of Khao San Road, most customers will be Thai, which means the taste -- and the chilli quota -- shouldn't be watered down for a foreign palate. The stall above is just a five-minute walk from Khao San Road on Rambuttri and when I ordered a plate of the green curry, the vendor warned me that it wasn't "farang-friendly". He was right, but that was exactly what I wanted.
