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journeys (forthcoming) moments (forthcoming) |
Bangkok
Bangkok is overcrowded, poorly planned, unpleasantly hot and humid, and horribly polluted. And apparently it has improved a lot over the decade before my visit (in December 2002). I spent almost a week there, longer than intended, and it's certainly not my favourite part of Thailand, but it does have its charms. Among the urban sprawl are beautiful temples which still manage to serve as oases of calm, and then the King's birthday was something quite out of the ordinary. |
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All of these images are copyright © 2003 Eldan Goldenberg, and are provided free for non-profit use only. If you are interested in commercial licencing please contact me to negotiate terms. |
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lucky day
King Bhumbibol's 75th birthday |
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ordinary days I can't even remember the name of this temple, there were so many like it dotted around the city  A detail from the inside of the same temple  The altar, still from the same temple. It's actually one of the less ornate ones, and doesn't charge money for tourists to visit. I was invited inside by a very friendly monk  Bangkok's endless traffic. The Skytrain (that elevated concrete thing) is a real boon, but I couldn't quite work out what the engineers had in mind with this section  The Thais really do revere and love their King in a way that is quite incomprehensible to someone who grew up in Britain There's a separate page for his birthday celebrations  As I was saying...  Is it just me, or does he look a little uncomfortable in all his finery?  Part of the preparations for his birthday  And this is where he lives  And this (above and below) is from Wat Pho, nearby   Wat Pho is also home to the world's largest reclining Buddha statue. Asia has an awful lot of places that claim to have the world's largest ... Buddha statue, but at least in this case the ...isn't absurdly specific, and the statue is mighty impressive  These statues don't hold any sort of record  This is where Jim Thompson lived. He was an American who pretty much went native, and is much loved by Thais for his services to the silk export industry, by popularising Thai silk back home  Bangkok's skyline is not its greatest attraction   Though there are better parts   Another saving grace of the city is its canal network, which provides a little peace between the crowded streets  Not to mention the most pleasant way to get around  And space for the kids to play, safely away from traffic  There's also a very lively Chinatown, though that presents its own challenges - it took a very long time to walk down this street  Wherever the Chinese congregate there are beautiful temples  Red and gold tat for sale  And... mysterious cardboard objects... |
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