Thailand Photos I

[Thomas Knierim]

Okay, so since we have the Chichen Itza in here and since this forum is about culture, I thought some of you might be interested in seeing a bit more of Thailand. I have been 15 years in Thailand and I took quite a few photos during that time. Don't worry! I am not going to show them all. As you will quickly notice, I am a complete photography amateur, but thanks to modern technology and automatic exposure, even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while.

Let's start with the capital - Bangkok.

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The concrete jungle of Central Bangkok where I lived for about 12 years. This photo is shot close to the Asoke intersection on Sukhumvit road, a popular area for expats such as myself.


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This is what you see if you turn around and look East. Luxury villas and condos as far as the eye can see. The Wattana and Klong Toey districts. The Bang Na area is visible near the horizon.

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These are the Stock Exchange building (left) and the Convention Centre (right) where my office was located for a couple of years. thebigview.com was invented here. :lol:

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The majestic Chao Phraya river cuts the city into two halves, whereas the East side (right) has grown faster and larger than the West side. In the old days, the river was simply know as Maenam ("river").

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This is Khao San road near the historical centre of Bangkok. It's popular with backpackers and budget tourists as you can see from the signs. Khao San road achieved a small degree of fame with the movie "The Beach" starring Leonardo DiCaprio.

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A typical Chinese-style shop house in the Mahachai area. Not very spectacular but these type of shops are everywhere in Bangkok, especially in Chinatown.

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This is Bangkok/Chinatown which looks a bit like other chinatowns throughout the world (surprise, surprise). The bluish appearance gives you a realistic impression of the air quality in that part of the city.

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The air quality is altogether different here at the river where it can be quite idyllic. People are walking on large logs which have been floated down the river from the North of Thailand.

More is coming...

Cheers, Thomas

[sonrisa]

Thanx for sharing the pix Thomas, but what happened to the one with your family? You have a very nice one, btw.

[scameter]

Wow, looks very um, bland. Like any other city.

[sonrisa]

perhaps the aerials are, with all the skyscrapers, but the street scenes & the river scenes are nice

[scameter]

True. By the way, I didn't mean anything negative by what I said. I'm just not a big fan of urban areas.

[Thomas Knierim]

Yes, Bangkok can appear quite nondescript as many other Asian cities do. Very few people find concrete flyovers, tin shacks, and windowless buildings attractive and there are plenty of them. However, this is only one side of Bangkok. There are many surprises hidden in the concrete outrage. There are oases of tranquility, architectural jewels as well as junk, elephants on highways, noodle stalls, markets, and hundreds of curios. Bangkok's streets are a mirror of its society. The city is dynamic, chaotic, humid, hot, exciting and far too big. Most people who live in Bangkok develop a love-hate relationship with the city.

Here are some photos that show Bangkok at night.

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A red glowing dusk at 6:45 PM marks the start of another tropical night.


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Makeshift houses of construction workers in front of a luxury condominium. Bangkok was built by people who don't live there, ex-farmers and migratory workers. Wielding jackhammers and cement bars in the tropical sun is probably one of the hardest jobs on earth. Yet these people share none of Bangkok's wealth and affluence.

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Central Sukhumvit area at night fall. From high above the city looks graceful.

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Souveniers, bits and bobs for sale at one of the thousands of street markets.


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Traffic at nighttime isn't much lighter than traffic at daytime. The average speed of a four-wheel vehicle in Bangkok is 8 kilometres per hour. Given these conditions it is almost impossible to be in a hurry.

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This is Bangkok's world trade centre. Not as impressive as the original in NYC but still standing strong.


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The China Resources Towers on Witthayu Road. A bit of Hong Kong flair...


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Just like people in Hong Kong, Bangkokians are crazy for light effects. At night, the city turns into some sort of giant Christmas tree fed by multiple power plants.


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Three seconds exposure show the incredible amount of artificial light floating around.

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Some areas, such as Boriphat Road in Ratanakosin are a bit more traditional and laid-back at nighttime.

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You can even get away from it all and still stay in Bangkok. This seafood restaurant is located in South Bangkhunthian approx. 30 km away from the city centre.

Cheers, Thomas

[scameter]

Well, as I said it's not that I have anything against Bangkok, or only Asian cities. I just dislike urban areas entirely, across the world. It just doesn't appeal to me. So many people, so many human endeavors, so little nature not engineered by people, so much pollution (and not only in the air). I just dislike it.

[Thomas Knierim]

Scameter, I can fully understand that. Pollution, congestion, and the absence of natural places were ultimately the reasons we moved away from Bangkok.

You might like Chiang Mai.

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Just for comparison, this is the view for our current residence in Chiang Mai.

Cheers, Thomas

[scameter]

Yes, that is much more pleasant. I wouldn't mind posting a picture, but I forget how to do it. Would you mind refreshing me in my ignorance?

[Thomas Knierim]

Scameter: Would you mind refreshing me in my ignorance?

Sure, it's always a pleasure to refresh your ignorance. :devilish::D:)

You have to upload the pix to another server first (flickr, etc.). Once you have done that, you can insert pictures into a post using the "Insert Image" tool button and typing the URL of the image you want to insert.

Cheers, Thomas

[scameter]

Thanks. :) Here's some pics from my hometown of Dawsonville, Georgia, US:

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The famous Outlet Malls. Or famous in north Georgia at least. :P

I don't really hate Dawsonville's land per se, though I find the extreme ignorance and oft-seen bigotry of it's people very displeasing. I think that America was probably once very beautiful, before it's industrialization.

Hmm... pics are smaller than I thought. Sorry. I didn't actually take them. :P

[Michael]

What I get from your photographs is the extraordinary energy. I suspect that it is much the same in most Asian urban areas. In Europe you don't encounter energy as hustling and bustling as that. How would North American urban areas compare?

[sonrisa]

I like the nite pix better Thomas. Like the good people of Bangkok & Hong Kong, I'm into light effects too! :)
That view from your house is 2 die 4! Lucky you getting to look at that while sitting on your porch, or deck, or whatever!

here is the dusk skyline where I live:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Cincinnati_Dusk_Light.JPG

Scam honey, from what I can tell, Dawsonville looks very lovely in the autumn

ps, is that outlet mall the one on 75 shortly after you cross the TN line? If so, then I been there! :D

[christiangarza2287]

i like. wish i had the flexibility(money) and intiative to travel. ;)

[Stoinkler]

Thomas, what made you decide on Thailand?

I would love to have that view from my home.

[Thomas Knierim]

Thomas, what made you decide on Thailand?

It has been decided for me. Frankly, when I visited Bangkok the first time, I thought that anyone moving there voluntarily must be nuts.

Half a year later I started a business there with friends.

Cheers, Thomas

[OKC RDG]

Thomas - I hear that medical doctors in Thailand are very good and that several Americans are going there for various treatments because of lower costs. True?

[scameter]

Sonrisa:is that outlet mall the one on 75 shortly after you cross the TN line? If so, then I been there!

No, it's off of 400 quite a bit south of the Tennessee border.

[Taeguk]

Those are some beautiful photos, Thomas :thumbsup:

Thomas - I hear that medical doctors in Thailand are very good and that several Americans are going there for various treatments because of lower costs. True?

Ah yes, medical tourism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medical_tourism) is all the rage---or so I hear. India is also a common destination, from what I hear. And Thailand is, supposedly, the sexual-reassignment surgery capital of the world...

[Thomas Knierim]

OKC RDG: Thomas - I hear that medical doctors in Thailand are very good and that several Americans are going there for various treatments because of lower costs. True?

Yes, true. Surgery and dentistry in particular. And cosmetic surgery of course. The hospitals in Bangkok are very good. Not only Americans go there, but also many Arabs and Japanese. I had minor surgery (inguinal hernia) last year in Chiang Mai. The whole fun package including anaesthesia and two days stay in a private room (TV, minibar, Internet) was 460 USD.

Cheers, Thomas

[scameter]

Wow, that's amazingly cheap. Did you know that a recent study showed that the most common cause of debt for Americans is medical costs?

[sonrisa]

that's cuz we have no healthcare in this country, unless you're old

[scameter]

Oh no, we've got it. If you're willing to be in debt for the rest of your life to use it. I find it interesting that in Scandinavia, healthcare is free.

[the_aphid]

Oh no, we've got it. If you're willing to be in debt for the rest of your life to use it. I find it interesting that in Scandinavia, healthcare is free.Same here in Canada Scameter. Now obviously that doesn't include unnecessary medical expenditures, like cosmetic surgery, but you can take comfort in the fact that if you have an emergency and require a 1 week stay in the hospital, you aren't going to have to put a second mortgage on your house ;)

[sonrisa]

yeah & I hear that up in the border towns folx get fake Canadian addresses so they can get access to a Canadian MD & healthcare. The rest of us just get Canadian mail order drugs.

Oh no, we've got it. If you're willing to be in debt for the rest of your life to use it.

-- so then, for all practical purposes we got no healthcare in this country, do we. However, for clarity's sake, I will qualify that to say we don't have decent affordable single- payor healthcare here

[scameter]

Aphid:Same here in Canada Scameter.

Hm, I didn't know that. I've always wanted to go to Canada. Very beautiful country I hear. :)

Sonrisa:so then, for all practical purposes we got no healthcare in this country, do we. However, for clarity's sake, I will qualify that to say we don't have decent affordable single- payor healthcare here

Well, those are two quite different things, but I understand what you're saying and agree.