Getting lost in the streets of Bangkok

Thanon Arun Amarin and its travelling merchants

Cellophane-wrapped monks, a little travelling Batman, a grandmother with a lot of make-up on... If you take the time to lose yourself in its streets, Bangkok offers some surprising encounters. Between traditional wooden houses and ultra-modern skyscrapers, photographer Quentin Cherrier spent six months wandering around the Thai capital in 2016. His photos are compiled in a book, Lost in Bangkokavailable on the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter. His project: to travel the world's major urban areas to observe the urbanisation of the planet. Next stop: Buenos Aires, in May 2017.

As soon as the sun rises, Thanon Arun Amarin Street comes alive (above). Monks, schoolchildren and street vendors set off. On this particular day, one of them is under escort! "In Thailand, the unemployment rate is very low. All you need is a cart and some fruit to sell and you're not unemployed", explains Quentin Cherrier.

The popular Soi Talat Sri Wanit market

Early in the morning, near the Victory Monument on Soi Talat Sri Wanit, a small market attracts the locals. On the stalls, lined with aromatic plants, a multitude of small bags containing spices, chillies, mushrooms... Thais are big consumers of disposable bags. Every day, Bangkok produces more than a tonne of plastic waste.

Unprecedented view of traffic jams from the Ratchaprarop aerial metro station

From the Ratchaprarop aerial metro station, a bird's-eye view of the ballet of scooters stuck in traffic jams. According to a study by GPS navigator Tom-Tom, Bangkok is the second most congested city in the world, after Mexico City.

Soi Mahannop 2, the Buddhist statue district

Not far from Kao San Road, this district is home to many vendors of Buddhist statues. Monks from all over the country come here to bring back items to decorate their temples. Some statues that are too imposing end up on the pavements, where they are protected with sheets.

The cellophane-wrapped monks of Bamrung Muang Road

In the same district, our photographer came face to face with a monk... in cellophane! He approaches. The monk remained impassive. He was forced to realise that it was in fact a wax statue! These faithful reproductions of monks who have left their mark on a temple are usually presented under a glass cloche to protect them from dust.

Wat Sawetachat and its traditional wooden houses

To find the traditional wooden houses, you have to get lost in the city streets. Around the corner from Wat Sawetachat temple, they appear on the banks of the Chao Praya. Behind them, in contrast, are the modern tower blocks that are springing up all over the capital.

The modern buildings of Naradhiwat Rajanagarindra Road

On this major road south of Bangkok, more and more office and residential buildings are being built to accommodate the city's ever-growing population. The population of the urban area rose from 7.2 million in 2005 to 9.6 million in 2017.

Buy a lottery ticket at Rama IV road

There are many lottery ticket sellers in the city. Gambling is highly regulated in Thailand, with the national lottery the only gambling permitted in the country, along with some horse racing. There is also some tolerance for cockfighting and Thai boxing.

The sultry Soi Cowboy district in the middle of the afternoon

Soi Cowboy is one of Bangkok's sultry districts. But when it's not yet dark, at around 5pm, you can meet the girls from the underworld getting ready, eating and joking with each other on the empty terraces.

The Sky Bar, Bangkok's posh rooftop

The city is full of rooftops, terraces built on the roofs of buildings. One of them is the Sky Bar on the 64th floor of the State Tower, one of Bangkok's tallest skyscrapers. This trendy bar is famous for having been used as the setting for a scene in the film "Very Bad Trip 2".

See also