Home / Joe Wise / Thailand / Everyday Life 23
- Market
Thai people buy most of what they need in markets. Anywhere that there is an open space and foot traffic will spawn a market or street vendor. This is actually a market in Chinatown. Yep. There's a China town in Thailand. - Khlong boats
Here's a khlong boat at a stop. - Khlong boats
Bangkok has been described as the 'Venic of the East' because it's riddled with canals or 'khlongs'. Here, you can see a khlong boat working it's way through the city. It's quite an experience. These boats are essentially buses on the water, but, with Bangkok traffic, they can be the fastest (and cheapest) way to get around. They cruise down the khlongs with no real concern for anything like wake effects or erosion. They only slow down to stop at stops, when they pass each other going in opposite directions, or, to lower the roof for a low bridge. If the water is high or a bridge is too low, everybody inside ducks, and the roof is collapsed forward a bit to clear the bridge. - Paragon mall sign
Paragon and Siam Center is the largest shopping complex in all of Asia. And they even have their own prayer rooms. - Chickens in the Street
Bangkok is a weird combination of cosmopolitan life and developing country encounters. It's a city of about 15 million, one of the fashion centers of the east. Yet you can buy chickens in the street. - Longtail boats
These things are pervasive on the Chao Phraya River. They are called Longtail Boats because of the long driveshaft with propeller at the end. They're a little bit ridiculous. They're basically a V8 on a stick. An oversized, usually turbocharged motor is mounted on a gimble on the back of the boat with a long driveshaft and prop on the back end. The operator pivots the entire engine to properly position the prop in the water for turns, etc. These boats are generally for private hire, similar to a water taxi. - Khlongs
Apparently this guy thought the most efficient way to transport this bucket of I don't know what was to swim it down the khlong. What this picture does show is that he was doing this with a lit cigarette in his mouth. If this were in the US, it'd be a setup for a 'You might be a redneck' bit. - Songtaew
Songtaews are popular in southern thailand. Basically a pickup truck with the bed converted to benches.