An Almost Unrelated To Photography Post!

Merely two weeks back from my work/leisure trip from Bangkok and I am missing it already! From a cancelled trip back in 2019 when the pandemic first hit, to finally land on Thailand soil after this long gap! I used to travel to Thailand frequently before the pandemic, so I just wanted to take some time to pen this experience down after not travelling for so long.

I had 7 days in Bangkok to recover what I missed for the past 2.5 years! First, I planned to do all my shoots in the first 3 days and enjoy the rest of the 4 days soaking in the friendly city experience. Despite a cancelled shoot, I completed three shoots this round and am glad that I did not do too many this time. I am going to share some of my encounters even though I am consistently blogging as a photographer or photography-related kind of post here. I thought, why not let some of you view some of the stuff I enjoy doing as well?

Upon arriving at Suvarnabhumi Airport in the late morning, I would say the crowd was definitely a lot lesser now. The procedure was smooth and hassle-free, it took just about an hour from touch-down to reaching my hotel. I arrived at the hotel earlier than expected but was glad that this hotel which I have chosen was able to

arrange for early check-in! I did not have to walk around the adjourning mall or wait in the lobby much. For those who wish to know, I booked Grande Centrepoint Terminal 21 for the first 4 days and Conrad Bangkok for the rest of my trip. Seven days is not enough but I will make do by making my schedule tighter yet able to do as much as possible. Highlights include catching up with old friends, visiting places which I used to frequent and café hopping! In my post, I always say let the pictures do the talking, but I am afraid this round I was simply soaking into the joy of travel and experiencing the city more than taking pictures.

I did not plan to meet too many friends, but I was glad that I caught up with a few of them, even caught up with my secondary school teacher whom I have not met for 20+ years! (And he ate an anti-ageing pill btw)

He is now a travelling professor going around the world conducting training and seminars. Also met up with various friends whom I got to know during previous work while in Thailand. I am definitely planning to meet a lot more friends the next round! Many new cafés sprang up in the past two years and I was excited to do café hopping! I visited lots of cafes this time, some were just along the way which I had forgotten their names. I also squeezed time to visit Jodd Fairs, a newly opened night bazaar near Rama 9 MRT station, this was a night market which re-located from the old Ratchada Night Market, one which I had fond memories of. This is a much simpler, cleaner night market compared to the previous rustic one where there were physical pubs, container shops and barbers. Of course, there is this famous ‘Xi-Shi’ Jodd Fairs mascot which you must see! Lastly, the other two things which I do a lot during the trip were simply drinking Thai Iced Tea and going for cheap massages almost every day! by the way, did I mention that cannabis became legal in Thailand while I was there and suddenly cannabis vans with scantily clad promoters popped up along the roads everywhere! There is so much to do in Bangkok alone as I did not even have time to go to some of their attractions, which I used to, requiring 1-2 hours of travelling. I’ll clock some for the next trip! Or perhaps Chiangmai?

- Restaurants, Cafes, Places & everything else! -

The shoots themselves were enjoyable! I got to meet new models and create interesting concepts with them this time round, I wished I did but I did not do any ‘behind-the-scenes’ this round so you will have to see the end result instead. I stopped doing outdoor portraits in Bangkok for a while as Bangkok heat is something not to be trifled with, yet I had one refreshing outdoor shoot at Talad Noi with an extremely bubbly and chatty model. Its streets had such amazing characters, and it had iconic spots where we were able to locate, making the shoot fun and memorable - Stay tuned for that! One outdoor shoot was enough, the other two sessions were back to indoors. =p (Do check out my social media for updates: Facebook | Instagram)

For the records, I will simply do a list of the places I have visited during this trip and other interesting experiences I have had. – Too lazy to list down their addresses. Those who wish to take a look, can easily find them on google. =)

Cafes/Food

- 55 Pochana (A famous local Thai restaurant at a super affordable price)

- Baan Ice (Many Singaporeans know about this restaurant)

- Hong Sieng Kong Café (A huge quaint café in Talad Noi, which opened in 2019)

- Nana Café (Along the café stretch of Ari Neighbourhood)

- Naam 1608 (Super cool restaurant by the river! One of the nicest places I’ve been to!)

- Sip & Co (Simple new age café inside a hotel)

- KubKao’KubPla (Simple Thai food in Siam Paragon)

- Egeiro Café (Across Ekamai BTS)

- Watthana Panich (Famous Beef Broth Noodles)

- The Blooming Gallery (Super enchanted café)

- Thai Niyom Cuisine (Michelin Starred)

- Sarnies Bangkok (SG-owned 2-storey café)

- Ped Prachak (Famous Roast Pork)

- Cooling Tower Rooftop Bar (Where you could have a simple overview of nightscape Bangkok)

Interesting Places

- Mega Plaza (Biggest concentrated toys/comics/airsoft guns mall)

- Terminal 21 (Had to visit as it adjoined my hotel)

- Siam Square (Shop and walkabout)

- Siam Paragon (Shop and dinner)

- Central World (Shop shop shop…)

- Ari Neighbourhood (café hopping!)

- Thong Lor (Caught up with an old friend here)

- Talad Noi (Must visit place if you have not been before!)

- Jodd Fair (The much talk-about new kid Night Market in town with their famous ‘Xi-Shi’ mascot)

- Turkish Lounge (Where the same lady is the host, server, and bartender all in one!)

- Platinum Fashion Mall (Ok, I visited this cause a friend wanted to find something there)

Overall, it was a nice getaway! From getting out of my country to visiting places and making memories! Thailand and the people I meet there will always hold a special place in my heart! I like the simplicity and the easy-going nature of this place, not to mention the ‘currency advantage’ we have over Thai Baht. At this moment of writing, I am already checking the airfares to visit again in due time! To many more memorable trips!

Cheers,

Jay.C