MyBKK

Studio photographs aren’t just for happy married couples and pageant queens; they’re even for the occasional Buddhist monk indulging in a moment of earthly vanity.

With dishes like tongue-scorching green curry and papaya salad, Thai food has a reputation for being spicy. But Thais also love a little sweetness. Spoonfuls of sugar are regularly added to season dishes, even curries and noodles. But few treats rival Thai coffee for sweetness. As you can see in this step-by-step process, Thai coffee is made with several large spoonfuls of sweetened milk – and even then, some people request that a little sugar be added. At the very least, if the caffeine doesn’t wake you up, the sugar certainly will.

In Bangkok, you don’t always need to drive to the store to do your shopping – sometimes, the store drives to you. With wares loaded on push carts or on bicycle-peddled stands, these mobile entrepreneurs supply Bangkok’s citizens with both useful goods (like the brooms in the above photo), and some more unusual luxuries (like the sticker and inflatable-toy stand in the photo below). They’re not just a good way for fledgling shop-keepers to avoid Bangkok’s real-estate rates, they’re also an extremely convenient form of shopping. Continue reading →

Songkran, the Thai New Year’s holiday, is traditionally celebrated with ceremonies in which water is used as a symbol of cleansing. In recent years, these cleansing rituals have taken the form of wild water fights, and now the holiday is associated in some people’s minds with young women in tight t-shirts getting soaked. With Songkran fast approaching, the Cultural Ministry of Thailand has begun to dread the prospect of young Thai girls engaging in such inappropriate behavior. To combat this, they’ve enlisted the help of the Thai pop band, Girly Berry. The four members have appeared in photo shoots wearing conservative traditional sarongs, and have released statements urging young girls to maintain their modesty over the holiday. To fully appreciate the irony of this, enjoy the above video of Girly Berry performing their hit song, “Shake It”.

They say that there are many different smiles in Thailand. An excited smile, an apologetic smile, a curious smile, even a disgusted smile. The photo above must be a good example of a “please buy a car” smile. This photo was taken at the Bangkok Motor Show, which is known for the beauty of promoters as much as the variety of new cars. Continue reading →

The moneyed neighborhood of Thong Lo is one of Bangkok’s hippest, stylish, most consumer minded spots. Perhaps it only makes sense, then, that the role of Kwan Yin is played by a prom-dress clad Barbie doll at this Thong Lo shrine.

It’s hard to imagine what that teddy bear could have done to this little boy, but he certainly seems to be out for revenge. Don’t worry though- it was just part of the fun at a Temple Fair held below the Golden Mount. Though somehow a game of shooting at wildlife seems out of place at a Buddhist festival, doesn’t it?

Mass outdoor aerobics may be a particularly Asian trend. Everywhere from Vientiane to Saigon, public parks are used as massive outdoor gyms, where both fitness minded youths and healthy older men and women gather to work up a sweat. It makes sense: exercising outdoors is nicer than being in a stuffy gym, classes are free, and it’s a great social environment. Making less sense, however, are the crowds of spectators that gather to watch. Continue reading →

A sign on a permanently non-functioning escalator handrail at Pantip Plaza.

One of the most startling experiences a tourist in Bangkok can have is turning the corner and coming face to face with a young elephant. However, while the elephants are generally brought from upcountry as a money-making gimmick, Bangkok has its own rather startling native wildlife. The canals and lakes of the capital are home to water monitors, two-meter long cousins of the infamous Komodo dragon. Bangkok was once an aquatic city where all life was along rivers and canals, and these long-time residents have simply refused to relocate as the roads and skyscrapers have moved in. It’s common to see the overgrown lizards basking on the grass in Lumphini Park, or paddling through the scummy water of a canal. This one, however, was encountered unexpectedly on a sidewalk along a busy road in Central Bangkok- it flicked its purple tongue, then disappeared into a crack in the pavement.