View From A Tuktuk...

So, here I am in Bangkok again. Destination of choice for extremely cheap shopping, extremely good massage, and extremely yummy mango. Oh, and did I mention, extreme numbers of tourists, travellers, and of course Thai people, making this one of the busiest, most blindingly buzzing cities I’ve visited.

I’ve been to Bangkok more than 10 times – and despite the heat, the dirt and the constant haggling for anything from a boat ride to a banana, I usually use Bangkok as my down time.  Time to get scrubbed, massaged, manicured, pedicured and quite frankly, royally pampered for about 10 quid (50 AED).  Many of the temples, palaces, buddhas and interesting sightseeing-y things lie unseen, as I am usually far too wrapped up (sometimes literally) in my favourite spa to be tempted outside.

But it is in fact outside, on those grubby streets, where you get a peek at the real life of this very unique, very intriguing city.

Stalls selling strange food, massage parlours that look like laundry rooms, old women cleaning noodle bowls behind tiny restaurants, young girls cooking meat on sticks, wrinkly old men hacking coconuts, helpful police officers that know how to say hello in any language, young guys sitting on motorbike taxis drinking coke waiting for customers, tuktuk drivers shouting over the noise of their engines… It makes for some very colourful photographs and some clever manoeuvring around the city to avoid being ripped off by sly salespeople who can spot a tourist from a mile, no matter how well you pronounce sawadikaaaa.

And hence this mini photo diary was formed. 

I’ll call this, ‘View From A Tuktuk…’ a mere glimpse of a city that might take more than a lifetime to capture fully.

Clearly a football fan...

I love the garish colours and the pink taxis...

Our tuktuk driver found my incessant photo-taking rather amusing...

Carrying laundry on a motorbike taxi - no problem.

World Catwalk: Destination Bangkok

Despite Bangkok regularly cropping up on my schedule, it has taken me several months to gear myself up for a ‘World Catwalk Bangkok’. Partly due to the fact that when I imagine explaining my little blog to anyone whose English isn’t close to perfect, I give myself a migraine, and also partly (read mostly) because most of my time there is spent on a massage couch.

This time I ‘sacrificed’ some of my massage time and went sightseeing - shock!
I took in the little streets that line the higgledy-piggledy edges of the Chao Phraya river, hopped on a boat to take a short cruise and marvelled at the beauty and shimmering detail involved in The Grand Palace. I had a fabulous day exploring the well-tromped tourist trail.

Not only did I exhaust my poor camera with all the wonderful sights en route, but I also had the chance to catch some very stylish daytrippers. I can’t really judge the style of the Bangkok fashion pack from this kind of outing so in future I will try to make it to Siam Square (apparently the place to be for fashionable-people-spotting) and report back on my observations...
In the meantime, these three street styles stood out in the crowded capital.

First on my camera roll was the beautifully chic, perfectly put-together Praewpilin who was taking a walk with her man. And to be honest I can’t think of a better outfit for a day soaking up Bangkok’s history and culture with your other half.
By choosing a simple white tee, Praewpilin starts with a blank canvas for her striped ankle-skimmimg flares and sleek grey bag. Minimal accessories allow shiny hair to take centre stage and she’s even achieved the unachievable – a panama hat that doesn’t look try-hard. Perfection!

The next stylish street walker to cross my radar was the delightful Guo Junyao from China.