Khlong Toei Market: all things flesh

Example on how to choose a plan when you are out of them yet you want to do something: Sunday afternoon in the city. The weather is sunny but not too hot. There is a slight breeze. I have no plans for today but my body is asking me to go out for a photowalk somewhere. I don't wanna go too far. I want to see faces, talk to them, walk among them, smile. And capture them in their environment. I want to hear voices and observe movement. I would like to explore a new area that I haven't been to before. I think for a while, checking Bangkok humongous map. I tick request after request. And so I find my destination: Khlong Toei Market. Why not?

Surroundings, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 35-100mm

Refilling, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 35-100mm

Kid's refreshment, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 35-100mm 

The shopping cart, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 35-100mm

On circles and cylinders, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 35-100mm

Side effects, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 35-100mm

On fans and numbers, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 35-100mm

Khlong Toei is the biggest fresh market of Bangkok, which means it's a broad space packed with flesh, alive and dead, of all kinds and nature. It is a challenge for the eyes, with its explosion of both bright lights and colors and deep black inner corridors, and it's also a test for the nose, with its intense and diverse smells, ranging from sweet to rotten with all intermediate levels in between. And then there is the people, for a market is made, primarily, of persons. It's not the goods but the people selling, buying, trading and bargaining what defines a market and gives it its personality. And Khlong Toei sure has a strong character of its own.

Something to hold on to, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 35-100mm 

Portable garden, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 35-100mm

Round veggies, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 35-100mm

Preparations, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 35-100mm

Ray of light passing by, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 35-100mm

Through a tunnel of plastic bags, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 35-100mm

Khlong Toei is mainly a morning market, and its peak hours are from 6 am to 2 pm. However, I visited in late afternoon; some shops were closed and it was not as crowded as it probably is in the early morning, but the market still felt active and busy, with lots of vendors raising their voices offering their goods to all passers-by, and potential customers walking through the narrow aisles inspecting the goods on offer with clinical eyes. Yet the slowdown of activity was obvious as some vendors were enjoying a comforting nap in the absence of customers while some others were just having a refreshment in the bar.

Resting positions, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 35-100mm 

A place called home, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 35-100mm

Social recess, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 35-100mm

The central area of the Market is located under a vast, roofed area, so in order to get around one must walk and navigate through  narrow, dark alleyways; like an ancient labyrinth, the closer you get to the heart of the market, the darker it gets, for there is no window or gap for the light to filter through at all in this micro-universe, and all you can see, from time to time, are blinding flashes of sunlight entering furiously through the entrances, at the end of the long paths, creating a vivid contrast between light and shadows.

Stray light, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 35-100mm

The light awaits at the exit, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 35-100mm

Artificial light, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 35-100mm

But that's not all this Market has to offer; the whole neighborhood around this central area is a natural extension of it. I guess many of the people working here live in the vicinity, so they have their storerooms or related business at hand, making life easier. Or maybe I'm wrong, and the people living in this community are unrelated but, in any case, leaving for a while the, at times, stressing lanes of the market to wander the streets of the quarters around it is worth the time; more faces, more tasks, more routines will come your way.

Ready for a new round, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 35-100mm 

Wheels and grill, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 35-100mm 

The black gate, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 35-100mm

Recycling, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 35-100mm

Fallen water, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 35-100mm

Yes, sometimes I need to fight to find people to give my pictures a human touch, but today was one of those days when people are right there, everywhere you look at, as if awaiting for you to capture a second of their lives, as if they had always been there and you only needed to come here to see them, today, now, anytime. And they will probably still be there if you return tomorrow, or next month, though they will be different. The same as you. So I just looked at them, smiled and pressed the shutter.

Fierce eyes, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 35-100mm

The walk back home, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 35-100mm 

Favorite retreat, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 35-100mm

A garden above, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 35-100mm

What a lively, "human" place Khlong Toei Market is! One could argue that this is more the land of dead meat than living things, yet that is not the way I see it. There is simply so much energy and movement, color and change, action and sound in this place that is inevitable to feel alive, surrounded by constantly flowing currents, carried by the flow of things, member of something bigger than ourselves. But, once all is said and done, what's the mark that remains deep within us from the places we've been to? That elusive glimpse of a face that appears for a second between the people before being devoured by the multitude again, or that brief eye contact that fills you with sudden sadness and empathy, not even knowing why. Good evening, Khlkong Toei market, and have a quiet night!

Requesting with no hope,  GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 35-100mm 

The beauty amidst the raw meat, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 35-100mm

Delayed weekend in Hong Kong

DAY 0

We were supposed to fly on Friday evening, but 3 minutes made the difference between boarding and staying on the ground. There was nothing we could do, apart from blaming everyone and complaining at every counter of the airport. In the end, the lesser bad was paying a small fee and postponing the flight until Saturday afternoon. With lots of poison in our veins, we left the airport and returned home.

DAY 1

Finally we could board without further incidents and, just 2 hours and a half later, we landed in Hong Kong. We had one day less than expected so we had to make sacrifices, and we agreed Macau would be the one given up. All in all, we had 2 days to see all this humongous city had to offer, so we had no time to waste! After leaving our limited luggage at the guesthouse, we left the room ready to start exploring the big city. Our starting point: Mong Kok.

The lord of the keys, GH3 + Olympus M Zuiko 45mm

Remains of the day, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

It was early evening and the streets were busy and crowded; lots of people were entering and leaving the underground entrances, waves of pedestrians crossed the wide roads whenever the green lights granted them way, countless street vendors occupied every little corner of the streets to settle their businesses, all of us were bathed in the lights of thousands of neon lights that hung in every facade. We walked around the area for a while, delighted by so much movement and action around us, but it started drizzling so we decided to take the underground and go downtown.

Pedestrian smiles, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Undercrowds, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

We got off at Tsim Sha Tsui Station. Rain had stopped so we resumed our walk, this time down Nathan Rd., full of high rise buildings, branded stores, human beehives and shopping centers. No matter where you looked at, everywhere in this city there are hostels and money changers, stores and restaurants; there is so many people and the space is so limited that it's no surprise the city feels packed, stifling, noisy.

In motion, GH3 + Olympus M Zuiko 45mm

Urban journey, GH3 + Olympus M Zuiko 45mm

Just a few hundred meters down the road, we finally reached the famous Victoria Harbour, but we were a few minutes late to see the so called Symphony of lights, therefore we didn't spend much time there; we would return the following day at the appropriate time to see and explore the area at length, so now we headed to another famous spot in this part of the city: Temple St. Night Market.

Romance at the door, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Waiting at the door, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

We were, again, a bit late when we reached there, and many stalls were already closing down their curtains and doors, but this long road still had plenty to offer, so we slowly walked along, seeing the same goods stall after stall, and observing the scenes we are so familiar with from Thailand: the same bargaining, chasing, pretending and cheating though in a different language. After a while, we felt quite hungry so we waited for a table to clear (all restaurants were totally packed and full) and sat down, ready to enjoy our first HK meal.

Last order I, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm 

Last order II, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

And that was all about our first evening; it started drizzling again and most of the market was already shut down, so we finished our food and drinks and returned to the guesthouse, tired but excited.

Reflected restaurant, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

DAY 2

We woke up early: there were so many things we wanted to see and do today that we had no time to waste (and the fact that the beds were not specially friendly to our bodies made the decision much easier). After a shower in our micro toilet, we left the room ready for a long day. But first, before we walked too far, we entered the first restaurant we spotted for a generous breakfast. With full stomachs, even the rain that was silently falling seemed less annoying, so we bought a couple of potable umbrellas at the 7/11 and took the underground to our first destination of the day: Nan Lian Gardens.

Layers, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Near & far, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm 

Verticality, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Although they look like they could have been there for centuries, in reality these gardens were built less than ten years ago. The gardens have been designed and built resembling the classical Chinese Gardens, which includes the three basic elements: trees, water and rocks, plus wooden pavilions and bridges; several paths connect the different areas, and all the area is maintained in a very good , beautiful condition. The Gardens are located in the modern, urban environment of Kowloon, and you can see the skyscrapers from anywhere inside the Gardens; however, the atmosphere is so quiet and peaceful that it seems like an oasis of peace and quietude in the heart of the crazy city.

Organic & inorganic, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

King stone, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Once we finished, it was time to take the underground once more, this time to go to Star Ferry Pier, in Victoria Harbor, where we would take the ferry to cross, in just a few minutes, to Hong Kong Island. And finally we were there, amidst impossibly high buildings, winding roads traveled by trams, taxis and buses, hundreds of Filipino maids enjoying their day off, gathered all around Statue Square, cranes and trucks working endlessly to develop the few areas that remain surprisingly unbuilt in the island, and dark grey skies all above us.

Stairlines, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Under construction, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Cold & warm, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

High above, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

A window with views, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm 

Passages, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Wheels and tracks, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Mirror facade, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

What shocked me most was to realize that Hong Kong is indeed a very mountainous island, and there are lots of slopes to climb. Maybe because I live in a very flat city, walking up steep roads was not what I expected, and I found very interesting perspectives thanks to this, camera pointing upwards or downwards to capture stairs, or people walking at low speeds, fighting against gravity. Soho, in particular, was an area I found specially appealing. We walked up and down without any specific destination in mind, we had a nice lunch, a nice coffee, and then we moved on to the next stage.

Opposite directions, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm 

Waiting for the bus, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

The bus is here!, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm 

Taxi line I, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm 

Taxi line II, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

The long slope, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Nap on the motorbike, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Choices, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Hybrid culture, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

The Peak. But before we could get on the tram to go to the top of the mountain and enjoy the scenic view of Hong Kong and Kowloon, we had to queue for one hour. It seems we all had the same plan and the same timing, after all!

A question of mouths, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

But it was worth it: we reached The Peak shortly before sunset and, though it was a very cloudy day and the sun was nowhere to be seen, we could witness how the city gradually started waking up, and countless spots of light of multiple colors started appearing everywhere, turning the increasing darkness of evening in a festival of electric fireflies.

16:20, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

16:45, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm 

16:50, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

17:00, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

And yes, we still had the rest of that night to taste more Hong Kong dishes and delicacies, and one more morning to explore some other corners of the city before flying back to Bangkok the following afternoon, but the pictorial memories of this short trip end here. I will be back, that one is for sure!