Not that I go downtown often, quite the opposite: I spend most of my days and weeks far from it, as my work and leisure normally spins around Ramkhamhaeng, and I try to avoid visiting the city center over the weekend, as there is nothing I hate more than being stuck at traffic jams the only 2 days I have a bit of time for myself. But today it was that rare occasion when I felt like having a stroll in the jungle of Pratunam, again (maybe my last walk there ended too quickly and I felt it was incomplete). Whatever the reason, I walked to the canal, hop on the boat, and off I went.
It takes about 30 minutes to reach Pratunam from my area, and usually the boats are doozy and half empty at this time in the afternoon, far from the crowds that populate this same unstable vehicles in the peak hours, before and after work. Therefore, I could sit in one of the wooden benches and enjoy the sights around me without worrying about my verticality. A child that was standing a couple of meters from me caught my eye immediately, his pure, bright eyes a magnet to my camera. But he got off pretty soon, and I continued my trip to the hordes of the busy center.
It has been a terribly sunny day, the sun was harsh and merciless, and walking in the street was an exercise on physical resistance, constantly stopping to drink water and wipe my forehead, or even the camera. Even though, the vendors were unperturbed in their usual spots, defying heat and humidity, in total sync with the ambient around them.
Pratunam offers everything in mind: you just have to walk for a while along the multiple small streets that form this area, to find anything from food, to clothes, second hand objects, shoes or gadgets, amidst many other things. Trading is the heart of this district, and so everything revolves around this activity.
Tired from the noises and voices of cars, passers-by and vendors, I tried to look for a quieter road where I could walk at my own pace, and so I ended up in a back alley where I could sit for a while, drink a long sip of my dwindling bottle, and spot a couple of kids that were, from very different locations, looking at my and my camera with big, amused eyes.
It felt great being under the comfortable shade, so I decided I would walk back to the pier through the indoor markets this time; so I entered one dark corridor, not really sure where it would lead me, but the area is not that big so I knew there was not risk of getting lost by much. Surprisingly, the inner lanes were mostly deserted, dark and silent, with hundreds of small storehouses closed. These are the bowels of Pratunam, I guess, but at this time of the day all business is done outside, in the bright, sunny streets, and this place rests.
As I crossed the interior maze, I found a small, affordable place offering good massage, and suddenly my feet begged me to accept. So I laid down in one of the hammocks, and one hour passed by in a second. Reinvigorated, I resumed my walk only to realize that the world had completely changed in the span of that short massage, as if the hands of that old woman had some kind of magical powers and had bewitched me and retained me there for hours or days: it was night already, and it was raining, so I hurried back to the pier to take a boat home. The drops of water formed curious abstract shapes in the surface of the canal as I waited, so I took a last shot before entering the packed boat, calling it a day.
Magnet eyes, GH3 + Lumix G Vario 35-100mm
Childhood dreams, GH3 + Lumix G Vario 35-100mm
Bayoke & cables I, GH3 + Lumix G Vario 12-35mm
Bayoke & cables II, GH3 + Lumix G Vario 12-35mm
It has been a terribly sunny day, the sun was harsh and merciless, and walking in the street was an exercise on physical resistance, constantly stopping to drink water and wipe my forehead, or even the camera. Even though, the vendors were unperturbed in their usual spots, defying heat and humidity, in total sync with the ambient around them.
Harsh light, GH3 + Lumix G Vario 35-100mm
Shoe hierarchy, GH3 + Lumix G Vario 35-100mm
All but the fitting room, GH3 + Lumix G Vario 35-100mm
Colorful smells, GH3 + Lumix G Vario 35-100mm
Green goods, GH3 + Lumix G Vario 35-100mm
Tired from the noises and voices of cars, passers-by and vendors, I tried to look for a quieter road where I could walk at my own pace, and so I ended up in a back alley where I could sit for a while, drink a long sip of my dwindling bottle, and spot a couple of kids that were, from very different locations, looking at my and my camera with big, amused eyes.
Frisky eyes, GH3 + Lumix G Vario 35-100mm
Protection or retention?, GH3 + Lumix G Vario 35-100mm
It felt great being under the comfortable shade, so I decided I would walk back to the pier through the indoor markets this time; so I entered one dark corridor, not really sure where it would lead me, but the area is not that big so I knew there was not risk of getting lost by much. Surprisingly, the inner lanes were mostly deserted, dark and silent, with hundreds of small storehouses closed. These are the bowels of Pratunam, I guess, but at this time of the day all business is done outside, in the bright, sunny streets, and this place rests.
Inner shrine, GH3 + Lumix G Vario 35-100mm
As I crossed the interior maze, I found a small, affordable place offering good massage, and suddenly my feet begged me to accept. So I laid down in one of the hammocks, and one hour passed by in a second. Reinvigorated, I resumed my walk only to realize that the world had completely changed in the span of that short massage, as if the hands of that old woman had some kind of magical powers and had bewitched me and retained me there for hours or days: it was night already, and it was raining, so I hurried back to the pier to take a boat home. The drops of water formed curious abstract shapes in the surface of the canal as I waited, so I took a last shot before entering the packed boat, calling it a day.
Watercolors, GH3 + Lumix G Vario 35-100mm
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