My first group photo walk: multireligious Surasak

Since I started my regular photo walks and created this blog at the beginning of the year, I have always been shooting alone. I have already posted 27 entries of varied lenghts (roughly one per week), and absolutely all of them have been lonely walks. I think it was necessary for me to learn and experiment with my camera and with myself for a while first, before I could feel confident enough to meet other photographers and dare a group photo walk.

Queen umbrella, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

During these 8 months I have definitely learnt many things, but I recently started feeling that there were things I could probably only learn by interacting with others, so I decided to join a local photography club. I was expecting to meet other people with similar interests, to expand my social circle, and to share and improve skills and knowledge. I'm very brave when I'm on my own, but somehow I become shy in larger groups, so I was a bit hesitant at first. But the willingness to try new things was ultinately stronger, and the day of meeting them finally arrived today.

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

We met at Surasak BTS station, a neighborhood that I had never visited before, which was an added bonus of interest for me: everything was going to be fresh today, both people and places. I brought along my small backpack (a Lowepro Flipside 200 that can fit my full, small kit of one camera body and three lenses), a bottle of water, comfortable clothes, and piles of expectations. I arrived early, introduced myself to the group organizer, met some of the other early arivers, and quickly I relaxed and felt at ease: they looked all easygoing and friendly. So once we were all there (a group of around 30 people and surprisingly on time in a city like Bangkok), we started the walk.

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

First we left the main road and walked across some narrow alleyways that led gradually to a small neighborhood of low houses and quiet passages, in sharp contrast with the roars of traffic and the skyscrapers where we met just a few minutes before. It was late afternoon, the sun was starting to decline and walking amidst silent, uncrowded sois while chatting with new friends felt like a breeze of fresh air. We advanced idly, gathered in small sub groups, each one focusing their attention in different spots along the way, until we reached the first landmark of the walk: a Muslim Cemetery.

Straw on wood, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

We spent around half an hour there, regrouping, switching partners, talking some more, and of course taking pictures. The cemetery, enclosed by a fence, was not very big, but it was extremely well maintained; the grass was nicely cut, the tombstones clean and tidy, the flowers beautifully arranged. However, what caught the attention and the focus of most of us was a gravedigger who was digging a deep hole, bare hands, bucket after bucket, with the help of another two men.

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

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

We resumed our walk and this time we went through a wider road, which meant more opportunities to find, and capture, people. Although we were quite a big group of people, all walking with a camera in hand, the local people we encountered on our way didn't look very surprised, and they rather continued doing thir things, unperturbed, but friendly and welcoming, as most Thais usually are. 

The last survivors I, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

The last survivors II, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

A few hundred meters down the road we reached the second stop of our walk, another religious place, but of a diferent nature and worship: a Hindu temple. Wat Witsanu, built of white and golden stone and tiles, stands on its own, robust and sober, very different from the Thai Buddhist temples that populate the city. We spent another good half an hour idling at our own pace inside the temple and around it, capturing the atmosphere of a place so different yet so similar to any other religious shelter: all you could feel here was respect and quietude.

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

Not far from the Hindu temple, actually just a few minutes walk along the same road, we arrived at the third stage of the journey and, to continue the theme of the day, it was yet another religious place, and of a third different religion: Wat Prok. This Buddhist temple is known because it has become the home for a big group of Myanmar migrants and refugees over the years, from very young to adults. The temple not only serves as a religious space but also as a school for most of the younger kids who stay at their grounds, providing shelter and education to them.

Afternoon break, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

And the final stage of our group walk finally arrived: in the back of the temple, occupying a very broad space of land, what looked like a park, full of trees and grass. But, as we approached it slowly, we started to realize that it was not exactly a park (though tens of people were jogging around the lanes, enjoying some games or pastimes with friends, strolling around or simple sitting and having a refreshment) but something, again, of religious nature: a big, old, Chinese cemetery.

Graves and bikes, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

In the middle of a busy area such as Surasak, it's surprising that a spacious area like this has been preserved in its integrity and has not succumbed to the speculation of urban construction. Only meters away from the hubbub of the big city, Tae Chio Cemetery remains an oasis of green and serenity, perfect for sport lovers and idlers alike, though in the evenings it gets a bit busy with kids, joggers, aerobics and even portable karaokes. It's a mixture of ages and activities, but the place remains interesting and charming nevertheless, so different from everything around it.

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

This was the end of the group tour, and everybody got together at the entrance of the park for a photo, some number exchanging and even for some drinks or dinner together. But, guess what? I was carried away by the place, the old graves, the varied people populating it, the settling sun behind the trees and, when I realized I had been strolling alone for a while, it was already too late: everyone was already gone, and I had not swapped phones with any of them yet. Well, there will be more meetups, I told myself, and so I left the park, I mean the cemetery, all by myself.

Tiles and flowers, GH3 + Lumix G X Vario 12-35mm

Only then I realized it was already night. I was a bit disorientated, because I left the place through a different gate, and I had no guide to lead the way like before, so I walked ahead, trusting my sense of direction. I though I was on the right way, because some places seemed familiar, but it turned out I was totally wrong. I was going in a different direction, farther from the BTS station where I wanted to go. But, as I said a few posts ago, detours can be very rewarding and surprising, so I just went ahead, asked a few people, captured a few nice candid scenes, and finally saw a bus number that would bring me back home.

Sacks pyramid, GH3 + Olympus M. Zuiko 45mm

Busy clerk, GH3 + Olympus M. Zuiko 45mm

The accountant, GH3 + Olympus M. Zuiko 45mm

Thanks everyone for the nice atmosphere and company today, I will definitely join again next time, and I will try not to miss the goodbyes and drinks again!