Ch-Ch-Changes ~ Renovation of Bangkok Landmarks
Here I am in my new digs, an older Thai-style townhouse in Bangkok Noi, working on my first blog since moving back to Bangkok. Thanks to all the well-wishers, my hernia surgery went fine and I’m on the mend. I have so many ideas for blogs, but I thought it best to start with some of the landmarks that have changed in Krung Thep since my THAILAND 180º book was published. Namely, Loha Prasat, Democracy Monument, and Wat Arun.
Loha Prasat, AKA Wat Ratchanatdaram
I jumped out of bed last Thursday at 5:30 AM eager to get back to doing what I love. As soon as I was outside, I became aware of the beautiful morning light backlighting some sparrows playing in a puddle of water and giving my village a warm glow. This is why I love being a photographer! In the months that I’ve lived here, I didn’t really focus on the beautiful little parts of daily life. Reality returned briefly as my poor ability to speak Thai lead to four failed attempts to get a taxi to take me to Loha Prasat. Mixed luck came with the fifth as he knew what I was saying, but couldn’t recall the street it was on. Google maps were in Thai, but he couldn’t read Thai. I sounded the word out letter by letter and soon remembered it was on Rachadomnoen Klang Road. Loha Prasat was one of the first subjects I photographed when I was working on our book, and I had heard that they had gilded some of the spirals. Soon the driver triumphantly pointed to it in the distance. From the car, it looked beautiful, and I ran to get my favorite angle. My heart sank as a closer look revealed that work was still being done to the lower parts and it was surrounded by a black cloth, as shown below.
Loha Prasat, AKA Wat Ratchanatdaram
under renovation
Well, score one for THAILAND 180º as that photo still reigns supreme! Travel is like that as you may have found. On one trip to Myanmar, the Shwedagon Pagoda was covered in a similar way, and we had to postpone a trip to India until work on the Taj Mahal renovation was completed. Just look at this as an excuse to visit Bangkok again in the future, or buy our book. 😉
Democracy Monument
Next on the list was the Democracy Monument which was just a short walk away. I had read that this monument had been restored and the surrounding area filled with plants. I did the seemingly death-defying act of crossing the busy street only to be disappointed. It seems the flowers were gone and the planters have been partially removed. Frankly, I liked the older tones on the monument compared to the new look, but maybe I’m getting old and change-resistant. I’m going to score in favor of our book on this one too.
Newly renovated DemocracyMonument
Wat Arun aka Temple of The Dawn
The last landmark on my list for the day was Wat Arun, and now I’m starting to feel like I should have stayed in bed. I had heard some complaints about the outcome of the recent make-over of this temple, and I thought I was going to hate the new white color. It had been love, at first sight, some 30 odd years ago when I saw this temple on my first visit to Thailand. I had loved the way the dark prang stood out majestically against the often hazy sky, and even in the days of film, I took hundreds of photos of it from every angle and at every time of day and night. I had captured many images to use in our book and choosing just one image had been difficult.
I flagged down a tuk-tuk, negotiated a very fair price and was soon on the way to catch a ferry to the temple. By the way, I have to say that I’ve never had a problem with the tuk-tuks in the Rattanakosin area, although I’ve heard some horror stories from others. Like anywhere, it helps to know a little of the local language, dress sensibly, smile, and be polite.
From the pier, I could see Wat Arun across the river, and I could help but smile. It looked beautiful against the deep blue sky! For the next hour, I scurried around making one photo after the other. Here are two:
The newly renovated Wat Arun aka Temple of The Dawn
Another view of the newly renovated Wat Arun aka Temple of The Dawn
Okay, just one more…
Yet another view of the newly renovated Wat Arun aka Temple of The Dawn
I’m not sure how this temple would look against a white sky, but under these conditions, it looked stunning and I was able to photograph it from angles that wouldn’t have worked for me before. I’m going to score this as a win for the Fine Arts Department and a draw with our book’s image. Besides, it will start the process of aging all over again and grow darker as the years go by.
Well, there you have it. I’m back and already thinking of my next blog. Speaking of change, that’s exactly where I found the subject of the next blog. Subscribe below and do comment and follow us on Our FaceBook page.
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Blog : Thai by Apisatha Hussadee Giunca
Blog : English by George Edward Giunca
About the Authors
Photographer George Edward Giunca, and his Thai wife, Apisatha, have traveled around Thailand armed with a circular fisheye lens to create a photo essay on the rich cultural diversity, and abundant natural beauty of the Kingdom of Thailand. Fleeing from angry water buffaloes, slapping huge mosquitoes, watching exotic festivals and religious rituals, gorging on delicious spicy food, applying aloe vera cream to sunburned skin, wading through rice paddies, getting drenched to the bone by heavy monsoon rains, and gawking at breath-taking scenery; made it a journey of epic proportions! The result is the book, THAILAND 180º. Later, they traveled extensively through Myanmar, Malaysia, and India, gathering a massive collections of 180º photos. They currently live in Chiang Mai where they continue to blog and are now working on a CHIANG MAI 180º book.
Here’s How to Order Your Copy of THAILAND 180º Collectors EditionToday!
In Thailand —>>>http://www.thailand180.com/thaiorder.html
The Rest of the world: We are offering our book on Amazon.com, below list price and I’ll pay for the shipping within the United States! http://amzn.to/1knDPRR
Not Familiar with Our Book???
This show details the origin of 180 Books, a series of art/travel books illustrated with a circular fisheye lens. By using infographics, pictures from our THAILAND 180º book, and never seen before images from our vault, we’ll demonstrate this unique lens and present our unique books.
Also, because there’s nothing to watch on TV, here’s a trailer about our book, “THAILAND 180”
