Views of Bangkok from The Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific

The The Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) building is one of only a few tall buildings in this part of Bangkok. It offers beautiful views of a beautiful city. ESCAP's regional focus is managing globalization through programs in environmentally sustainable development, trade, and human rights. 

Looking towards Yaowaraj & Bang Rak

Monsoon Season

View looking West towards the Mae Nam Chao Phraya river

Looking over the 1st Royal Thai Army HQ, Banglampoo, Rattankosin and Siriraj hospital

Golden Mount with the skyline

View down Ratchadamnoen Nok Avenue

Rain & Fog over the UNICC

View looking towards Bang Rak

ESCAP works to overcome some of the region's greatest challenges by providing results oriented projects, technical assistance and capacity building to member States in the following areas:

• Macroeconomic Policy and Development
• Trade and Investment
• Transport
• Social Development
• Environment and Sustainable Development
• Information and Communications Technology and Disaster Risk Reduction
• Statistics
• Sub-regional activities for development 

Source

Phuket Vegetarian Festival เทศกาลกินเจ

Nine Emperor Gods Festival / 九皇爺 / เทศกาลกินเจ - The vegetarian festival is mainly celebrated by the Chinese Thai community during the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar. A couple of my visits to Phuket coincided with this event so I thought I would post some images of the things visitors may encounter. It is truly an amazing experience. There is nothing I have every seen which compares to the Phuket Vegetarian Festival. The event for this year will take place from 4th - 14th October 2013.

Known in Thailand as the "Tetsagan Gin Jay/เทศกาลกินเจ" and elsewhere as the 9 Emperor Gods Festival it is usually held over a 10-day  period around September or October.



During this time, local residents strictly observe a vegetarian or vegan diet as well as perform sacred rituals at various shrines and temples.



The vegetarian festival is widely celebrated around the country but only in the southern provinces around Phuket will you find these bizarre rituals.



There will be specific ceremonies at Chinese temples and shrines all around the island. You can usually find the events schedule online a month or so before it begins. I've included this information at the bottom of this post.



The are many groups of devotees and each has its own temple or shrine to support. The nature of the event can be quite graphic involving quite a bit of blood.



Each morning at dawn the ceremonies begin and devotees are pierced at mutilated. After which, they parade many kilometers through the streets to Phuket town.



Tens of thousands of people converge upon Phuket town and the crowds gather quite thick along the parade routes.

From dawn till dusk you will hear nothing but firecrackers and fireworks all over Phuket. The sound can be quite deafening and whole city streets disappear completely in the smoke they leave behind. It is  reminiscent of a disaster or war zone if you didn't know it was a cause for celebration.

The Mah Song 

Only the Mah Song (ม้าทรง) perform the piercings and bodily mutilations. They believe that their bodies become the vehicle for the spirit gods. Many believe that the gods skewer the cheeks of the mah song with sharp instruments in order to absorb negative energy as well as to help other people by freeing them from bad karma, illness or sorrow.

Mah song ม้าทรง are the people who invite the spirits of gods to possess their bodies. Mah ม้า is the word for horse in Thai, and the name mah song refers to how the spirits of the gods use the bodies of these people as a vehicle, as one rides a horse. Only pure, unmarried men or women without families of their own can become mah song. At the temple they undergo a series of rituals to protect them for the duration of the festival, during which flagellation and self-mutilation is practiced. The mah song tradition doesn't exist in China and is believed to have been adopted from the Indian festival of Thaipusam. 

Source: Wikipedia 

Each "Mah Song" is usually surrounded by a group of family and friends who encircle and protest them from the large crowds. Some people pierce themselves with extremely large items such as bicycles, furniture, appliances and even the kitchen sink. If it is not bolted down, chances are it will end up skewered through someone's face.

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Vegetarian Festival in Thailand

In accordance with the traditions, many religious devotees will perform ritualized mutilation upon themselves and one another (with the consent of, context and understanding of all involved and the practice itself) while under a trance-like state, including but not limited to: impaling through cheeks, arms, face, legs, back etc., with everything from as small as syringes to as large as is agreed upon between all members; partial skinning (the skin is not removed, just cut and flipped over); slashing of limbs, chest, stomach and especially tongue with swords, axes and knives; bloodletting; removal of tissue (normally limited to cysts) and intentionally wrapping or standing near fire crackers as they are lit.

This is done without anesthetic, always inside or near the temples surrounded by other devotees with only iodine, petroleum jelly and surgical gloves as precautionary measures. Despite this scenario, many of the same people performing the rituals are also the people who will care for many of the people in their recovery, the actual impaling is done by doctors and physicians in the community, is planned out for weeks if not months in advance and medical teams are present in and around temple grounds for the entire time of the festival, with frequently spectators needing more help then the devotees, who remain in a trance during this process and are monitored through the entire event in case they should drop out of concentration, in which case they are immediately take to medical professionals regardless of the circumstances to minimize post trance bleeding.

 Source: Wikipedia

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These items are heavy and the Mah Song risk having them ripped from their faces in the large crowds. They are encircled and protected by groups of family and friends.



The Mah Song need their family and friends to support the during this time. It can be very dangerous if one of them falls or is pushed through the large crowds. You can tell they are afraid of having the items forcibly ripped from their flesh.  The risk of injury risk  of injuring themselves is very real. You will often see people who do nothing but wipe the blood from the wound of spirit medium.

The Mah Song can usually be seen in a trance like state and shaking their heads back and forth as if under the influence of some kind of intoxicant. For the most part, they do not appear to be in pain.

 It is all a very surreal experience. During the festival there are also many other ceremonies and activities which include fire-walking and blade-ladder climbing.



This experience can be quite alien to westerners. Even corporations are starting to get in on the action and you can see that Volvo has even provided some sponsorship in the ceremony.

I wonder how long it will be until Coca Cola, Microsoft and other corporations sponsor their own spirit mediums. 

Phuket Vegetarian Festival Shrines

Phuket Vegetarian Festival Shrines

• Baan Tha Rue Shrine, Thepkrasattri Road, not far from the Heroines’ Monument
• Cherng Thalay Shrine, Sri Soonthorn Road, Thalang District
• Sapam Shrine, Thepkrasattri Road, Koh Kaeo, Phuket Town
• Yok Ke Keng Shrine, Soi Panieng, Samkong, Phuket Town
• Samkong Shrine, Yaowarat Road, on the north side of Phuket Town
• Kathu Shrine, Wichitsongkram Road, Kathu District
• Put Jaw Shrine, On the corner of Soi Phuthorn, Ranong Road, Phuket Town
• Jui Tui Shrine, Soi Phutorn, Ranong Road Soi 4, Phuket Town
• Sui Boon Tong Shrine (aka Lorong Shrine), Pattana Road, Phuket Town
• Bang Neow Shrine, Phuket Road, on the south side of Phuket Town
• Thep Rasi Shrine, Phuket Road, near Robinson Department Store, Phuket town
• Kiew Tien Keng Shrine, Sapanhin Park, Phuket Town

Schedule for street processions of Chinese Shrines

Mon	October 07, 2013	Sapam Shrine
Tue	October 08, 2013	Samkong Shrine
Wed	October 09, 2013	Ban Tha Rve Shrine
Thu	October 10, 2013	Bang Neow Shrine  Cherng Thalay Shrine
Fri	October 11, 2013	Jui Tui Shrine
Sat	October 12, 2013	Kathu Shrine  Yokkekeng Shrine
Sun	October 13, 2013	Sui Boon Tong Shrine

For more information please visit the Official Website for the schedule and other details or download the details in pdf format here.

http://www.phuketvegetarian.com/phuketvegetarian2013_en.pdf

A local expat and blogger Jamie Monk also has information and photos of the event on his site here. 

Bangkok's Deviant Street Art

The first large-scale collaboration between Thailand and European street artists. Kilos of fresh paint have been applied all over the city transforming ordinarily drab city walls into something creative and magical.

Bangkok Street Art & Graffiti

This was the first large-scale collaboration between Thailand and Europe in the field of street art.

Bangkok Street Art & Graffiti

After just having returned from working in New York City I was disappointed to find that I had missed the Bukruk International Street Art Festival.

Bangkok Street Art & Graffiti

Street art is visual art. It can be found in almost every city. I've noticed more and more fresh paint over the last decade.

Bangkok Street Art & Graffiti

The term can include traditional graffiti artwork, sculpture, stencil graffiti, sticker art and other types of guerrilla artwork.

Bangkok Street Art & Graffiti

For some it is difficult to distinguish between contemporary public-space artwork and that from graffiti and vandalism.

Bangkok Street Art & Graffiti

A portion of Us and Them Mural in the back of Siam Square by Alex Face.

Bangkok Street Art & Graffiti

The area from Siam Square to Rama 6 is actually quite large and if you do not know the exact location could lead to a lot of ground work too.

Bangkok Street Art & Graffiti

I am not surprised that they used the old abandoned buildings at the front of the Petchaburi Soi 18 community along the Saen Saeb canal.

Bangkok Street Art & Graffiti

From the 4 Headed Elephant bridge over Phaya Thai road come down the stairs next to the pier. From the pier you can see many different works on both sides of the canal.

Bangkok Street Art & Graffiti

Viewing each piece from different angles and perspectives reveals hidden stories and meanings.

Bangkok Street Art & Graffiti

These large pieces above are located in the city blocks directly next to the Saem Saeb canal & Ratchatewi BTS on the same side of Phaya Thai road as Siam Paragon.

Bangkok Street Art & Graffiti

This neighborhood consisting of 3 and 4 story block apartments is what most of Bangkok looked like 20 to 30 years ago.

Bangkok Street Art & Graffiti

I would not be surprised to see this stretch of land be developed as a condo, hotel or another fancy mall by the end of the next decade.

Bangkok Street Art & Graffiti

European artists (15):
Amandine Urruty & Nicolas Barrome: France / Low Bros: Germany / Hattie Stuart & Ben Eine: England / Ibie & San: Spain / Daan Botlek & Rick Hedof: Netherland / Akacorleone & Kruela Denfer: Portugal / Dem: Italy / Saddo: Romania / Bonom: Belgium

Bangkok Street Art & Graffiti

Thai artists (11):
Alex Face – Bon – Haritorn Akarapat – Kobby – Unchalee Anantawat – TRK – Mamafaka – P7 – Rukkit – Tawan Wattuya – Yuree Kensaku

Bangkok Street Art & Graffiti

http://bukruk.com/festival/about-the-festival/

Bangkok Street Art & Graffiti

The artwork is located in various spots around Pathumwan from Siam Square to Ratchatewi to Rama VI roads.

View Larger Map

2012 Year End Review

A look back in photographs at some of the more interesting events I've attended over the last year.

With the new year nearly upon us its hard to believe another year has wrapped up so quickly. I feel very fortunate to live in one of the most amazing regions of the world. I spent the majority of the past 12 months working on IT & software development projects for the United Nations. I was not able to dedicate the amount of time I would have liked to photography. Despite the heavy workload, I did manage to get out from time to time to work on some of my own personal photography projects.

The Best of 2012  - A look back in photographs

I have been documenting the people, places and events in this part of the world for many years now. Here is a look back at the past year through my photographs. I hope you enjoy them.

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Interesting Events of 2012

Mass Alms for 22,600 Monks

In order to promote  a new year of reconciliation after the recent political violence, mass alms and other Buddhist acts of merit were performed for 20,000 - 30,000 monks at various spots around Bangkok & Samut Prakarn.  I was fortunate to be able to attend a couple of these unique events here in the inner city. The idea of having tens of thousands of monks converging on one of Bangkok's major shopping districts intrigued me. I have been photographing those same neighborhoods for many years and the contrast in scene and characters was a welcome change. 

Buddhist monks during the mass alms in Bangkok's Chinatown

Mass alms - Looking towards Pratunam (Watergate District) from Ratchaprason

Ratchaprasong Intersection

Looking towards Ratchaprasong

30,000 Monks at a ceremony at Yaowaorj Road in Chinatown

Buddhist monks during mass alms

Genuine Smile from Buddhist Monk

Sign for 30,000 monks in Bangkok's Chinatown

These events were organized by the Abbot of Wat Phra Dhammakaya, in Pathum Thani. Normally these types of large events are held outside of the city. The roads are closed 12 hours prior to the ceremony and various stages are set up in the different neighborhoods.

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Wai Khru Day at Wat Bang Phra 

The annual Wai Khru ceremony at Wat Bang Pra in Nakhon Chaisi district of Nakorn Pathom located about an hour or so outside of Bangkok. I had the good fortunate to be able to attend this event again this past spring. The crowds keep getting larger from year to year.

Devotee becomes possessed by the spirit of the animal tattooed on their body. 

The ceremony at the temple is for the blessing and renewal of the power of the attendees' tattoos. The tattoos have such a potency that some of those who attend actually become possessed by the spirit of the animals that are personified on their bodies. Every year thousands of devotees flock to Wat Bang Phra to recharge their sacred tattoos by honoring the teacher ceremony.

This is the  place to witness spiritual rapture in its purest form.

Possessed Devotee at Wai Khru Day

Possessed Devotee at Wai Khru Day

Possessed Devotee at Wai Khru Day

Possessed Devotee at Wai Khru Day

Possessed Devotee at Wai Khru Day

Possessed Devotee at Wai Khru Day

The ceremony is usually held at an auspicious date and time around end Feb/early March and is announced a few months before it is set to start. Wat Bang Phra is located about 45 minutes west of Bangkok. You can hire a car, taxi or min bus to get you out there.

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Phnom Penh, Cambodia

This past spring (hot season) I found myself in Phnom Penh for a few days and had some time to continue documenting the city.  Phnom Penh has been transforming itself at an incredible pace.  It always feels as if I were travelling back in time whenever I make the commute into Pochentong Airport from Thailand. I imagine that the Thai capital would have been quite similar 80 years ago. The two cities have very few similarities now. 

Phnom Penh Street Mual

Buddhist Monk on Khmer Motorcycle Taxi

Phnom Penh at Night

Phnom Penh Skyline 2012

Khmer Muslim Girl at Kandall Market

Independence Monument

Khmer Taxi

Colonial Architecture - Phnom Penh Street Scene

Khmer Snacks

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Burmese Python Extracted from Neighbors Yard

Every once in a while one of the friendly neighborhood cats  would suddenly disappear from our neighborhood. After many years of wondering what might have happened my neighbor discovered one of the likely culprits in his garage. Judging by its size, this beautiful Burmese python must have been picking cats of my backyard for many years. I was a aware that snakes this large inhabited Bangkok but never thought I would find one so large next to my own home.  A telephone call was made to the district office and a team of professional were dispatched. They captured the extremely large snake and took it to a sanctuary where I am sure it was transformed into a snakeskin leather handbag or wallet. 

Burmese "Cat Killer" Python

Burmese "Cat Killer" Python

Burmese "Cat Killer" Python

Burmese "Cat Killer" Python

Burmese "Cat Killer" Python

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Bangkok Photo Fair

Save one or two notable exceptions, camera & photography shops in Bangkok tend to be carbon copies of each other. They sell the same brand items for the same exact manufacturer suggested retail price without ever competing and rarely offering any official discount. These types of photography trade shows have hard to find lighting and other camera equipment. The beautiful Thai models are more than happy to advertise their sponsor's product.

Thai Model at Bangkok Photo Fair 

Thai Model at Bangkok Photo Fair 

Thai Model at Bangkok Photo Fair 

Thai Model at Bangkok Photo Fair 

Thai Model at Bangkok Photo Fair 

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Japanese Anime Inspired "Cosplay"

This is another really fun event if you happen to come upon it. Most of the major malls (MBK, Siam Paragon and Central World) will host at least one or two of these types of Japanese anime costume play events a year.

There are usually scores of young people all decked out in the most amazing costumes and outfits.

The best place to check for upcoming cosplay events is on the Props&Ops: Cosplay Event Calendar.

Thai Cosplay

Thai Cosplay at Siam Paragon

Thai Cosplay

Thai Cosplay at Siam Paragon

Thai Cosplay at Siam Paragon

Thai Cosplay at Siam Paragon

Thai Cosplay at Siam Paragon

Thai Cosplay at Siam Paragon

Thai Cosplay at Siam Paragon

Thai Cosplay at Siam Paragon

Thai Cosplay at Siam Paragon

Thai Cosplay at Siam Paragon

Thai Cosplay at Siam Paragon

Thai Cosplay at Siam Paragon

Thai Cosplay at Siam Paragon

Thai Cosplay at Siam Paragon

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9 Emperor  Gods Festival / Vegetarian Festival

Phuket, Thailand - During the 9th lunar month of the Chinese calendar devotees of various shrines around Phuket island perform religious ceremonies meant to protect themselves and their communities from evil. I was fortunate enough to be able to spend a couple of days in Phuket during this period and document parts of it with my camera. The Mah Song are those disciples who have been chosen by the gods to become spirit mediums of the festival. Mah ม้า is the word for horse in Thai, and the name Mah Song refers to how the spirits of the gods use the bodies of these people as a vehicle, as one rides a horse. Amid a chorus of firecrackers and drum beats, they perform amazing acts of mutilation, self torture and flagellation.

"Mah Song" of the 9 Gods / Vegetarian Festival

"Mah Song" of the 9 Gods / Vegetarian Festival

"Mah Song" of the 9 Gods / Vegetarian Festival

"Mah Song" of the 9 Gods / Vegetarian Festival

"Mah Song" of the 9 Gods / Vegetarian Festival

"Mah Song" of the 9 Gods / Vegetarian Festival

"Mah Song" of the 9 Gods / Vegetarian Festival

"Mah Song" of the 9 Gods / Vegetarian Festival

"Mah Song" of the 9 Gods / Vegetarian Festival

"Mah Song" of the 9 Gods / Vegetarian Festival

"Mah Song" of the 9 Gods / Vegetarian Festival

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"Pitak Siam Ant-Government Rally"

Thai Politics -  Living in Bangkok means that you experience Thai politics whether you are interested in it or not. Arguments spill out of government house and parliament and are settled via pitched street battles in and around major tourist destinations freaking out even the longest & most jaded expats. Thai society is sharply divided among yellow and red factions.

Pitak Siam Anti-government rally

Pitak Siam Anti-government rally

Pitak Siam Anti-government rally

Pitak Siam Anti-government rally

Pitak Siam Anti-government rally

Pitak Siam Anti-government rally

Fortunately this anti-government rally did not manage to garner enough steam to trigger the explosive change that the organizers had envisioned. The rains washed away the tear gas and drove the protesters   home. The next phase of this battle will involve rewriting the constitution that will allow Thaksin to return to Thailand a free man. TBC.

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Bangkok Motorshow Pretty มอเตอร์โชว์ พริตตี้

The 2012 Thailand International Motor Expo came to pass at the IMPACT Arena in Pak Kret. These types of automobile trade shows are well known for having scores of beautiful women working as presenters, dancers, models, saleswomen and show girls promoting the auto industry. The 2012 Thailand International Motor Expo held at the IMPACT arena in Bangkok seemed to trump previous events in size & scale. The newspapers ran several stories about the record sales and pre-orders there were for this year.

Motor Show Models

Motor Show Models

Motor Show Models

Motor Show Models

Motor Show Models

Motor Show Models

Motor Show Models

Motor Show Models

Add caption

Motor Show Models

New Members of Our Security Team 

This year we also welcomed the addition of two (junior) security experts into our family home. We experienced one incident where someone attempted to gain access into our home via a sliding glass door. Fortunately, the locked steel cage they found prevented them from entering but I was still a little unnerved to see that someone had attempted to break in. Jack has done a great job so far in letting strangers know that he is on duty!

Jack

Cody

I would say it has been a very good year.  Let's hope for the best in 2013.