Story / 18 Aug 2016 / 0 COMMENTS

Bangkok Vantage Points – Rama 8 Bridge

The taxi driver dropped us off close to Khao San Road. Having taken the wrong turn, we had to trace our way back to our meeting place. On the way there we happen to chance upon the New World shopping center. Famous for the fish who have taken over the water filled interior of the abandoned mall, it is now blocked off by large shutters and inaccessible to passerbys.

However we weren’t supposed to go here today, so Scott and I headed straight to Chomp cafe to meet the rest of the group. After we finished dinner and greeted our two new members Lucy and Steve, we headed directly for the Rama 8 bridge.

Susanne was in charge of leading us today as we were roaming her own neighborhood. We first stopped at pier 14 with great views over the river towards the bridge. Earlier in the day Scott and I talked about the difficulties of taking photos of strangers. So when Ignacio challenged us to take a photo of a fully tattooed guy, I just couldn’t say no. I hesitantly stepped forward and said: “Excuse me” in Thai, but it wasn’t loud enough. I took another deep breath, went up closer and asked him again. This time my slightly more confident voice got his attention.

I quickly mumbled if it’s OK to take a photo, and to my relief he looked back at me and nodded.

After the pier it was time to cross the river. We made our way to the base of the bridge, where a group of fisherman had set up shop. It started to rain on the way over, but it didn’t deter us from taking photos of the bridge and enjoying the moment. We took some more shots from the park on the other side before heading back to the Samsen area to find a place that served alcohol.

We happened to choose the day of the Thai referendum to do the photo walk, and had to find out that no one would serve alcohol due to the alcohol ban on election day. However Susanne being resourceful as ever, found us a bar that would serve our drinks in coffee cups. With the lesson of the day, that there is always a way in Thailand, we called it a night and parted ways.