5September's photo walk took advantage of the recently opened Yellow Line - the new
elevated monorail running from Samrong to Lat Phrao, which has opened up a lot of potential
future photo walks in eastern Bangkok. In this case, we started from Phawana station and
made our way towards Chok Chai 4 station via the side roads and alleyways north of Lat
Phrao Road.
The name "Lat Phrao" (ลาดพร้าว) can mean 'slope of coconut', which is reflected in
the district's official seal. However, our route did not pass any palm trees. Instead, the
main highlight was Wat Lat Phrao. Founded in the 19th century, it outdates many of the
surrounding buildings. The star attraction is the upstairs viharn (hall) packed with Buddha
images. Among what must be at least 100 statues, the most significant are a replica of Luang
Po Sothon (หลวงพ่อโสธร), the legendary Buddha of Chachoengsao's Wat Sothonwararam
Worawihan, and a replica of the Emerald Buddha (พระแก้วมรกต) of Wat Phra Kaew in the
Grand Palace. The glittering golden chedi atop the viharn, which features on the front cover
of this issue, contains relics of the Buddha from Kandy, Sri Lanka.
As grand as the temple is, you will find far more photos of the local communities around it
in the pages to follow. About 40 photographers followed walk whisperer Mark along Khlong
Lat Phrao, meeting many very friendly people along the way. Of those 40, we received
submissions from 27.
If it wasn't for Greg's intervention, the following pages would have been mostly cat
pictures! We got a lot of photos of the district's friendly felines, as well as some of dogs and
birds. You'll find them presented in a spread of overwhelming cuteness at the end of the
magazine, on page 116.Have fun,
Greg, Mark, and Ben.Bangkok Photo Walks
Magazine Issue #93 • Walk #
Bangkok Photo Walks is a not-for-profit, community-created
publication. All photographs herein are copyrighted by their
respective creators and published only with their permission.
Reproduction of this magazine in any form is not permitted
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Please contact: [email protected]
Head of BPG Greg Rhodes
Magazine Editor Ben Reeves
Photo Walk Coordinator Mark A. Hathaway
Logo Design Ubonpayom Ongsara
Front Cover Photo Ben Reeves
Title Page Photo Andrew Cooper
Back Cover Photo Nassim Abed
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