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Like last December’s magazine, this month’s issue of Bangkok Photo Walks explores one of
the city’s 40 large parks. In this case, BPG went to the single largest green space in Bangkok:
Suan Luang Rama IX (สวนหลวง ร.9).
With 500 rai (80 hectares; 200 acres) of parkland to explore and dark clouds galloping
across the sky above us, our meetup at the park’s Magnolia Gate was somewhat hurried. Ben
was keen to get everyone shooting before the weather broke so that we could get the most
out of our inevitably limited time. Fortunately, the directions were very simple: “go nuts!”
Rama 9 Park, as the name suggests, is dedicated to the late King Bhumibol. It opened in
1987 to celebrate his 60th birthday. Since that year, it has hosted an annual flower festival in
December. On 19th May 2024, it hosted 22 BPG members.
The massive park contains a great number of highlights, though the rain stopped most of
us from seeing more than a few. We got plenty of photos around the Ratchamangkala Pavilion
(the striking building on the front cover) but few got as far as the English Garden, let alone
the Botanical Gardens or the Garden of Medical Plants. The bright side was that it kept most
of the photographers grouped together, making for the genuine delight of seeing everyone
cheerfully enjoying themselves together, in spite of the conditions.
With an outstanding 90 per cent of attendees submitting their shots, we have 80 excellent
representations of the limited total area we collectively covered. BPG photographers have
proved, for the 100th time, that you can get an amazing number of first-class photos out of
the thinnest slice of Bangkok, even on a grim and grey day!Have fun,
Mark, Chutima, and Ben.Bangkok Photo Walks
Magazine Issue #100 • Walk #
Magazine Editor Ben Reeves
Photo Walk Coordinator Mark A. Hathaway
Photo Walk Support Chutima Panjapan
Logo Design Ubonpayom Ongsara
Front Cover Photo Antonio Navarro
Title Page Photo Andrew Cooper
Group Photo Ben Reeves
Back Cover Photo Francesco Navarro
© 2024 Bangkok Photographers GroupSunshine on a rainy day