Wat Ratchabophit | Bangkok Photo Walks, Issue 109

A group of about 50 photographers gathered at Sam Yot MRT station on the morning of Sunday 9th February

for the 133rd BPG photo walk. Then they gathered again because Ben managed to get an out of focus group

shot on his first attempt, but Mark finally led us out on the fantastic route he selected for us after the second try.

We first went east across the Damrong Sathit Bridge, then north to enter Rommaninat Park. Leaving the park

from the southwest exit, we followed the Phadung Krung Kasem canal to Wat Ratchabophit, where we had a

moment’s difficulty finding an open entrance. After crossing Saphan Hok, we went through Saranrom Park, then

through the monk’s quarters of Wat Pho, finally reaching and overfilling Elefin Coffee on Maha Rat Road.

The route crossed several subdistricts of the Phra Nakhon district, with the bit between the two parks

giving this walk its title. The temple itself is one of Thailand’s most revered. Built during the reign of Rama

V, the abbot here is the current Supreme Patriarch of Thailand. The Royal Cemetery is in the grounds of

Wat Ratchabophit, too, hosting the ashes of a great many queens, consorts, princes, princesses and other

members of the Thai Royal Family, particularly those closely related to King Chulalongkorn – Rama V himself.

It is a little ironic that the streets to the east of the temple are most famous for their surprising number of

firearm shops, to the extent that it is colloquially known as “Gun City”. To the best of our knowledge, none of

our ‘shooters’ made a purchase on their way through.

Rommaninat Park also dates back to the reign of Rama V or, more accurately, the prison that formerly stood

here does. Built in 1890 and modelled after HM Prison Brixton in the UK, only a few buildings remain and

many of them are in such bad condition that they were undergoing extensive renovation as we passed.

Saranrom Park has a similar history, though it was formerly the gardens of Saranrom Palace. Built in 1866

by (you guessed it) Rama V, the palace served as the residence for princes and royal guests. It has held many

functions since, including a training ground for royal guards under Rama VI and hosting the first Miss Siam

beauty pageant in 1934. The gardens were donated to the Thai people as a public park in June 1960.

We recieved photos of these and many other interesting sights along the route from 30 photographers,

which are presented in this 109th issue of Bangkok Photo Walks. We hope that you enjoy them and that they

inspire you to join our next walk in March!

Have fun,

Mark, Chutima, and Ben.

Magazine Editor

Ben Reeves

Photo Walk Coordinator

Mark A. Hathaway

Administrative Support

Chutima Panjapan

Logo Design

Ubonpayom Ongsara

Front Cover Photo

Shay

Group Photo

Ben Reeves

Back Cover Photo

Chutima Panjapan

© 2025 Bangkok Photographers Group

All rights reserved.

Bangkok Photo Walks is a not-for-profit

publication created by the members of

the Bangkok Photographers Group. All

photographs herein are copyrighted by

their respective creators and published

only with their permission.

In the footsteps of kings and crooks

BANGKOK PHOTO WALKS

February 2025 Issue 109