5
The 113th walk of the Bangkok Photographers Group had rather a damp start as the
oppressive heat of April was finally broken by wet weather. In spite of that, we were very
pleased to find 34 photographers willing to endure the drizzle for what we were confident
would be an excellent route.
While Sam Yot is the name of the four-way intersection of Charoen Krung and Maha Chai
Roads, the name is also applied to the surrounding area. Sam yot (สามยอด) translates as ‘three
peaks’, referring to the peaks of the city gate that once stood at the namesake intersection,
which was originally one of the outer gates of the Grand Palace. When the city was growing
during the reign of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V), the roads needed to be expanded and the
gate was demolished to make space.
Starting from Sam Yot MRT station, our route hit some of the major landmarks of this
sub-district between Bangkok’s Old City and Chinatown. These included Ong Ang Walking
Street and Wat Chakrawatrachawat Woramahawihan, which is better known as the Crocodile
Temple because of the resident reptiles. The legend goes that the first of the crocodiles was
an especially fearsome one-eyed man-eating croc named Ai-bod that had been terrorising
residents along the banks of the Chao Phraya River during the Ayutthaya period (1569–1767).
Fleeing a hunting party of angry locals, Ai-bod took refuge under a monk’s house. The monk
spared its life and built an enclosure for it to keep both the croc and the residents safe.
Walk #113 ended at Photohostel & Photocafé, where attendees could compare results over
a coffee while surrounded by photos from our own Vision 2022 exhibition. Afterwards, Greg
received submissions from 31 of the 34 photographers, which is as close as we’ve yet come to
a 100 per cent submission rate. With the inclement weather and the unusually intricate route,
members had stayed rather more tightly grouped than usual, yet still managed to take a great
variety of photos, as you will see – and, we hope, enjoy – in the following pages.Have fun,
Greg, Mark, and Ben.Bangkok Photo Walks
Magazine Issue #88 • 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
without the written permission of the publishers.
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 Photos Marco Capriz
Title Page Photo Michel Arnault
Group Photo Greg Rhodes
Back Cover Photo Chase Stanley
© 2023 Bangkok Photographers GroupIt never rains but it claws