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More than 40 photographers joined the 125th BPG Photo Walk around the Wat Tha Phra
subdistrict, winding through the narrow sois and alleyways around the namesake temple. Our
route – kindly provided by walk whisperer Mark – took us from the Wat Tha Phra MRT station
in a wide, counterclockwise loop back to Toasto, a small café and bakery near the station that
we completely overwhelmed with customers.
There is no apparent evidence of when the eponymous temple was built, nor who built it.
The temple was formerly known as “Wat Koh” (วัดเกาะ), which means “island temple”, because
the neighbourhood (and, by extension, the temple) is ringed by three waterways – the Chao
Phraya River and two canals, Khlong Mon and Khlong Bangkok Yai.
Some time later, the temple was renamed to Wat Tha Phra (วัดท่าพระ), which translates
as “Buddha pier temple”. The name comes from the tale that Luang Pho Kesorn, a sacred
Buddha image from the Ayutthaya period, floated along the water and got stuck at the
temple.
The neighbourhood is a mostly residential one, especially the area that the BPG walk
explored. Indeed, we struggled to find so much as a 7-Eleven along the streets that we
followed, though there were a few mom-and-pop convenience stores. All the same, the local
residents greeted us with kindness and curiosity, willingly posing for photos.
We received submissions from about three quarters of the walk attendees, resulting in an
interesting mix of shots and styles. With only Chutima and Ben available to lead the walkers
and many twists and turns along the planned route, a few different groups became separated
and ended up on routes of their very own. In fact, despite leading the group from the front
for the first time, Ben was somehow not the first to reach the finish point! It’s all part of the fun
of a BPG photo walk, though, and it gave us plenty of unique images to enjoy.Have fun,
Mark, Chutima, and Ben.Bangkok Photo Walks
Magazine Issue #101 • Walk #
Magazine Editor Ben Reeves
Photo Walk Coordinator Mark A. Hathaway
Photo Walk Support Chutima Panjapan
Logo Design Ubonpayom Ongsara
Front Cover Photo Nassim Abed
Title Page Photo Pascal De Meester
Group Photo Ben Reeves
Back Cover Photo Chutima Panjapan
© 2024 Bangkok Photographers GroupWat, no 7-Eleven?