Thai Ban Mai | Bangkok Photo Walks, Issue 104

About 50 photographers assembled at BTS Kheha station on Sunday 8th September 2024 for BPG’s 128th photo

walk. Walk whisperer Mark found us a pleasant loop through the very colourful Thai Ban Mai subdistrict. We

started by heading northeast along Soi Thetsaban Bang Pu 47, explored the neighbourhood around Soi 13,

then went southeast to the small pond along Soi 14, around Kheha Bang Pu Market and back to Sukhumvit Road

along Soi Thetsaban Bang Pu 49.

Unfortunately, this issue’s introduction is going to lack the usual retelling of our destination’s historical

highlights. By the standards of the rest of Bangkok, Thai Ban Mai is a fairly unremarkable place with no big

tourist attractions, malls, parks, or even any significantly tall buildings. Mark described this predominantly

residential neighbourhood as looking like Bangkok did about 20 or 30 years ago, before the city centre was

dominated by shopping malls and shiny skyscrapers.

Thai Ban Mai is not even strictly a part of Bangkok but a subdistrict of Mueang Samut Prakan (or “Paknam

Samut Prakan”, as it is colloquially known). The capital city of Samut Prakan province has very few claims to

fame and lacks the rich history of the country’s capital. In fact, the only things that the city has in abundance

are tanneries and people, being the most populous district in Thailand.

Our experience of that population was an excellent one – everyone we met was extremely friendly and

perfectly willing to accommodate the huge crowd of photographers that descended upon them on a

random Sunday morning. Portraits of their characterful faces inevitably make up a hefty proportion of the 34

submissions we received.

The highlight of the route and the location that we got the most photos of was a colourful section of wall

made of different roofing tiles. You will find a spread of 10 different interpretations of this image on page 72.

We also got a bumper crop of submissions for the Photographs of the Photographers section, which spans

three spreads in this issue. You’ll find them starting from page 142. We hope that you enjoy them and all of the

photos in the 104th issue of Bangkok Photo Walks.

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

Mark A. Hathaway

Group Photo

Chutima Panjapan

Back Cover Photo

Albert Fransz

© 2024 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.

Happy Faces and Colourful Places

BANGKOK PHOTO WALKSBANGKOK PHOTO WALKS

Issue 104