Ramble to a tiny Chinese Thai village in Bangkok

Wonderful old Chinese style doors line the passageways through the village.

Bangkok Photo Rambles (my fellow photographer friend Jeremiah Boulware and I) set out once again to explore a tiny traditional Thai village tucked away between one of Bangkok's busiest roads and the main east-west klong (canal), Saen Saeb. It was a short distance by foot from the main road, but quite a distance away in time: except for the obvious modern conveniences of motorcycles and smart phones, it hasn't changed much in the last century. The Chinese style wooden homes have the original boards and doors from a hundred years ago.

As usual, the residents were wonderfully accommodating, not only welcoming our intrusion into their humble lives, but gladly allowing us to photograph cheewit thai ("Thai life"). When two westerners over six feet tall wander down the narrow lanes, it's impossible for them to be unobtrusive, no matter how hard they try. People waved and said "Sawat dee" ("Hello!") as we rambled. It is one of the great things about living in Thailand.

I hope you enjoy this pictorial of our latest walk through a Bangkok Thai Chinese village. A full album of photos of our excursion with images from both photographers will be published soon in Bangkok Photo Rambles (https://www.facebook.com/photoramblers).

All photos are copyrighted by the author. No images may be used or reproduced without permission from the author. If interested in any image for non-commercial or commercial use, please contact me at stilesphoto@yahoo.com.

Jeremiah captures a photo of a Buddhist monk on his morning alms rounds.

Above many doorways are symbols and pictures that signify good fortune for the inhabitants, a Chinese tradition that has been adopted by many Thais.

Besides displaying good luck ornaments, the doors and walls are often painted in bright colors.

But most are left to weather naturally, giving an authentic, time worn appearance.

This accidental art piece left us wondering about the person who left his/her mark.

I had seen this fish processing area on a previous walk, but from another direction. It is a fascinating look at how fresh fish are prepared for the nearby market in Minburi, which is across the Saen Saeb canal.

The men who work here (we saw no women) begin each day receiving deliveries of fresh mackerel at 2:00 am, and work until about 9:00 cleaning, cooking and packing the fish into small baskets. Here a man boils the fish after they have been cleaned. "How long are they boiled?" "Three minutes."

This man is scooping fat from the surface as the fish boil. He then simply tosses it onto the ground next to the building.

This room is used to store the gas tanks, hand carts and baskets used in the processing. The morning light gave a beautiful cast to the wood and bricks.

This man carries the prepared and packaged fish to the market, which is about 300 meters away.

This woman carried freshly cooked chickens to the market, making several trips while we were there. She said that she has been doing this since she was a child.

This old boarded up window and the now unused concrete fish tank below it created a gorgeous palette of muted colors.

A woman washes dishes in her house as one of the many chickens she owns rests on the family motorbike. The fowl did not leave its spot for the hour we were in the vicinity.

A woman carries her grandson to the nearby preschool. Jeremiah records my documentation!

It is a unique cultural experience to walk through traditional neighborhoods and meet the residents, which results in a greater understanding and deeper appreciation for the people who live there.