The journal / Visions of Asia

Tag: Thailand

Sukhumvit 38 open fire

The Lost markets of Bangkok (1/2): Sukhumvit 38

This is a two-part series on the dying street markets of Bangkok. We will consider first Sukhumvit 38 and thereafter Pak Khlong Talad, the defunct flower market. At the beginning of Soi Sukhumvit 38 was a vibrant and wonderful hub of street food. This hub of street food was resting especially on the tolerance of […]

Pink Elephant in Ayutthaya

The plight of elephants in Thailand

A long silence finally broken After a long persisting silence, finally a study was carried out on the mistreatment of elephants in Thailand. While many tourists love to ride elephants as an attraction (the main place for this being the Elephant kraal in Ayutthaya), few know that to get pliable animals who accept to let […]

monk shoots sunset

Thailand today: a monk, a smartphone and a flag

A man taking a picture of the sunset on his smartphone with a Thai flag blowing in the wind. Nothing unusual, except that man is a Buddhist monk holding a smartphone when he should not be owning anything according to the precepts of Buddhism. A visual summary of Thailand In a way, this picture summarizes […]

Ayutthaya and its marvels

One of my preferred cities in Thailand was Ayutthaya. About one hour drive from Bangkok, it exuded history at every angle. Although a very touristy place, it is also a place which contains an extraordinary calm and peacefulness, far from the bustling Bangkok, for example. Contributing to that feeling is probably the numerous ruins that […]

Monk on the highway

An encounter on the highway

This picture of an encounter on the highway was taken by pure chance, one day, as I was driving towards Hua Hin. It was in the surroundings of the province of Phetchaburi (where there are salt pans, but that is another story). A flaming dawn It was between 4 AM and 5 AM, it had […]