There is quite an authentic neighborhood right next to Bangkok downtown; a cramped area of humble private houses and pathways between them, called Ban Khrua (บ้านครัวเหนือ).
Mysteriously, all these daily tens of thousands of people, visiting the shopping malls of Pathum Wan, do not cross the river and never appear in the neighborhood. It was the same to me: I've walked downtown countless times but never ended up in Ban Khrua; magic! not less surprising one than the powers that guarded Platform 9¾ at King's Cross Station... Don't know what happened on April 9, 2024, but the protective powers dissolved and allowed me in.
I had already walked around areas to the West of Ban Khrua and wanted to expand the explored zone. I liked the dense low-rise buildings on Google satellites pointing out that the area might be good for street and cat photography. Look at this beauty:
That canal in the middle is quite busy since it serves as a public transport artery with those charming old speed boats.
There are bridges over the canal which are great points to shoot roofs. For example, my telephoto lens was able to capture the onion dome of a mosque:
There are many such small mosques in Bangkok since many Southern Thais are Muslims. But Ban Khrua, as it turned out, has its own story. Wikipedia states that Cham people were those who founded Ban Khrua community. In the XVIII century, Cham warriors fought with the Siamese Army against the Burmese. King Rama I granted them this place to settle down.
Let's dive in the alleys.
You still can find old wooden houses there with people living in them.
Would be great to photograph cats at such scenery.
But, alas, the concrete has won the battle long time ago so the views aren't that inspiring nowadays.
Chaos of concrete, plastic, and rust.
Maybe, that's not the most attractive but it's real, it's living, and I love it.
Having spent there a while, I realized the place is epic from the point of cat photography. You will soon see for yourself.
Something was wrong with one of his eyes. But don't worry, the cat looked well-fed and had large balls below the tail. Looks like he thrives.
Thai cats come out of hiding at around 4:30 pm, and this makes it difficult to photograph in alleys - often, there is already not enough light for beautiful photos there.
But on the roofs the cats are perfectly lit, and Ban Khrua gives a great opportunity - the roofs of one-story houses can be seen from bridges spanning the canal. Look at this:
Awesome position, isn't it?!
All you need is a telephoto lens and patience.
Sometimes, you also have to have a talent of speaking Catish to drag there attention...
But sooner or later, you get rewarded...
One more bridge in the area, look at this cat photography opportunity:
The roofs are on the same level as your feet! And there is a tabby sitting over there, can you see?
5:55 pm, it was almost twilight when I am noticing that roof and the orange person on it:
Fallen leaves were on the roof; tree branches were hanging over it which means it is shady on the roof, means, cats might visit the place earlier during the day.
Alas, it was getting dark and I couldn't continue photographing cats. But I will come back soon!
More images and stories from Southeast Asia are ahead! Check out the previous ones on my personal Pinmapple map.
I took these images with a Nikkor 50mm on a full-frame DSLR Nikon D750 on April 9, 2024, in Bangkok, Thailand.
