I was expecting another sunny day, or perhaps one with sunlight softened by a haze. But the late afternoon of May 10 was cloudy and the clouds were diverse and picturesque. Instead of the usual blue emptiness, the sky was filled with a textured cloudscape. This sight made me wonder if it was the end of the hot season. And my suspicions were confirmed in the following days: rain finally arrived, a lot of rain, after three hot and dry months. (And this is a huge relief because the hot season was exhausting.)
I was wandering along Khlong Saen Saep combining canal-side locations I previously discovered in one route
and sometimes meeting cats I already knew.
And I couldn't think about the fact these images will have historic value one day when these houses are demolished to be replaced by high-rise buildings.
One day even those old smoky express boats will disappear.
That's fine, modernity must replace artifacts of the past.
But will that new city be Bangkok I love?
I even thought about those old lady conductors in buses who announce something adding the loud polite "khaaa" in the end...
Don't want this "khaa" to disappear or even sound more quietly.
What is all this about?
It's about my concern Bangkok might become another modern rational city without its own flavor.
Okay, that's just non-essential melancholy because of the season change, probably.
And it's also because I am leaving Bangkok for Saigon, for a couple of months, probably.
It's actually weird since I feel I got a lot of Bangkok in the last few months. I lost the feeling of discovery and novelty and I obviously need a break.
And yet I'm sad to leave Bangkok.
I know for sure I'll find a lot of cats and charming shabby neighborhoods in Saigon.
Yet, I'm sad to leave Bangkok... Tomorrow, a train to Cambodia first, and let's see how it will go...
More stories from Southeast Asia are ahead! Check out my previous posts on my personal Pinmapple map.
I took these images with a Nikkor 50mm on a full-frame DSLR Nikon D750 on May 10, 2024, in Bangkok, Thailand.