Sketching in Bangkok
A great experience to draw in Bangkok, the capital and most populous city of the Kingdom of Thailand, the Land of Smiles... There are innumerable thems to collect in the notebook; the temples, streets, canals, ... but especially the people. Thais are willing to be drawn and grateful to see themselves portrayed in my notebook. Buddhist monks, market vendors, subway passengers, ...
Thai Dance If Thais are willing and grateful to be portrayed, it was a group of dancers that I portrayed in Lumphini Park while they were preparing and waiting for their performance, with whom I most enjoyed this experience. Thai dance is closely linked to the danced theater. The scenic art is characterized by the grace and cadence of the movements, as well as by the expression, the hairstyles and make-up, the color and the beautiful clothes that the dancers wear. To achieve maximum expressiveness, in this dance the neck and body remain quite upright while slightly flexing the legs and forming beautiful figures with arms and hands.The two major forms of Thai classical dance drama are khon and lakon nai.
Nature in Thailand
Thailand is a country with abundant natural resources, including a wide variety of flora and fauna, and distinct ecological zones. Those interested in getting up close to exotic animals in Thailand have many options to choose from.
Bangkok's Chinatown
Bangkok's Chinatown is one of the largest Chinatowns in the world. It was founded in 1782 . Originally centred around Sampheng, the core of Chinatown now lies along Yaowarat Road, which serves as its main artery and sometimes lends its name to the entire area, It now serves as a hub of Chinese culture, with numerous shops selling traditional goods, and is especially known as a gastronomic destination. Feeling lost among the many market alleys and street food vendors between the sights, sounds and smells of Chinatown can be memorable. Due to the mix of Chinese and Thai cultures this area is unique and fascinating to draw, finding stunning temples, exotic street food and everyday street scenes just begging to be sketched on the notebook. Sampeng Lane is a long narrow street intersecting Chinatown selling a jumble of goods. Much like the rest of the area, Sampeng Lane is cluttered, chaotic and a lot of fun. The dimensions of this street are so limited, yet unbelievably this was the original high street of Chinatown when the Chinese community first moved here.
The China Gate in Bangkok , built in 1999, sits in the middle of a large traffic island from which Yaowarat Road, the main body of Chinatown
At night, Yaowarat Road – the high street of Bangkok’s Chinatown – transforms into one of the greatest street food locations in the world Bangkok is often mentioned as one of the best street food cities in the world, and even called the street food capital of the world.
Thai cooking Thai cooking places emphasis on lightly prepared dishes with strong aromatic components and a spicy edge. Many dishes that are now popular in Thailand were originally Chinese dishes. Important to Thai dining is the practice of khluk, mixing the flavors and textures of different dishes with the rice from one's plate. The food is pushed by the fork, held in the left hand, into the spoon held in the right hand, which is then brought to the mouth. Thai food is known for its enthusiastic use of fresh herbs and spices. Common flavors in Thai food come from garlic, galangal, coriander/cilantro, lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, fish sauce, and chilies The quality and choice of street food in Thailand is world-renowned.
Tom kha kai This chicken and coconut soup gets its rich and dynamic flavor from quintessential Thai ingredients: coconut milk, lemongrass, fresh ginger, lime juice, fish sauce, chile paste, basil, and cilantro. While warming and thoroughly comforting, this dish comes together incredibly quickly. Of course, it's even better the next day. In a medium saucepan, combine coconut milk, broth, ginger, and lemongrass and bring to boil over high heat. Add chicken, mushrooms, lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, and chili paste. Reduce heat and simmer until chicken is firm and opaque, 5 to 10 minutes. Discard lemongrass. Garnish servings with basil and cilantro
The Khlongs or Canals A khlong commonly refers to a canal in Thailand. These canals are spawned by the Chao Phraya, the Tha Chin, the Mae Klong Rivers, and their tributaries particularly in the low-lying areas of central Thailand Due to the vast network of canals and waterways, Bangkok and the surrounding area, were formerly known as the Venice of the East. In ancient times the whole city was crossed by hundreds of channels that extend into the city from the main river that runs through Bangkok to the Chao Phraya River. Unlike the east side of the river, the modern Bangkok, where many canals were drained and filled with dirt to build asphalt roads, the west side of the city still retains many of its water channels, which today serve as main roads of transportation in that area of the city. The canals of Bangkok are full of long bow boats; Longs, which function as a taxi, taking from one place to another the citizens who live in them for a small fee, boats of street vendors and other service boats such as the postman or the butane supplier who do their door-to-door delivery. Thonburi, in the western area of Chao Phraya, is one of the oldest and most intact areas left of Bangkok. We discovered small wooden houses on stilts, children swimming in the river, fishermen ... Some places seem quite poor, but you can also see beautiful houses, temples ...
Floating markets In the past the areas adjacent to the rivers were the first to be populated. Thus most communities of Thailand were built at the sides of rivers. The waterways served as means of transportation and the center of economic activity as well. Boats were mainly used for both local and regional trade, bringing goods from those that produced to those that could barter and trade. Such ways of life of the riverside communities, especially in the Chao Phraya River Basin increased the number of floating markets.
Floating markets became the hubs of the communities in the central plain of Thailand for centuries. Even nowadays canals are still used as transportation in areas in and around Bangkok., and therefore people would tend to sell things directly from their boats, and congregate in certain areas to have floating boat markets.
One of the most popular is Khlong Lat Mayom situated in a lovely green lush area with an abundance of good food to eat
Buddhism and the temples
Wat Rakhang Kositaram Woramahawihan known as Temple of the Bells or Wat LuangPhorToh is located at 250, Siriratch sub-district, Bangkok Noi district in Bangkok. The temple is a royal temple of the second grade of Woramahawiharn in Thai sect of Theravada Buddhism district 1. Its original name was Wat Bangwa Yai (or Bangwa Yai) which was built in the Ayutthaya Period. There are a staggering 40,717 Buddhist temples in Thailand and 33,902 of them are still in active use today. Thailand is a Buddhist country and the temples here play a very active part in everyday life. Thai’s come to them to pray to Buddha for things such as health or good fortune, they also come to make merit and speak with the monks. The structures themselves are among the most beautiful and impressive you are ever likely to see. The main religion practiced in Thailand is Buddhism.Although there is no official state religion in the Thai constitution, which guarantees religious freedom for all Thai citizens, the king is required by law to be Theravada Buddhist.
Buddhism is a key component to the identities of many Thais. Many will give daily offerings to things like spirit houses. There are some 300,000 monks living in Thailand. Their yellow and orange robes are very recognizable. Every man in Thailand is required to become a monk for a period of time before the age of 20 in order to receive good karma and merit. The expected time length is about three months.
Underground Bangkok MRT Fast and efficient, the Mass Rapid Transit network (MRT) serves 18 stations and stretches for 20 km in a horseshoe shape from Hua Lamphong in the South (near Chinatown) to Bang Sue in the north. Trains arrive every 5-7 minutes, and connect to the BTS Skytrain at Sukhumvit and Silom stations.
Making Of