face to face

Bangkok is a bustling 21st-century metropolis of contrasts – traditional yet contemporary, devout yet outrageous – we meet its many faces

WORDS AND PHOTOGRAPHY MARK PARREN TAYLOR

A FACE AT THE FACE
Visage (The Face Bar), 29 Sukhumvit Soi 38, tel: +66 (2) 713 6048

Buddhist Thais have immense respect for Hindu gods (especially Ganesha), and many refer to them as Buddhas. This Hindu deity greets visitors to The Face complex on Bangkok’s Sukhumvit Road. The luxury venue combines a bar, Northern Indian and Thai restaurants, and a French patisserie, all within a compound of beautiful traditional Thai teak houses. All their creations are delicious but the delicate pastries are heavenly.

FACE-READER
Face-reader, Th Yommarat Sukhum, Chinatown

“I only manage to get into Chinatown once a week,” explains Noot, an umpteenth-generation Thai-Chinese who lives in the new suburbs. “Life there is different… It’s like Bangkok maybe 20 years ago! I buy chrysanthemum tea and visit the face-reader… she’s as good for my health as the tea!” Face-reading is an ancient wisdom that interprets the condition of the skin, eyes, lips and hair to decide whether more vegetables must be eaten, less whiskey drunk, longer sleep needed… It’s like being told off by your mother, but you pay for the privilege!

All manner of Thai and Chinese fortune-tellers, herbalists and folk arts can be found in Chinatown, in the vicinity of some temples and on Th Maharat (Pier Tha Chang).

SMART KID
Knowledge World, Central World Plaza, 4/1-2 Th Ratchadamri, Pathumwan,
tel: +66 (2) 255 9400

Smart kids go to Knowledge World – especially if the alternative is being dragged around the shopping mall’s clothes shops and furniture outlets by their parents. Though aimed at Thai-speaking youngsters, visiting kids might enjoy the chance to mingle with the local crowd. There is a range of books and magazines, a large IT lounge and some fun places to climb into to read a comic. Open 10am–9pm daily, admission free.

OPERA SINGER
Traditional Chinese opera singer, Chinese New Year performance, Th Yaowara

Ming Qingzhao adjusts a curl in her elaborate wig. She is one of several elderly women preparing to perform traditional Chinese opera for an appreciative Lunar New Year audience in Chinatown. “It has to be just so!” she says as she dabs her eye make-up with her little finger, glowering at me (I’m not sure if she’s in character, or is simply a formidable lady). “Everyday I sing the same notes, everyday I make the same face.”

Locations vary but the best time to view this raucous spectacle is ChineseNew Year, on a stage close to the Chinatown Gate.

THANKFUL DANCERS
Lak Muang, Th Sanam Chai, Phra Nakhorn

Lakhon dancers are sponsored by worshippers whose wishes have been answered by the City Gods at this shrine, considered to be the spiritual centre of Bangkok. The ornately decorated Lakhon dancers perform on a stage next to the northern entrance. Open 5.30am– 7.30pm daily.

FACE PAINT
Neung, Art at Play, 114/5 Silom Soi 4, tel: +66 (2) 632 7923

“The face is a wonderful canvas – and the model’s personality is the light that brings my work to life.” Abstract artist and body painter Neung runs a small gallery just off hectic Silom Road: the walls are hung with his work on a traditional surface (canvas or paper) and sometimes – if he can find a willing muse – he paints bits (or even all) of them in the shop! Open from 7pm daily.

TEMPLE MURAL
Wat Trithosathep, Th Prachatipathai, Dusit

“Temple murals celebrate, decorate and educate in equal measure,” a monk explains as he leads me through the Trithosathep Temple grounds to a hall adorned with a vast and vibrant new mural. It features numerous, inter-joined scenes depicting the life of Buddha against a cast of hundreds. Inside the hall is Pichai, a local fruit-seller who discovered the new painting by chance. He’s focusing on one particular face in artist Chakrabhand Posayakrit’s mural. “One of them looks like my Uncle Pong,” he exclaims. “The faces are so – familiar,so real.” Open 8am–5pm, Monday to Saturday.

MASKED DANCE
Vimanmek Palace (Wang Vimanmek), Dusit Park, 16 Th Ratchawithi

Khon drama is renowned for its dance and acrobatics, as much as for its snarling demon masks. The dance and martial arts performances are at 10.30am and 2pm daily, on the stage by the lake. Open
9.30am–4pm daily, admission Bht100 (AU$3.50).

POSING BOOTH
Posing booth, Samutprakarn Crocodile Farm, 555 Thai Baan, Samut Prakarn, tel: +66 (2) 703 4891

“Any face will do …” A 45-minute drive away; arrange a taxi for the day and combine with the Ancient City Muang Boran. Open 7am– 5pm daily, admission Bht300 (AU$10).

TOTAL PEACE
Wat Pho, Th Thai Wang, Phra Nakorn

Peace and understanding show in the face of Wat Pho’s magnificent reclining Buddha.

COUNTRY AND WESTERN?
Isaan Tawan Daeng, 484 Th Pattankarn, tel: +66 (2) 717 2321

Isaan Tawan Daeng is a barn-sized beer hall that’s in full swing most nights, with waitresses squeezing between tables delivering snacks and steins of beer while a band performs twangy luuk thung (Thai pop) music. A performer enjoying some sweet Thai iced tea explains: “Everybody dance, everybody happy!” Her boyfriend chips in: “It’s country and western Thai-style!” On stage, the girls wear sequined gowns and the boys are in spandex and feather boas – country music maybe, but not as we know it! The atmosphere is electric – and contagious. Open 6pm–1am daily.

Mark Parren Taylor says:
How could I resist doing this story! Thais are so graceful in front of the camera: they smile for a stranger in the same way they would for a trusted friend!