“Nights at the Bangkok Flower Market”
Bangkok, Thailand. November 2019. (12 photos)
This is Part 5 of my posts about Thailand, and Part 20 of my posts about my near month-long visit to Myanmar, Thailand and Singapore in November 2019.
After arriving in Bangkok and checking into my hotel around 2pm, I immediately went out for a late lunch at a restaurant I’d been told to visit, for a very nice and spicy yellow curry with crab. After that, I had a couple of hours to leisurely make it to the meeting point for a night food tour of Bangkok, the first of a few food tours I did there.
On that tour one of the destinations was the Bangkok Flower Market which we arrived at around 10pm.
Apparently the best tіme tо visit іs around 3am when boats аnd trucks arrive wіth flowers frоm surrounding provinces and the markets become a hive of activity. As appealing as that sounded, and I visited the place twice, both times I’d left by about 11pm. Here is a small selection of photos from my visits to the Bangkok Flower Market…
“Inside the Bangkok Flower Market”
The Bangkok Flower Market (Pak Khlong Talat in Thai), is Thailand’s largest wholesale flower market and is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Some say that Pak Khlong Talat is now one of the world’s largest flower markets.
The Bangkok Flower Market has a cramped and chaotic feel, similar to nearby Chinatown, with endless rows of roses, orchids, carnations, and marigolds.
“Baskets”
Pak Khlong Talat means “market at the mouth of the canal” and the area originally started as a floating market in the early 18th century.
“Hard day’s night”
“Gratuitous flower only photo”
In case you haven’t guessed it, I was there to photograph the activity, not the flowers.
“And it was all yellow”
“Flower lady”
“Taking a break”
“Marigolds by the bagful”
“Nightshift”
“Lamps in the loft”
The loft was the destination for the night tour’s food and craft component of the Bangkok Flower Market visit.
“Petal folding”
In between mouthfuls of coconut ice cream, I think I did a reasonable job.
What a fantastic place to see, Draco…and great to revisit through your photographs
Thanks, Sue. It’s not exactly a mainstream tourist location, particularly at 10pm at night, so it was a good chance to observe/document the place.
Sounds good
🙂
This is so beautiful, brimming with life. Makes you wonder what it looks like now.
Hard to answer that question from afar. Not sure how harsh lockdowns in Bangkok have been. But the flowers would seem to be an important part of daily life there, many of them used for religious garlands.
Your photos capture this flower market scenes and people very well, as usual. I saw a YouTube video of the market from May 2020 and it did not seem to be too affected by any Covid-19 lockdown. So far Thailand only has 60 deaths out of a population of 70 million people. However, few tourists, if any, can be seen in the video.
Thank you very much. It’s great to hear they’ve handled the Covid-19 situation well. The flower market seems to be an important part of life there.
Your photos here, Draco, are extraordinary as always. Flower markets are fascinating places because the subject is artful and ethereal, but the markets are fast-paced often involving grueling work. It’s a curious combination; your adventure to visit the Bangkok Flower Market at night was a brilliant beginning to a fascinating series of photos. I really liked every single photo, espec. of the workers, but the one that knocked my socks off was “Hard Day’s Night.” His cramped low-to-the-ground station, the roses, his clogs and cigarette, the dragon-decorated watering can. Also really liked both marigold stations, the night shift, and break time with the shoes on the mat. Brilliance here, and much appreciated.
Thank you very much, Jet. It was a bit off the tourist trail, but definitely a worthwhile place to visit. The colour and activity was a highlight. They were all working, wondering what the attraction might be to a tourist with a camera. 🙂
This place is so full of life, so vivid, and your wonderful pictures take me amidst of it while studying them. Thank you for showing them – I did miss you!
Thank you very much. It was an interesting place for photography.
Have a great Christmas and Happy New Year. I doubt I will post again this year.
Have a great Christmas Time, too, and a Happy New Year. And stay safe, please.
Thank you very much.
Just WOW!! The curry with crab sounds delicious, although it might be too spicy for me. I’m a spice wimp unlike my spice-loving husband. 🙂 At first I thought some of the shots were of veggies, which is what the wrapped flowers looked like to me. I love the shot of the lanterns. Glad to have a Wood Dragon sighting. I hope all’s well with you.
janet
Thank you kindly, Janet. Bangkok was mostly a food trip for me; I just happened to carry a camera at all times. LOL
I’ve been very busy so my blog has been quiet. I doubt I will post again this year. So have a wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year.
You as well. We called off the family gathering at our new place due to Covid, so I imagine we’ll be Zooming or something, but the gifts are all in the mail and we have the comfort of knowing there won’t be lots of exposure to our most important gifts. 🙂 We will be able to get together with my parents for the first time since I was in college and with my brother and his family, same time gap.
Thanks. Yes, Christmas will be so different this year, that’s for sure. It sounds like you’re going to make the best of it.
Great post, LD. You’ve captured the feel of these overwhelming markets very well. I love your more intimate scenes.
Thank you. It was a fascinating snippet of local life there. Have a wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year.
So nice to see a post from you again, Draco-san. I can smell those flowers…and taste that coconut ice cream. Hope all is well with you and you’re enjoying your spring.
Thanks, Julie. The markets were a different side of Bangkok nightlife. I found it very interesting.
Have a wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year.
Lovely purple flowers! Fantastic close-up 🙂 Hope you are staying safe and ready for more (hopefully) travels in 2021!
Thank you. The price of having close to zero cases of community transmission in the entire country of Australia means no travel in or out except for certain circumstances, which must be pre-approved. Otherwise, daily life is pretty close to how it was pre-pandemic.
Your photos capture the market so well. It takes me back to a night market I went into when travelling down the Yangtze. I was so surprised that it was the middle of the night and it was all happening in that market.
Thank you. Night markets have a completely different atmosphere to them. Some cities seem to never sleep.
That’s interesting packaging for the ice cream. Our two days in Bangkok were so hectic I would be dead on my feet by six in the evening. The next time around, I will want to go back to the flower market. I wonder what it will become post-pandemic.
I was on my own – I seem to develop superhuman stamina when travelling in a new country on my own. LOL. Yes, the flower market is an interesting slice of local life.
I assume you’re referring to the last photo – that’s my flower I was performing petal folding on. The coconut ice cream was in a coconut half shell, out of view – very delicious and refreshing on a humid evening.
Wish I could do that.
I thought they serve the icecream beautifully sculpted and wrapped in lovely leaves.
LOL. That would be a nice, but potentially very messy way of serving ice cream on a hot day.
Yes, sad reality 😦
Indeed.
Great job! Thanks Draco.
Thanks. You’re welcome.
Wow sir loved your photos.
Thank you.
Felt as if I was there with your fab photos.
Thanks. Wish I could go back.
I’m worn out with all that activity! Good job I took a break 🙂 🙂 Every human expression in there, Draco. Wishing you a blessed Christmas!
Thanks, Jo. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas, too.
A rough ride lately with a couple of deaths within 2 days but I count myself very lucky. Take good care, hon! 🤗💕
Sorry to hear of the loss of your friends, Jo. Take care.
Hey Mr Draco what a fabulous post! What an amazing market … stunning photos as always. Such as interesting place to visit. Thanks for taking us with you 🙂
Many thanks, Julie. Glad I could take you there virtually, even though it seems so long ago now. Have a wonderful Christmas.
And a wonderful Christmas to you 🙂
Thank you.
It was so interesting to see these pictures. I was employed at a wholesale florist’s in factory-like conditions for several years and know the kind of hard work that goes on behind the scenes to produce the pretty bouquets and arrangements that you find in the shops. As always, your images capture the mood and the moment splendidly.
Thanks. As a consumer, I usually only see the finished product so it was interesting to see behind the scenes. I guess we take a lot for granted without knowing all the hard work that happens in a lot of trades and businesses.
Wishing you and yours a wonderful Christmas.
A wonderful mix of colors and flavors. Everyone is doing something and there is never a dull moment here. Wishing you a merry Christmas and happy New Year.
Thank you very much, and the same to you and your family. Let’s hope there’s some return to normality in 2021.
I didn’t visit the market at 3am, but I did love all the colour and activity of it. Your photo’s brought back many lovely memories.
I’m glad you got to experience it as well. Yes, 3am would have been a great time to visit but I had other priorities, like sleeping. LOL
Sleeping is definitely a priority that trumps many things for me too. 😉
🙂
My goodness…what happens to all these flowers? Where do they all go?… As always your photos tell such intriguing stories. Wishing you a healthy new year!
Thank you. I guess it’s an important part of their culture, particularly with regards to their religion/beliefs.
Amazing night shots, Dragon. Even though it was nightfall, you captured the colour and life of the Bangkok Flower Market brilliantly. As you described, it looks cramped and chaotic but so much to see and take in. Sounds like a great effort leaving at 11pm…I am sure you would have stayed longer or come back for a third time if you had time. The coconut ice-cream must have been delicious and you ate it too fast before you took a photo 😛
Thanks. For many, flowers and gardening are a hobby, but it’s work and livelihood for others. A lot of activity happening and it was a different touristic experience. I hope you’re keeping well.
I’ve visited the wholesale flower market in Amsterdam years ago and your post took me back there. The details are different, but the core is the same. It is very weird to experience flowers as commodities. I wonder what the guy in the Hard Day’s Night picture is doing – perhaps perfecting the flowers? I came over to find out how you are keeping, travel being limited, but an important part of your world. Have you been turning your keen eye to your everyday surroundings?
I don’t remember what that guy was doing. It may well be quality control as they are a few roses laid out neatly away from him away from the main bunch.
Thanks for the visit. Very busy with work at the moment, and therefore not much time for photography. Might get back to it later. I hope you’re keeping well.
Hi Draco, just wondering how you are keeping as you haven’t posted for a while. I guess travelling has been somewhat curtailed as you Aussies appear to be imprisoned on your rather large island. And I know Sydney is in lockdown at the moment. Hope you are well and that you will be posting some of your magnificent Sydney street photos soon.
Jude xx
Thanks Jude. Yes, life has taken a turn, but work is busy and I haven’t had as much time or opportunity for photography. I was planning to complete the current photographic series, but in view of the military coup in Myanmar I thought it best to take a break from posting for a while. To be honest, I’ve enjoyed the extended break from posting on the blog. I’ll get back to this series at some stage. Whether I’ll continue posting after that is uncertain. I’m nearing the limit of my free storage capacity on the blog and I don’t currently plan to pay for extra storage or start a new blog. We’ll see.
I hope you’re keeping well.
A shame if you stop blogging as I have throughly enjoyed travelling with you to countries I shall never get to myself. The thing I have loved most about your photography though is the black and white candid street photography of Sydney. Glad to hear that you are good and keeping busy. Hopefully there will come a time when Australia opens its borders again! Stay safe Draco xx
PS we’re doing OK despite all the lockdowns and high covid rates which are especially high here in Cornwall since the tourist invasion from June. Hoping things will calm down a bit now and we can get out more.
Thanks Jude. I’m glad you’re well. It is interesting to hear how other countries are dealing with covid, as our own local government and authorities try to get the populace onboard their own “vision”. I’m taking all the usual precautions, including weekly covid tests because of my job, but I’m not rushing back to travel when it’s allowed. Life is what it is. As for blogging, I’ll continue to weigh up the options.
Keep safe and healthy.