I land back in Bangkok. On the drive home I find the turn into my soi (lane) obscured by an election poster (general election coming up on 3rd of July), right next to the communal dustbins.
The sky is overcast; I left a sunny Berlin behind.
Checking email and I find a link to the blog of my friend and a keen photographer, Nidhi who used to live here and has now moved back ‘home’ to Bangalore, India (http://nidhibenagaluru.blogspot.com/). He was visiting Bangkok whilst I was away.
He sends me these images of election posters. The streets of Bangkok are ‘festooned’ with them….
I walk down a street and now find myself zig-zagging between the posters, and the ubiquitous noodle stalls and motorcycle taxis that are an essential part of Bangkok’s pavements.
The pavements of Berlin are a lot saner to walk on. But I am not sure if I would easily exchange the one’s in Bangkok with the more organised street architecture of Europe.
Its good to be home.
There are 2 massive cranes installed in what was an open, over grown ground near to where I live. I can see them swinging like kinetic sculptures on the near, too near, horizon. Construction is about to begin of a very large office/retail/residential development – a slick one – as per the computer-generated image presented on the perimeter fence announcing the project. Each tree, shrub, and bush of this rare natural haven of an open ground in the midst of urban density has been cleared completed. The only “nature” that will be allowed to exist, as per the computer-generated image, are some ornamental trees planted here and there – all to fit in with the “design”. In the name of human habitat, nature’s nesting areas are sacrificed.
I expect a snake or two may take residence on the 2 trees in our small garden in the not so far future.
(all photos by Doreswamy Srinidhi)
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