Palace Roofs Photo

Photographer’s Note

This picture was taken shortly after the Tsunami, at the time in Thailand we never knew how badly affected the west coast really was, and carried on regardless. The roofs here are beautifuly ornamented.

It was very hot weather, and I was annoyed that tourists had to rent enclosed shoes, trousers and tops. Meanwhile native Thais could wear sandals, shorts, and paid much less. This is true in most of Thailand, where this is a different 'foreigner' price. Saying that though, ALL Thai people are incredibly friendly, and obviously not involved in Government policy.

The palace in Bangkok had lots of tourists tromping around, so I blurred them to focus on the roof and gve the impression of time passing.

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Critiques | Translate

kevinos (6927) 2006-06-30 14:10

This is a nice picture of Wat Phra Keow, from a very popular spot. I took one myself from here only the other day. Sadly, the hordes of tourists usually spoil pictures here, but your blurring works quite well. Also it is well exposed with no areas of overexposure, which are easy to get with the strong sunlight here. So the balance and color are very good. However, Thais are NOT permitted to wear shorts etc to enter the Wat, and in fact no Thai would even think of doing such a thing! Sadly, so many foreigners have no respect and try to enter religious buildings in unsuitable clothing and behave in offensive ways. Many tourists seem completely insensitive to local sensibilities and this is a kind of prejudice too. Tourists have to pay to get in, but it is free for Thais, because, the government argues that it belongs to them as part of their heritage. Foreigners get in free too, if they can show a work permit. However, you are right, ‘racist’ or ‘differential’ pricing is very common in Thailand and is often a cause of offence to many of us who live here.