Bangkok: Railway Station and about...

[wongsan]

While the guys boarded the KTM train to Kluang, I was up in Bangkok for a golfing/shopping/tailoring/massaging/feasting/shooting trip.

With so many things to do in BKK, I ended up shooting only on Sunday morning at the main railway station in Hua Lamphong.

Gears Used:
Leica MP
Leica 35 summicron bokeh king
Kodak Trix 400 (rated at ASA400)
Rodinal 1:100 for 60mins

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Hua Lamphong Grand Central Railway Station (Thai: หัวลำโพ&#3591, officially known as the Bangkok Grand Central Terminal Railway Station, is the main railway station in Bangkok, Thailand. It is located in the center of the city in Pathum Wan District, and is operated by the State Railway of Thailand.

The station was opened on 25 June 1916, after six years' construction. The site of the railway station was previously the national railway's maintenance centre, which moved to Makkasan in June 1910. At the location of the previous railway station nearby, a pillar commemorates the inauguration of railways in 1897.

During World War II the Allies tried to bomb the station but hit a nearby hotel instead.
The station was built in an Italian Neo-Renaissance style, with decorated wooden roofs and stained glass windows. The architecture is attributed to Turin-born Mario Tamagno, who, with countryman Annibale Rigotti (1870–1968), made a mark on early 20th century public building in Bangkok. The pair also designed Bang Khun Prom Palace (1906), Ananda Samakhom Throne Hall in The Royal Plaza (1907-15) and Suan Kularb Residential Hall and Throne Hall in Dusit Garden, among other buildings.

There are 14 platforms, 26 ticket booths and two electric display boards. Hua Lamphong serves over 130 trains and approximately 60,000 passengers each day. Since 2004 the station has been connected by underground passage to the MRT subway system with a station by the same name.

The station is also a terminus of the Eastern & Orient Express.
source: wikipedia

#1.

#2. Seat #96 and #67

#3. tight cabin

#4. tracks

#5. contemplating monk

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tbc...

 

[Royale With Cheese]

:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

Master class

 

[excelsius]

The grains are fantastic.

 

[gommy]

Wong si fu, Very nice!:thumbsup::thumbsup:

 

[pixelbrain]

proud to have u as our RF ambassador..

 

[dacteo]

#5. contemplating monk

[/CENTER]

:thumbsup:

 

[Scruffypenne]

Nice!!!

 

[lkkang]

nice shots Master Wong.

I like #3 most... thanks for sharing,
Billy.

 

[wongsan]

Thanks guys!!

#6. paperwork

#7. going home or leaving home?

#8. <

#9. little boy on train

#10. 3 men and a baby

 

[gommy]

Thanks guys!!

#6. paperwork

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Power!:thumbsup::thumbsup:​

 

[pikapig]

Amazing pictures! All you need is just 1 lens!

 

[ZoomP]

Great shots as usual bro!!! Surprised the 35 can be so wide on the first shot!

 

[oliprolli]

Awesome images Master Wong! More please!

 

[Nasty204]

Great shots!

 

[wongsan]

Thanks!

The Daily Life of a Thai Monk

The Sangha World in Thailand consists of about 200,000 monks and 85,000 novices at most times of the year. However, these numbers increase during the Buddhist ‘lent’ to 300,000 and 100,000 novices. Young boys may become novices at any age, but a man cannot become a monk until he reaches the age of twenty. He can then remain a monk for as long as he wishes, even for just one day. Three months is more usual, although some choose to remain in monkhood for the rest of their lives.

There are over 29,000 temples in Thailand and the daily routine of the monks in all of them is pretty much the same...

4.00 am - The monks wake up and meditate for one hour, followed by one hour of chanting.
6.00 am - The monks walk barefoot around the neighbourhood while the local people make merit by offering them food.
8.00 am - Returning to the temple, the monks sit together to eat breakfast, then make a blessing for world peace.

Before 12.00 noon - Some monks choose to eat a light lunch at this time. This is the last solid food they are allowed to consume until sunrise the following morning.

1.00 pm - Classes in Buddhist teaching begin. Some monks may attend school outside the temple.
6.00 pm - A two-hour session of meditation and prayer begins.
8.00 pm - The monks retire to do homework.

Besides these duties, all monks are given specific roles to play in the day-to-day running and maintenance of the temple and its surroundings.

After being in the monkhood for several years and demonstrating extreme dedication to both social work and spiritual study, a monk can be promoted gradually until he reaches the Sangha Supreme Council, the governing body presided over by the Supreme Patriach.

All monks must follow 227 strict precepts or rules of conduct, many of which concern his relations with members of the opposite sex. When a monk is ordained he is said to be reborn into a new life and the past no longer counts - not even if he was married. Women are, of course, forbidden to touch monks and should not even stay alone in the same room as a monk. If a woman wishes to offer an object to a monk, it must pass through a third medium, such as a piece of cloth. In fact, monks always carry a piece of cloth for this purpose. The monk will lay the cloth on the ground or table, holding on to one end. The woman places the offering on the cloth and the monk then draws it away.

Thai monks can be seen wearing various shades of robes, from dark brown to the familiar brilliant saffron. There are no rules, but the darker shades are preferred by monks in the Dharmmayuth sect and Thu-dong or forest monks.

source: buddhanet.net

#11. 7:59am: monks returning to their temple via the train track after collecting alms

#12.

#13. monks walking briskly and in steps

#14. monk waiting for his train

#15. monk clearing his throat

 

[hookonclassic]

Bro...very surprise you can find time for the shoot...given the facts that there are so much distraction there...:bsmilie:...very strong self discipline...hmm...the force is strong...

Truly beautiful pictures and narrative you have presented here...:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

 

[Benji77]

I hereby Knight you 'Sir, Beautiful Grain Always..'

 

[mmmel]

very nice. thanks for sharing!

 

[leej0038]

nice stuff :thumbsup:
i really love trains, would one day hope to ride the trans-siberian. pipe dream for now. :think:

 

[jonmanjiro]

I'm really loving the grain in all these shots. Rodinal 1:100 for 60mins means stand development?