Holy crap, is that Blue Steel?
by Mike
I lined up an amazing picture – he was lounging on a platform, smoking his cigarette in front of the river and the smoke was just radiant in the sun, filling the whole frame. It would have been beautiful, surreal, powerful. On the hand in which he held the cigarette was a tattoo of a cross, so I asked if I could take a picture of the tattoo (intending to get the smoke as well), but of course that ruined it – his reaction was to throw away the cigarette and remove his shirt. (read more)
Lesson learned: NEVER ASK SOMEONE FOR PERMISSION TO TAKE THEIR PHOTO. Mike’s tips to becoming a travel photographer, rule #1. Expect an e-book.
So… were you a sailor?
He was particularly proud of a tattoo of a ship, so I snapped away at that one. I tried to ask if he was a sailor by doing a wavy thing with my arm (indicating the sea) but he didn’t understand.
Miming didn’t do much good in Bangkok – our cultures are just too different for a lot of those things to work. For example, what sound do you make to get a cat to come to you? Some ladies with that particular dilemma baited the cat with a falsetto “mamamamama.”
Anyway, after I took the pictures I turned the camera around to show him the result and he seemed genuinely disinterested. And we parted ways.
Both the days I was at this Wat he was sitting there on the platform, smoking. I don’t know if he fell on hard times and took refuge there, if he was a worker, just a friend of someone or what. It seemed that his platform was set up for sleeping, but why hang out in a temple without joining in the fun?
In a place where you speak NONE of the language this is about as deep as the interactions go, and it can be frustrating. I’m left guessing their story and they’re confused by my miming.
“Wait – do that wavy arm thing again.”
Tags: bangkok, communication, miming, smoking, tattoos, temple
Published on December 7, 2009
at 8:23 am.
2 comments
Hey Mike,
Just wanted to say I’m really digging the format of your posts! Keep posting more photos, I enjoy seeing them.
Joe
Thanks Joe.
You. Complete. Me.