Archive for Architecture
January 13, 2008 at 9:26 am · Filed under Bangkok, Thailand, Architecture
I have something to confess …
I have this uncontrollable urge to immediately condemn any form of “classical” European style in this part of the world.
I know, I know but you’ll be surprised with the prevalence of bungalows with Greek columns, Tudor facades and “Some Exotic Asian” roof, not only in Thailand but in all parts of Asia.
You may also be surprised that most of these houses are not products of 80’s Post-Modern historicity but comes from an unbroken lineage of rags-to-riches clientele who felt compelled to be Euro-centric once they consider themselves “upper-class”.
Looking at Hua Lamphong train station …. I have a feeling this culture goes WAY back.
This train station is built in the Italian Renaissance style in the early 20th century by a Turin-born Mario Tamagno. So at least it was designed by a European, but at that time I’m sure he would have felt the bubbling excitement of Art Nouveau and/or Art Deco.
But thanks to a genuinely Euro-centric monarch known as the famous King Chulalongkorn of Siam (Rama V of the Chakri Dynasty), these ideas are very much at home with his grand plans to “westernise” Siam. So I suppose even “Italian Renaissance” would appear to be progressive.
Here’s a closer look of him in his official (note: Western) uniform.
So you have a rapidly Westernising Siam, and the overwhelming presence of Britain in India, Malaya & Burma, Dutch in Indonesia and the French in Indochina – all of the sudden, European IS the aristocracy.
But why the eclecticism? King Mongkut (also known as Rama IV – the father of our good fellow above) has an interesting quote that far outlived him …
King Mongkut once remarked to a Christian missionary friend: “What you teach us to do is admirable, but what you teach us to believe is foolish”.
So you see, when it comes to matters of science and technology everything is just imported wholesale. When it comes to matters of culture and religion, it seems that opinions are reserved. And when opinions are reserved, the opportunity for hybridity and “fusion” (so to say) becomes inevitable.
Much like how the Europeans had to somewhat reconcile the Industrial Age with their older architectural habits with, for instance, the Art Nouveau/Deco movement – everyone else in other parts of the world was pretty much doing the same thing albeit with a more jarring consequence in the Far East because of the greater divide.
Of course, I am not attributing the mentality in the region entirely to Rama V, but I’m sure this anecdote is a good insight into how the story played out elsewhere in the vicinity. So here’s my mini-lecture (it could be utter rubbish) on early 20th century Siam architecture.
BUT … next time you are revolted by another Southeast Asian building with an absurd mix of “styles” ….. give it a little thought, it may be more deeply rooted than you think.
January 3, 2008 at 7:52 am · Filed under Bangkok, Thailand, Architecture
Unlike many cities in the world, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur chose to build their mass transit trains ABOVE ground. For good reason I feel.
Why would you …
… in a climate where the temperature under shade is a constant 25˚C whole year round with wide-open highways ripe for whamming layers of freeways above …
… want to waste time shoving something underground??
No air-conditioning + no digging = lots of money saved !!
Of course, the trade off is this Blade Runner thing you see above.
But … Menacing Concrete Jungle vs. Slick Sci-Fi Metropolis … take your Distopian/Utopian slant !!
Siam Square is not really a square, but a freak load of shopping malls lining a boulevard of Asian consumer indulgence (like Singapore’s Orchard Road, or Tokyo’s Ginza and numerous others). Again, take your slant.
I used to be terrified at the prospect of more and more super duper massive but impersonal shopping labyrinths. But having stayed in laid back Sydney for so long – I really miss the high energy 24/7 buzz in Asian malls, with wide open spaces in between to chill or meet people.
I mean WIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIDDDDDDEEEEEEEEEE open spaces.
Or if you’re still conservative, there’re still plenty of ultra claustrophobic people-packed venues! Existing for the exact same reasons of Shopping, Socialising & Eating!!
Ahhh, the wonderful paradoxes of my Asian compatriots …
December 18, 2007 at 6:14 pm · Filed under Pattaya, Thailand, Architecture
No visit to any country should be complete without a look at its seedier side. If extra-terrestrials think alike, I think they’ll choose Pattaya to visit as the seediest side of planet Earth!!!
Ok, I know that doesn’t look too seedy…. mmmm… Fast forward 12 hours!
That’s better. And in the centre of all this electric energy is Walking Street.
A closer look and you see bar girls sitting outside waiting for customers. I guess we’re still early…
In case you think these photos are isolated cases, they’re not!! The whole town is just packed with these sort of places wall to wall (okay, perhaps with the occasional “hotel”) with girls harassing passer-bys.
Normally you find poles inside buildings, but practically all of them here are open air! You can see them shaking booty while riding a songthaew around town. They come in other shapes and sizes as well …
The system is simple. They try to entice you into the bar with their good looks and demeanour, in order to sell drinks and make the establishment lotsa money. We’ve talked to them and I can tell you, even with broken English they are very very good at chatting.
Once you’re hooked, they will make you stay as long as possible. If drinks are not enough, you can bring them to “some place else” for as little as 1 hour up to 1 whole night. To do that, you will have to pay a certain “bar fine” because these girls won’t be making the bar money in their absence.
Like THIS guy!
December 12, 2007 at 5:43 pm · Filed under Bangkok, Thailand, Architecture
What is this guy doing?? Trying to steal someone’s car?
This lady looks like she’s doing the same thing! Is the officer going to stop her??
Wait a minute … why is the officer helping the lady here …..
Ohhh … as it turns out. This is Bangkok’s brand of solving the double parking problem. Basically the allowance for parking in older carparks (like this one, near Jatujak market) is just impossible in today’s traffic load. So the solution is to allow cars to be parked LEGALLY in marked boxes with one rule … FREE YOUR HANDBRAKE.
So if you happened to be blocked by a car (or 2 or 3 or more), you just a play a GIANT game of Sokoban!
With officers in uniform to help you out! Brilliant!
December 8, 2007 at 9:03 am · Filed under Bangkok, Thailand, Architecture
I’ve once told a friend, “Don’t underestimate humanity’s ability to evolve original & completely workable solutions without professionals (ie. architects!),” adding that there are plenty of examples in Third World (or formerly 3W) countries. Jatujak market is one of those bizarre places where the market just kept growing … and growing … and growing.
The total area is IMMENSE, but the shops are like mini-stall size. So ..
Teeny Weeny Shops x Over Several Football Fields = Extreme Hardcore Intense Shopping
Look closely at the “solid grey” – they’re actually a tight series of alternating grey and white lines that indicate the lanes within the complex !! The map is useless because …
- Inside everything just looks the same, even to locals.
- The numbers are illogically numbered (you’ll discover later in this blog that this is a uniquely Indochinese trait)
As if the shops weren’t small enough, the environment has further packed the shelves to the 101% capacity.
I left very early to get some rest so I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. But Julius snapped this gem..
1:1 scale of Robocop?!?!
December 4, 2007 at 6:13 pm · Filed under Bangkok, Thailand, Architecture
This city of 10 million people with the longest name in the Guiness Book of Records could have easily been one of my more interesting posts. Unfortunately two things happened …
1 - Allergic Contact Dermatitis
I checked into hospital twice!! Doctors say I’m the hundredth over foreigner who walked in with this for year 2007, postulating there must be some new kind of toxic insect in the Krabi and Phuket region. It took a full week before I began to look normal again.
So any of you hanging around those places, if you have a rash that is not reacting to anti-histamines, go see a doctor !!
2 - Because of my allergic reaction, I had to stay at home.
The rest of the Rat Pack still went out but in their eccentric brand of wisdom decided AGAINST visiting the Grand Palace and Wat Pho, despite never being there before!
When I later enquired, “Do you know coming to Bangkok and missing the Grand Palace is like going to Sydney and missing the Opera House?”.
The reply was a paltry … “Hmm, never thought about it that way.”
Astute readers will note that since my photographer decided to go AWOL, I’m left without photographs of Ko Ratanakosin. Flickr to the rescue again!
November 29, 2007 at 8:22 pm · Filed under Festival, Bangkok, Phuket, Thailand, Architecture
If the airport I am heading to happens to be spanking new especially if it claims to be the biggest in Asia, I always put effort into arriving during daylight hours.
Sidenote: This odd behaviour can be explained by the gargantuan amount of airports completed in Asia during the last 10 years.
Sadly, we have to settle with a night flight to catch the Sapam Street Procession of the Phuket Vegetarian Festival. And sure enough the Great Cosmic Interference made sure we MISS the street procession(!!). Two missed opportunities … que sera sera~
I was impressed at the scale of the airport, but the quality of the finishes (especially the bare concrete) looks pretty dubious. And the steel frames are too coarse for my liking. Hmm, I guess that’s the furthest extent of my comments.
However, I am officially duly fully impressed with quality of photos on Flickr these days. I’ll find a way to integrate it into this blog soon …
EDIT:
Here you go! Magazine quality photos of Suvarnabhumi Airport !! Man, I love Web 2.0~
While I am still in this state of euphoria, I will add some Phuket Vegetarian Street Procession photos as well !
November 4, 2007 at 6:44 am · Filed under Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Architecture
Kuala Lumpur Batu Caves is the only worthwhile attraction near Kuala Lumpur (that surprisingly) a lot of Malaysians never make the effort to visit. Since we have to pass through KL to take a flight to Thailand, I decided to make sure I find my way there.
That golden statue of Lord Murugan, said to be the highest of this deity, is indeed very big. There are 272 steps to the top, which can be tiring if you rush yourself. It is also relatively steep so keep you should keep your head facing upwards.
By some weird cosmic coincidence (that my life always seem to attract), there was a troop of uniformed men at the top that day coordinating crowds around a filming session for some Bollywood movie. Which explains the baffling presence of this Styrofoam kavadi I saw on my way up … that will hardly break anyone’s sweat.
After making a way up the steps and squeezing past a few seconds of Bombay-like pedestrian activity, I can see why this place in “divinely” inspiring.
There’s a shrine at the end which you can place donations and get flowers as well as ash thumbed on your forehead in return. Tried chatting with the Hindu priest but he seems more concerned with doing his rituals thing.
November 4, 2007 at 6:36 am · Filed under Penang, Malaysia, Architecture
Kek Lok Si Temple is actual a complex of temples. The intensely unique pagoda is usually the main point of attraction (besides the really really big bronze Kuan Yin which I didn’t feel the urge to pay the entrance fee for).
I didn’t expect Kek Lok Si temple to be this big but this temple complex is HUGE … and it’s getting bigger! They have a very interesting way of raising donations for the building fund, but I don’t know if it’s traditionally “chinese” or not.
Everyone who gives a donation gets their name written on these roof tiles. I presume that when the roof gones on, these tiles get used, so your donation is then immortalised on the temple roof. Interesting …
October 24, 2007 at 11:33 pm · Filed under Penang, Malaysia, Architecture
Other than Dutch Square in Malacca, Fort Cornwallis is probably one of the most mentioned location in our school textbooks. So it’s incredibly sad to say that it not only did not live up to its hype, but I fail to see anything worth hyping at all.
There’s really nothing more than a few rusting cannons pointing at the sea on an earth-rammed wall. Can’t believe they’re charging an entrance fee for this!
They should pay us for having to walk through this, the most boring stretch in Penang!
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