A Pokemon Go Trainer in Bangkok

During the 2019 Chinese New Years.

The IconSiam was the newest luxury shopping mall in the planned 55 billion baht (1.76 billion US dollars) mixed-used development complex - shopping malls, hotels and residences on the Charoen Nakorn Road. It was the first high-end shopping mall in the Thonburi area on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River. The shops and decorations clearly reflected the exclusivity and expensiveness. As I first arrived from the underground parking space, the first impression was the eye-catching market that emulated the traditional floating market and communities on the ground floor with very high ceiling and mezzanine. In the central area, the floor plan was exciting with the shops around the outer walls with balconies around the raised space from the first floor in the middle which also connected to the galleries on each floor. In short, the space design was very innovative. On the green side, the energy consumption for air-conditioning must be very high due to the enormous cavern, but the inter...

Unlike the Hindu or Chinese gods, the gods from Greek and Roman mythology were not worshiped nor prayed for a favor in Thailand, i.e., no incense-sticks and offerings. Most Thais did not know anything about them except in passing from movies and series. However, many statues had been erected for decorating purposes in Western-themed buildings or gardens. Neptune/Poseidon The name of the Greek God of the Sea had been most probably most widely known of all the Greek/Roman gods in Thailand. Unfortunately, it was due to the Poseidon Entertainment Complex on Ratchadapisek red-light district which offered adult-oriented hospitality. According to their website, the business ranged from the restaurant, karaoke, Thai massage, soapy massage, and many more. Hence, the name Poseidon had a sleazy undertone meaning in Thailand. Eros/Cupid The statues of cute and chubby cupid with little bows aiming for love has positively well-received as garden decorations. I don't think that I had ever s...

The community mall Sena Fest was open for business in 2013. It was located on the south side of the Taksin Bridge on the west bank of Chao Phraya River, usually called Thonburi area. Sena Fest featured similar characteristics to other community malls. The central space was not air-conditioned; the ceiling was very high, so it was not uncomfortable. Actually, I quite liked the arrangement as it consumed much less energy and far greener than a typical overly cool, big shopping mall. There were many restaurants, bakery, coffee shops, and other miscellaneous shops on the main floors with a supermarket on the ground floor. There were also clinics, banks, children playground and educational areas. While there were no expensive brand name shops for clothes or cineplex as in the large shopping malls, the diversity of services were sufficient. Actually, the facility was definitely on the high-end side with an Apple service shop, a Starbuck, Villa Supermarket and strings of upmarket restauran...

Brahma Indra Vishnu This Narayana astride Garuda was one of the eight gods of Ratchaprasong, arguably the most holy intersection in central Bangkok due to the high density of Hindu gods. In Thai, the posture was called narai-song-suban; the gym label was a mistake as the focus was more on the god than the stead. This posture was also made into the bow of the newest royal barge that was completed in 1996. Narai Song Suban H.M. King Rama IX : National Museum of Royal Barges Listed in the Being Thai and page,