Sunday, June 22, 2014

Taxi Ceiling

For some Bangkok cabbies, a plain grey car interior where they spend as many as twelve hours a day working, is simply just too, well, plain. The driver of this taxi, for example, added some flair to his cab with shiny patterned vinyl on the ceiling. It makes sense that some Thais would have an appreciation for decorative motifs when you consider how Thai architecture, decorative arts, textiles, and handicrafts have long included pattern in the design. This geometric pattern, however, is obviously far from traditional. It looks more like it came out of a 1980's music video.           

Sunday, June 8, 2014

More is Better

In Thailand, there's no such thing as having too much of a good thing. The general attitude here is that more is better. Even the driver of this taxi keeps adding and adding to his collection of amulets and statuettes of the Buddha, Hindu gods, and other icons. He believes the more sacred images he stockpiles, the more he will be protected from accidents, vile passengers, the police, and other evil spirits. The cabby is also convinced that his assemblage of talismans will attract more customers, and consequently more profit. I can't speak for others, but from the moment I caught sight of the driver's collection on the dashboard, I wanted to ride in his taxi.               

Sunday, June 1, 2014

Full of Bull

The image of the bull on the magical yantra cloth on the ceiling of the cab was an apt symbol for the driver of this vehicle. From the moment I hopped into the taxi, the cabbie was talking nonsense. He mostly rambled on about politics, the popular topic of conversation in Thailand these days, but everything that came out of his mouth was rubbish. Rather than arguing with him or telling him to stop babbling, I decided to tell him some crazy stories, too. As the old saying goes, if you can't beat them, join them.