Tuesday, July 5th, 2022 - A Walk Through Old and New at Talat Noi

 If you look closely at Google Maps, it has little camera icons that tell the location of scenic places. It was through finding such an icon not far from us, that we discovered and visited Talat Noi.

Old Fiat - and icon of Talat Noi

Talat Noi mean's 'small market' and was developed by Chinese and Portuguese settlers several centuries ago. The population had lived in the old capital, Ayutthaya, but were forced to move to the new capital of Bangkok after the old capital fell in 1767. 

Traditional Houseboat on the Chao Praya River

Nestled on the banks of the busy Chao Praya River, the community has resisted development and continues to honor traditional ways.

 

Rong Kueak Shrine

It is a delightful neighborhood, with pleasant walkable alleys and is is now becoming a community with a strong artistic flavor. There is an abundance of street art, spirit trees, Chinese temples, used car parts (!) and a café which has turned an old Chinese house into an upscale and superbly decorated venue on the Chao Praya River.

Trok San Chao Rong Kueak Talat Noi Street Art

After reading about the area and seeing photos online, Chuck, Sarah and I were all keen to visit and see for ourselves.

Trok San Chao Rong Kueak Talat Noi Street Art

This rosy cheeked smile and friendly-looking dragon (at least I think he's trying to be friendly), greeted us as we entered the first alley way into the community! Whereas we view dragons as being fearful and dangerous, Chinese tradition regards them as auspicious symbols of good luck, strength, health and male vitality. He was a great beginning for our walk.

Trok San Chao Rong Kueak Talat Noi Street Art

Knowing that there are a few cat-lovers among you, I decided I had to include this mural which appears to have been sponsored or created by a nearby school. Notice the painting includes the old car on the right hand side, and on the left, piles of old car parts.

Trok San Chao Rong Kueak 

I never imagined that I would get interested in photographing piles of trash, but this was an area where nothing goes to waste. We passed many stores with piles of brakes, engines, exhausts springs, chains ....... you name it. They were not spread out randomly in an expanse like our junk yards, but instead are piled up one upon another, with each business specializing in just one type of part.

The axle shaft store!

I love the way that everything in this store still has that artistic flair. They specialized in axle shafts.

Vendor creating something from his collection

This gentleman appears to be selling metal chains and pipes and hooks. Many of the store owners were welding or working with the materials they had, to create or fix something. I imagine all sorts of mechanical ingenuity occurs in these alleys. His collection was somewhat organized - I could imagine him knowing where everything was. There were others where the pile was so high, it seemed as if it would be a miracle to find what you wanted.

Good luck finding what you want in this pile!

This blog is tough for me, as I managed to capture so many fun images, but I can only share so few. Before we leave the 'artsy' side of things, here's another to give you a 'feel' for the alleys we walked through.

Sarah Walks past an old rickshaw on San Chao Rong Kueak

We were looking forward to visiting the café in the old house, knowing that it had air-conditioning. On the way there, we passed several 'spirit tees'.

Spirit tree on San Chao Rong Kueak

This tree was wrapped for 'Nang Ta-khian' a  female Thai tree spirit. Hopea odorata trees are chosen for this treatment  and can grow quite large and live for centuries. The only common name for it that I recognized was ironwood  and the wood is used for rail sleepers, bridge construction and other situations where a hard wood is needed. The trees wrapped in this way were generally protected from logging, because angering the tree spirit would bring bad luck and be carried within the wood. Only the monks were able to cut the trees after performing ceremonies to calm the spirit and because they have garnered enough merit to be able to cut it without harm following the wood. The bark also has some medicinal properties. The spirit, Nang Ta-khian is believed to be able to  help you win the lottery, heal illness, help with a pregnancy — or lead wandering men to their death by beckoning them into her embrace with a mournful song!

Hong Sieng Kong Cafe

Finally, it was a great relief to step into the coolness of the café for an iced tea. This place was a haven for the Instagram generation, as it offered lots of doors, picturesque walls, statues, and the Chao Praya River which serve  as a backdrop for all those 'I was here' photos that are popular on Instagram.

Checking out the photos before the Instagram post

I stood in front of this amazing wall for quite some time waiting for this couple to finish their photography. She was very cute and very good at posing and it's hard to imagine they didn't manage to get some wonderful shots with this delicious backdrop of elegant decay and the magnificent tree root that had integrated itself into the wall!

Hong Sieng Kong Café

The interior also offered an open museum like setting - the circular staircase and doors in particular offered great posing opportunities for photographers. It was really quite brilliantly done. It was an old Chinese mansion which they have restored and turned into this charming venue.

Detail of wooden door at Hong Sieng Kong Cafe

I love doors for photography, but actually am rarely happy with my result, as vertical photos just don't please me these days. I know many prefer vertical as they show up better on cell-phones, but I can't bring myself to use them unless very necessary. So, instead of the full door, here is the detail from one that was in the café. I love the contrast between the clear grain of the wood and the metal nails, along with the patina of the metal behind the wood. It was a beauty!

Ceramic horse at Hong Sieng Kong Cafe

I also thought this horse statue very beautiful. I love chinoiserie, so I guess this fellow evoked the lovely blue and white of that ceramic style. The photographer in me struggled a bit with he hand sanitizer right under his nose, but I did my best to tamp it down with a little editing (Thanks Lightroom!)

Heng Seng Store

Our walk within Talat Noi was just about done, so after time sitting by the Chao Praya River (it was actually nearly cool with a breeze in the shade), we headed toward our lunch venue. On the way were many more metal and car part shops, but I was intrigued also by this little Hang Seng store where they have made prayer cushions for a century. The sign at the door said they originally made mosquito nets, but are now the only remaining prayer cushion maker left. The ladies were happy to have me take their photo.

Chinatown Gate

Our lunch was a street vendor making a dish called Jae Ben's Pad Ngi Ngaow. These vendors have been selling from this corner near the Chinatown Gate for 40 years. 

Noodle dish vendor Jae Ben

Their kitchen is based out of the back of this pick-up, so was a level up from the street carts that have to set up each day. This looked as if it is permanently parked here. You can see the driver's seat is stacked with paper towels for wiping sticky fingers.

Tables and chairs were provided.

It was also a little more upscale than a straight street cart as they provided tables and chairs.

Jae Ben's Pad Ngi Ngaow

It was a delicious seafood and pork rice noodle dish. The rice noodles had a lovely barbeque flavor. The meal cost $3 each and we all declared it was much more delicious than the fancy Mediterranean meal we had eaten the night before for $30! 

One more for the cat lovers!

Welcome to Bangkok