Friday, April 11, 2008

Bangkok Colors: White.

Sitting on the subway one afternoon, my eyes passed over three ladies dressed from head-to-heel in white. At first, I took them as three Buddhist nuns, with shaved heads and austere white robes. With a bit of surprise, I realized that only the first two were nuns: the third was a lavishly styled Hi-So woman, wearing a white silk suit, a massive white purse, and glamorously oversized white glasses. Ordinarily, white isn't a color I connect with Thailand (where every day of the week has its own color), or Bangkok (where pollution and pastel-paint coat every building). But upon looking back on these three women, I realized the degree to which white reflects two disparate sides of the Thai capital. White is a color of purity and austerity, but it's also a color of luxury and refinement. It's visible in the folded lotus buds at a shrine, or the porcelain tea sets of an elegant cafe; it shines in the hallowed walls of a grand Buddhist temple, and in the columns of the Erawan's temple to commerce.

7 comments:

Wendy said...

Beautiful montage!

Anonymous said...

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Anonymous said...

I love your photos and the way you've put together the montage. And that yellow flower one if also wonderful - love those vibrant colours. I'm waiting for the laburnum to be in flower here in the UK so I can get a similar shot.

Prêt à Voyager said...

White is always so clean and classic. I love thinking of it as a color, despite it's lack thereof.

Anne

tangobaby said...

This is such a gorgeous post, both in photos and text. You have made me want to visit Thailand so very much.

Anonymous said...

I really love your blog, the photos full of color and design are really beautiful!

Unknown said...

wonderful shots
your blog is gorgeous and mouth watering:)