A Nighttime View of Bangkok

Hello, Down There!

I am from a city that wants to be bigger than it actually is. It is a decent-sized city, but not overly large. And even then, I actually grew up in the suburbs, far away from the downtown area. The largest building around had only enough stories that you could count them on one hand. And a building like that was somewhat of a rarity.

These days, I live in a very rural area. We are nowhere near even a decent-sized city. We are far away from everything and most everyone. The population density of people per square mile for our whole county could probably be counted on the hands and feet of just three or four people, and probably less than that in our immediate area. So as you can see, I went from something not all that big to something even smaller.

So imagine how different the huge, busy city of Bangkok felt when I visited there. All the people. The vehicles. The endless numbers of amazingly tall buildings. The lights. The sounds. Everything. It was huge!

And yet, it was not entirely overwhelming. Yes, I did not have a good feel of the layout of the city of Bangkok. Yes, I did not even speak the main language, although most people there spoke at least some of my language. But I was blessed to have good friends who did know those things who were able to guide us through the city. So for me, it was fun.

Going places that are completely different from what you normally experience is one of the great things about traveling. If you just stay where you are all of the time, you will never know how other places in the world will be. I had a great time experiencing the huge city of Bangkok. True, when it was over I was happy to be back in our rural home, but I still enjoyed the big-city life for a week or so.

Go out and do something different sometimes. You won’t regret it.

See more photos from this trip in the Bangkok 2015 archives.

Coffee in Bangkok

The hosts for our Bangkok trip, Gary and Michelle Ford, are about to realize their business as missions goal. The La Mesa Coffee Company Shop is nearing completion and opening, and everyone involved is excited about the future.

It is strange to think that just three years ago, Adam (my traveling companion for the trip) and I were at dinner in Bangkok with Gary and Michelle, and they said, “We are thinking that we will start a coffee shop…” Now, just a short while later, that goal is almost realized. I am looking forward to more about their venture and how they can use their shop in service for God.

And if you are ever in Bangkok and are looking for a good cup of coffee, check out La Mesa Coffee!

Bible Verse

Whatever you do, do it enthusiastically, as something done for the Lord and not for men, knowing that you will receive the reward of an inheritance from the Lord. You serve the Lord Christ. - Colossians 3:23-24

About the photo

I don’t usually do long exposure night photos, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t. Just in case you are wondering.

This photo was taken from the balcony of Gary and Michelle’s apartment at the time. I often could not help just staring at the amazing view. I knew it would make a great night photo. After dark one evening, I went out on the balcony with my camera and the small tabletop tripod I had brought with me. The camera lens fit through the rails of the balcony with the tripod sitting on the balcony floor. I kept a tight grip on the camera strap because I kept having visions of the camera plummeting to the pool many stories below me.

I did do a little bit of post-processing in Photoshop to bring out the detail in the dark buildings while turning down the lights just a bit. Overall, I was really happy with how this turned out. So much different from trees and horse pastures back home!

Photo: A single Raw exposure, processed in Photoshop. Read more about photography tips, photo software, camera gear, and more at Steve’s Photography Tips.
Camera: Olympus OM-D E-M10
Lens: Olympus 14-42mm IIR
Date: May 16, 2015
Location: Bangkok, Thailand