I think you’ll get a kick out of this. I need to get back to my photo-stories series. So many projects 😂
quotingShort photo-stories of the hidden, hard to find, obscure, and off the beaten track. If you see or read anything that you enjoy - please like, boost, follow. Zaps are always welcome! All stories and photos are my own.
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Take a walk with me…
Find a dingy, non-descript alley in a suspiciously quiet corner of Bangkok’s Chinatown. Walk down it. Pass a small prayer shrine and approach an old wooden door. You were told that there is a bar here, yet nothing suggests that this is so…
Wait! Closer inspection reveals a simple bronze plaque, out of place for its polish and newness, “cocktails 3rd floor.” Up the stairs then! The landing on 3 presents a white sign with the Chinese character for bitter, ku/苦, and a red arrow pointing right.
Pass through the threshold, enter a new space. To your right, a large expanse of barren concrete, an empty “room.” Tripods for…some kind of filming? A man-sized, locked container. Yet, you did not come here to ask questions, such things are none of your business!
And to your left, you find the golden door. Approach. Enter. Be greeted. You have done well! You have found it. 苦 Bar. You are among friends now. Inside exudes weirdness - in the etymological sense - the bending of destinies, control of the fates. For the patrons, a quiet and sacred space.
But, Taste! Taste is the order of the day! Bizarre, Obscure, Arcane - you find a most unique use of flavors, flavors beyond name. Buddha’s hand, burnt cedar charcoal, ylang ylang, strawberry, wild roots brought in by friendly travelers, and many other things. But, Taste! The drinks here are not so much to be liked or disliked, but rather, experienced without judgment.
In the inner room, you may find another set of stairs, down this time, leading to the second place - KANGKAO. A natural wine bar. Cozy, botanical, industrial, enclosed. The kind of private setting where you might overhear “State Department” and “UN” types chatting with their Chinese counterparts. But don’t look or listen too hard! Surely, there’s no reason to be rude… Remember, you are among friends now.
苦 Bar. Bangkok. There are secrets to be found. Go there.
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