Monday, September 29, 2008
Night people of Koh Samui
Take a night walk on the streets of the towns of Koh Samui and you will meet an interesting selection of people. Let me introduce you to some in these shots, mostly taken with my personal candid technique.
Actually these guys are there day and night and you'll find similar in other tourist areas of South-east Asia. Many Indian tailor shops line the streets of these towns. Buy a tailored suit at a fraction of the price you pay for an off-the-rack one back in Oz or USA or Europe. There is invariably a spruiker* outside the shop whose job it is to entice you inside. I'd hate to be one of those guys. Their self esteem must be exceptional. They sure have to cope with loads of rejection. At least the guys in this pic are passing some time with him. Sadly most walk past and ignore. Hey, loosen up. You don't have to buy unless you want to. Just say 'G'day'. I spoke for five minutes with one, almost entirely in Thai. Was probably good practice for both of us. Colin and I chatted with another and discovered he was not from India but Nepal.
These ladies offer a massage service in Lamai. You can see by their uniforms that they are professional. ; ) Of course there's no hanky panky here. On the night I was there with my camera they didn't see me. They were too busy enticing the two guys on the other side of the street to come over for a massage. Were they successful? Check out my flickr photostream to see. The following evening as I walked past, one said to me, 'Would you like a massage sir? Very relaxing. I massage every part of your body.'
There is an area in the centre of Lamai where there are several bars and also a market that sells hot food. The bars have pole-dancing girls. I was told that if you are prepared to pay a bar fine you can take one home for the night. Being a dedicated photographer : ) I was more interested in getting a photo. I figured it wouldn't be such a good one using my candid technique so I walked up to the bar and asked if I could get a shot. This young lady was only too happy to pose for me.
There is also an exotic cabaret just around the corner from those bars. I suggested to my friend that he'd enjoy seeing some of the characters they have spruiking for them. 'Here's one,' I said as we approached this delightful young lady handing out pamphlets. She was only too happy to pose for me. In fact the photo shoot got even more interesting after I took this one but you'll have to wait until I get around to processing that one for my flickr photostream. My friend was getting quite excited by the poses this girl was making. It was a shame to spoil his fun and tell him that it is a boy.
Check my previous post for more information on Koh Samui.
*Spruiker My spell-checker didn't like this word and it wasn't in either of my dictionaries. I googled it and it is indeed a word, perhaps Australian. The definition I found is: A person standing outside a place of business trying to persuade patrons to enter, or vigourously trying to persuade customers to purchase their wares
Actually these guys are there day and night and you'll find similar in other tourist areas of South-east Asia. Many Indian tailor shops line the streets of these towns. Buy a tailored suit at a fraction of the price you pay for an off-the-rack one back in Oz or USA or Europe. There is invariably a spruiker* outside the shop whose job it is to entice you inside. I'd hate to be one of those guys. Their self esteem must be exceptional. They sure have to cope with loads of rejection. At least the guys in this pic are passing some time with him. Sadly most walk past and ignore. Hey, loosen up. You don't have to buy unless you want to. Just say 'G'day'. I spoke for five minutes with one, almost entirely in Thai. Was probably good practice for both of us. Colin and I chatted with another and discovered he was not from India but Nepal.
These ladies offer a massage service in Lamai. You can see by their uniforms that they are professional. ; ) Of course there's no hanky panky here. On the night I was there with my camera they didn't see me. They were too busy enticing the two guys on the other side of the street to come over for a massage. Were they successful? Check out my flickr photostream to see. The following evening as I walked past, one said to me, 'Would you like a massage sir? Very relaxing. I massage every part of your body.'
There is an area in the centre of Lamai where there are several bars and also a market that sells hot food. The bars have pole-dancing girls. I was told that if you are prepared to pay a bar fine you can take one home for the night. Being a dedicated photographer : ) I was more interested in getting a photo. I figured it wouldn't be such a good one using my candid technique so I walked up to the bar and asked if I could get a shot. This young lady was only too happy to pose for me.
There is also an exotic cabaret just around the corner from those bars. I suggested to my friend that he'd enjoy seeing some of the characters they have spruiking for them. 'Here's one,' I said as we approached this delightful young lady handing out pamphlets. She was only too happy to pose for me. In fact the photo shoot got even more interesting after I took this one but you'll have to wait until I get around to processing that one for my flickr photostream. My friend was getting quite excited by the poses this girl was making. It was a shame to spoil his fun and tell him that it is a boy.Check my previous post for more information on Koh Samui.
*Spruiker My spell-checker didn't like this word and it wasn't in either of my dictionaries. I googled it and it is indeed a word, perhaps Australian. The definition I found is: A person standing outside a place of business trying to persuade patrons to enter, or vigourously trying to persuade customers to purchase their wares
Labels: Asia, Koh Samui, thailand, travel
