We feature some of the brightest Instagram storytellers in the Passion Passport community through our Instagram Spotlight series. This week, travel to Bangkok, Thailand with Dutch photographer @Chrsschlkx.
Hi! My name is Chris, a 25 year old digital marketer hailing from the Netherlands. After an 8-month long travel adventure that brought me from Sri Lanka to Japan and everywhere in between, I fell in love in (hey @ettyliu!) and with Bangkok. So, I sold everything I had in the Netherlands and moved to the Thai capital three years ago.
I’ve been documenting my daily #Bangkoklife actively on Instagram since about a year ago – and I’ve gotten to know some fantastic people and places along the way.
When living abroad, nothing is ordinary
Before I moved to Thailand, I don’t think I have ever snapped a picture of a stranger’s front door, but here it’s impossible for me to walk down a street in Bangkok’s old town (my favourite area in the city) without stopping at least 5 times for a picture-perfect scene. Colourful gates, potted plants, out-of-service phone booths… I think I’ve actually snapped pictures of trash for the sake of Instagram!
Oh, glorious food
Colourful curries, vibrant vegetables and desserts in a riot of flavours – Bangkok is a foodie photographer’s paradise. For less than a $2, you can feast on a noodle soup on the sidewalk. For $20, you can dine like a high roller, and enjoy an extravagant meal. To me, the food itself is only half the fun, as many Thai restaurants (especially the old ones) are incredibly picturesque.
My insider tip: give ‘Muslim Restaurant’ (pictured) across the street from the Lebua Hotel a try. This old-school restaurant serves up crazy delicious Thai-muslim food that you won’t find easily elsewhere. Their roti mataba is to die for.
Uncovering the unexpected
There’s nothing that makes my heart beat faster than stumbling upon one of Bangkok’s hidden gems, whether it is an Instagram-worthy new cafe or a historical landmark. On weekends, I love to simply wander around the city, following small alleyways and little markets to discover places I’ve never seen before. Even after three years of living here, I still stumble upon new alleyways within 100 meters of my house! My favourite recent discovery is this gorgeous old Chinese house in the middle of Chinatown. The courtyard is converted into a diving school. How unexpected!
Bangkok, and beyond…
Even though I’m living in what many consider a fantastic holiday destination, the travel bug in me keeps biting. To escape hectic city life and to keep my wanderlust going, I try to fly somewhere new at least every 3 months. Recent trips have brought me to Kenya, Ethiopia and Morocco – Africa is a continent that I’d love to explore more!
To share the ‘hidden side’ of Bangkok and other destinations we visit, my girlfriend and I have very recently decided to set up RICE / POTATO, a platform where we’ll be sharing lesser-known Bangkok experiences, interesting travel guides and thoughts on daily life as an expat in Thailand.