Some of the sketches I did on holidays proved to be too big for my scanner, so its taken some time, not to mention a bit of fiddling in photoshop to get them to a state where I can post them.
Here are three drawn in Thailand in date order.
The Reclining Budhha, Ayutthaya, Thailand, watercolour, 30 July 2015
Remains of the Palace Ayutthaya, watercolour and graphite, 30 July 2015
Inside the Grand Palace Bangkok, pen and ink 2 August 2015
We loved the quirkiness of our new hotel, not to mention the free wifi. But what turned out to be one of its greatest assets was the bar area at the front of the hotel which was open to the street. We could sit here and sketch in comfort with a cup of coffee or a glass of something stronger by our side. It was also a great place to meet people, including the three other sketchers who had been in Singapore at the Symposium, and were staying at the hotel as well.
The phone box outside our hotel, 29 July, watercolour, pen and ink
In the lanes around the hotel were many vendors selling just about everything from coffins to fresh fruit.
Apple stalls in Thanon Mangkon, Chainatown, Bangkok, 29 July 2015, watercolour, brush pen and ink
I’m not sure of how the street stall system works in Bangkok, but people clearly had their ‘regular’ position. This was the vendor selling roast chestnuts out the front of the hotel.
The roast chestnut stall, Chinatown, Yaowarat St, Bangkok, 30 July 2015
I really loved being able to just sit and enjoy watching the people passing on the street and on Friday night the joint was really jumping. It was also raining heavily so while the kitchen was under cover,
Kitchen under the umbrellas, Chinatown Bangkok
the wait staff just had to improvise!
Quick and easy rain hats, Chinatown style! Bangkok
After a fantastic time in Singapore we flew the short distance to Bangkok, for our first stay in Thailand. First stop was the luxurious Metropolitan Hotel, where we had our special treat of a package that included dinner at David Thompson’s Nahm restaurant. We also enjoyed the large pool from where I sketched the view looking towards the restaurant and the lush gardens bordering the property. We even saw a squirrel running along the powerline as we lay back on the pool deck.
Looking towards Nahm restaurant from the pool deck, Metropolitan Hotel Bangkok
We also enjoyed breakfast which I had to sketch quickly before devouring. The colour came later on.
Breakfast at Glow, Waffles with mango and passionfruit curd
And I had to do it all again the next morning!
Breakfast at Glow, Pumpkin and buckwheat pancakes with papaya nectar and orange and cashew nut paste
But all this luxe living had to come to an end. We moved to a smaller boutique hotel in Chinatown, appropriately named Shanghai Mansion. The hotel evokes 1930’s in Shanghai and was wonderfully atmospheric and a great location to enjoy the other aspect of Bangkok that we had come to explore, which was it’s street food and street life.
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