Many people have chosen "Georgetown", the capital of Penang, as one of their overseas travel destinations. Because it is an old city with beautiful and artistic paintings everywhere. But there are also many people who do not have the opportunity to travel and take cool photos abroad like that.



What would happen if beautiful, artistic paintings, or what is called Street Art, were to appear in our beloved Bangkok, specifically in the old, beautiful, and classic districts with delicious food like Bang Rak, Charoen Krung, and Song Wat?



Oh my god! Just thinking about it makes me want to scream "Ohhhhhhh wow... my god" in my head at a volume of 300 decibels.



And today, it's not just an idea, just a dream anymore. The BUKRUK II URBAN ARTS FESTIVAL 2016 project has made it a reality.



For the BUKRUK II URBAN ARTS FESTIVAL 2016, this art festival was held between January 24-31, 2016. The entire project is very interesting because it not only involves painting walls in public places, but also includes art exhibitions, artist talks, activity nights and much more.



This year's event, held in 2016, served as a bridge between Asia and Europe, attracting artists from a diverse range of countries, including Thailand, Spain, South Korea, the Netherlands, Greece, and Japan. The resulting artworks, painted or drawn on walls, can be found on buildings and walls in various locations within the Bang Rak, Si Phraya, Surawong, Talad Noi, and Song Wat districts.



And these images aren't just small, ordinary ones. Some of them are huge, covering the entire wall of a 3-4 story building. What's more, the artists went all out, using cranes to paint them.



Note: I'm starting with these two images, both of which are from the internet. The first is a poster of the event, and the second is a picture of an artist drawing from a crane. I wasn't able to capture any of the atmosphere myself. (The second image is by Modgazine, and I have obtained permission from the owner.)



I only found out about this event in early February, when all the paintings had already been completed. So I didn't hesitate to plan, find a date, and pack my camera bag to go out and see it right away. There were two main reasons for this.


1. It's a time when the weather in Bangkok is perfect, cool and comfortable, making it ideal for a relaxing stroll.



Before the day I went, I did some preliminary research, which included information from the Bukruk page ( https://www.facebook.com/Bukrukfestival/) and various reviews that people had started to post.



Oh my god... My mood when I read the review at that time was that the more I read, the more I wanted to go. But as I read, there was a point where I was secretly worried. Because it seemed that each point was quite far apart and I might not be able to find the job because I didn't know the exact location. Also, many people suggested that I should cycle instead of walk. But anyway... I think I'm a walker myself. Even though I'm old now, I think I can still walk. If I can't, I'll just find a bus, taxi or go home and sleep. I don't care if I don't collect them all... lol



On the day I had planned, I set off and set my first destination as Soi Charoen Krung 32, which was the location I had been told had the most images and where I had several images that I was impressed with.



Soi Charoen Krung 32, many people may not know where it is if you just tell them the name of the alley. Is there anything to look for? If you want to make it simple, it's the alley next to the Central Post Office or Bang Rak Post Office.



Okay, when I reached my destination, at the entrance of Soi Charoen Krung 32, I happened to see a group of cyclists. They were talking and pointing the way, saying, "Just ride straight in, it's not far, you'll see the painting on the right-hand side."





Hearing this, I felt relieved and walked into the alley.



Not far into the alley, probably no more than 150 meters, I saw the first image. And this image made me cry.



The picture is beautiful, but... but why did you have to park the car in the way?!



And that's the origin of this image caption.







I quite like the colors in this picture, as it has the pink that I like mixed in. So I tried taking it from 2-3 more angles, trying to cut out the parked cars that were in the way.



Just a few steps further, or you could say it's almost right next to each other, there's another picture that many people might be familiar with. Luckily, there were no cars parked here to block the view, or else I would have been in tears again.



A few steps later, I came across this image. It's probably my favorite image of the day because it's a simple drawing that perfectly mocks the things that are usually piled up there.



"Slurp, slurp, so delicious!"



The next picture is a bit empty, so I put myself in it to make it look more alive. Haha.



At this point, I must say that my decision to choose this alley as the starting point for my walk was absolutely the right one. It's an alley with a ton of murals, almost the entire length of the right-hand wall. Even though it's a short alley, there are definitely more than 10 murals here.



However, what I regret, I feel very sorry, that is, there are cars parked blocking the view almost all the way. Sometimes I try to stand and wait or walk around, but there is no sign that these cars will move at all. T_T



This image will give you a clearer picture of what happened that day.



I'm really sorry about some of the photos because they're not clear, otherwise I could have played around with them a bit more. Especially the photo of the woman in the red shirt holding the gun, because my friend who went on the same day as me but at a different time got a photo like that too. T____T #kidney shaking



For this picture, it's another one that I really like. The lines and colors look beautiful, eye-catching, and fun. So I tried to crop it as much as I could.





"White Tiger and Hammerhead Shark"



Fortunately, there are no parked cars in this picture. It's a beautiful background image related to bicycles.



After wandering around the area for a while, hoping for some luck that someone might move their car, I ended up not being able to take many pictures. After I decided to walk back to the mouth of the alley, the first picture that was originally blocked by a parked car could finally be taken in full. So I took one more picture as a souvenir.





After leaving Charoen Krung 32, the next destination is Charoen Krung 30 Alley, also known as Captain Bush Alley. This alley is the same alley as the Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel and the Portuguese Embassy.







Okay, let's take a look at this image. How big is it? This image is a graphic, black and white line drawing, not a colorful cartoon like the previous alley.



After finishing looking at this picture, I walked to the next destination, Soi Charoen Krung 28. There are 2 pictures at the beginning of the alley, next to the walls of the corner buildings on both sides.



This bird's image is drawn quite high, so it's comfortable and unobstructed. However, it also makes it difficult to take pictures and play with it much.



And while I was taking pictures, people came up to me and asked where the next picture was. Seeing that picture, this picture yet, I think it's fun, I've made friends, and it's made me realize the meaning of kindness and the Land of Smiles. It's good, isn't it?



Note: Candid photos of people I met along the way.



The next image will be directly opposite the bird image from earlier, but it will be a low-lying drawing on the wall of the 1st floor. And of course, there are cars parked in front of it, as usual. @_@



I tried my best to find angles to take pictures, and while I was taking pictures, another group of cyclists arrived and said the same thing: "It's a shame that cars are parked in front of the artwork like this."





Deep down, I understand that these roadsides were originally intended for parking. But one fine day, someone came and painted on the walls. Is it their fault if they park in the same spot?





It's all about different perspectives, different people's views. As for me, I could only feel sorry and think that I was just unlucky. All I could do at that time was just walk around looking for the next picture. And when I looked across the street from the entrance of Charoen Krung 28 Alley, I happened to see a small gap between the buildings and there was a beautiful painting like this, so I crossed the street.





This set of images focuses on cats and mice. The mice are particularly... fierce! 5555555



As I was taking pictures of this set, another group of cyclists came along. From what I could hear them talking about, it seemed like they had been cycling around looking for pictures for a while. So I asked them about the way to Talad Noi, and once I had a rough idea of the location, I set off on foot, with Google Maps as my trusty assistant.



And when I reached Talad Noi, the big problem that followed was that I knew what each picture looked like, but where each picture was located - -“

Never mind... I'll just walk around and find it. And finally, I found this picture.



After walking for a while, I came across this image.



In Talad Noi, I was certain that there was at least one more image I wanted to find, an image I was quite fond of and determined to locate. It was a picture of stacked car tires, which I thought had a great sense of depth. However, after walking around in circles for several rounds, I couldn't find it. I even asked a group of photographers I happened to meet in the area, but they didn't know either. In the end, I had to give up and move on to Song Wat Road, where another highlight image awaited me. T___T





I walked from Talad Noi, following the path for no more than 10 minutes, and I reached the area of ​​Thanon Song Wat. I saw this picture. It stands out at the corner of the building.



This picture has quite a few people standing around taking photos.



Let me show you two more angles.



From this sweet pink corner building, I continued walking to the last picture I wanted to find, which was the picture of an elephant. I asked the group I met near the pink building and they told me to walk straight ahead for a short distance and the work would be on the left-hand side.



I continued walking for about 200 meters and then I saw this image in front of me.



As I walked up, I found it was an open space by the river. I guess it was a parking lot, but it was unusually empty today. And when I turned my back on the bicycle picture, I found this picture.



Let me show you another angle.



This is a picture that I think is very beautiful. You can play with it in many ways, such as taking a crop.





Or find an object and put a funny caption on it like this.





"Beware!! Elephant falls on car"



At this point, I sat down and thought to myself that I had almost all the photos I wanted. The only thing missing was a photo of the wheels of a car in Talad Noi. I glanced at my watch and saw that it was only 3:30 pm. From the time I started walking from the entrance of Soi Charoen Krung 32, it had only been 2 and a half hours. It didn't take long and I was less tired than I thought... maybe because the weather was nice and cool today.



After checking my watch, I decided to walk to the Mangkorn Kamalawat Temple to pay respects to the deity Tai Sui Ya, in order to continue my fortune-telling.

Or Wat Leng Noei Yi is better because it is not far from where I am.



I opened Google Maps and walked for about 10 minutes until I reached my destination. I then paid my respects to the deity Tai Sui Ye. Afterwards, I looked for some water and snacks to fill my stomach. Once I had completed all my tasks, I decided to head back to the area around Charoen Krung Road again. I wanted to capture any photos that I might have missed or any photos that might not have had any cars parked in front of them. However, this time I chose to take the bus back... haha.





As I rode the bus back to Charoen Krung Road, it was around 5:00 PM. I remembered that there was a beautiful place nearby, the Bang Rak Fire Station. With that in mind, I abandoned my goal of capturing the remaining paintings and walked straight to the Bang Rak Fire Station. This is another place I've wanted to visit for a long time, but I never had the chance.



And I made the right decision because when I arrived at the Bang Rak Fire Station, I found that the light was beautiful and there were many photographers taking pictures of both the building and portraits. So I wandered around waiting for the angle I wanted to be free for a while, and finally I got what I wanted.





After finishing taking pictures of this set at the Bang Rak Fire Station, the sky was still bright. But I thought it was time for me to end my trip for the day, so I decided to pack up and go home.



This short half-day trip was a lot of fun and I really enjoyed it. I would like to share some tips for anyone who is interested in joining a photo shoot like this.

1. If you have the chance, go quickly because many of the pieces are very beautiful, and opportunities like this don't come often. Importantly, there's a chance that someone will come and help build on the pieces from the original work. Some of the work may turn out well, but some of it may not... haha

2. The Bang Rak, Charoen Krung, and Song Wat areas are already beautiful and charming in their own right. Even without these paintings, they are great places to take a walk, take photos, or enjoy delicious food.

3. The murals are quite far apart, and some areas have a lot of them, such as Soi Charoen Krung 32. If you have limited time, you can just visit the areas around Soi Charoen Krung 28, 30, and 32. But if you have more time, you can walk around and see them all.

4. Although the different points are quite far apart, it is still possible to walk between them. However, if you have a bicycle, it can save you a lot of effort. Both methods of travel have their own unique charm. Choose whichever one you prefer.

5. Personally, I haven't collected all the works yet and there are still many missing points. Because I didn't do my homework well enough. Many pictures I found out later that there were, such as pictures of mermaids and ducks, which are both great pictures. But for those who did their homework well, they should be able to collect them all easily. Because now there are more and more reviews coming out. And the way to help you collect all the pictures easily is to follow the Bukruk page. In addition to having pictures with descriptions and approximate coordinates, now there are also coordinates in google map.



Okay, for this trip of mine, I guess that's all. If there is any incorrect information, I apologize. And everyone can point out the correct things to me. And for those who like my review this time, you can follow my other past works at https://www.facebook.com/amazingcouples/



See you again in the next review. Goodbye.



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