This photo has not been posted before, I just developed it a few days back. It is of a young Burmese teen age boy sleeping on the new highway near the garbage dump in Mae Sot Thailand. Most mornings this last trip in April May 2016 when arrived at the dump around 545am I would find 2 boys sleeping in the shoulder of the road. Sometimes they would have parts of their bodies actually on the road where cars and trucks would drive buy. This was a new road so there was not much traffic but there was still traffic. I do not know why they slept on the road, perhaps it was a bit warmer as the asphalt would retain the previous days heat. What ever reason they were doing it for it was an extremely dangerous thing to do. They could be killed instantly or had their arms, legs, hands or feet run over in the dark. They would probably receive no medical care and could bleed out or bleed internally.
I wonder if these 2 boys are still healthy? Did something happen to them on that roadway since I left? I remember even Khun Noi the Thai man who drove me out to the dump everyday was shocked and surprised at what they were doing. Every morning I would warn him to be careful when he drove that part of our journey.
I feel guilty, I am buying Ambrotypes and expensive camera gear and this poor soul sleeps on a highway.
On the tech side I had trouble making the picture with a view camera or my Rolleiflex because the early light was simply to low. This image was made with a Leica rangefinder and Tri-x pushed to 800 ASA and given STAND development.
 |
| Teenager sleeping on highway shoulder, Mae Sot Thailand May 2016 |
