Since I cannot return to Thai and have some free time I thought I would revisit some photos and include some stories
"Jack in his room after doing meth, THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE UNDER THE FREEWAY, Klong Toey slum, Bangkok Thailand 2019"
Jack had just finished doing meth in his shack alongside a busy road under the freeway in Klong Toey slum. I had climbed into his room and stood up against a far wall to make the photograph with an extreme wide angle lens. I remember that after I took off my shoes to enter his room, I was covered in sweat and I could hear the noise of the traffic outside the room. The camera kept slipping in my sweaty hands, and I was trying not to fall over onto Jack. The shack is small and shared by 2 young men (Jack and a friend), both suffer from substance abuse. I did not know Jack well, but he allowed me into his life. I remember asking him how old he was he laughed and told me in Thai, "70 years old". When I offered him some money, he refused me. He was also missing a finger on his left hand, I am not sure how or when that happened. I hope to spend much more time under the freeway next trip. Jack does not talk much but with time I hope we can become friends. I recently heard that part of the freeway has been knocked down so I am unsure how many of my friends have lost their homes. Such is Bangkok, always in flux, a huge city of over 11 million people. People like Jack are often swallowed up, lost and forgotten in that jungle of humanity.
