Khun Prem crying after being beaten by her boyfriend Dao #2, THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE UNDER THE FREEWAY, Khlong Toei Slum, Bangkok, Thailand 2025
Note* Was unsure to orientate this picture as a vertical or a horizontal. I think vertical works better. Prem seems to be falling forward in it, creating a more suffocating and desperate feeling to the photograph.
Learning more about the highly addictive drug Yaba tonight. Dao, Prem and Jack smoke Jack as well as Meth. May and Apple only do Meth (Naum Keng) as far as I know.
Note* Yaba is also a form of amphewtamine with caffeine and other dangerous cutting chemicals mixed in.
https://www.ascendantny.com/yaba/
United Nations: Office on Drugs and Crime
Not sure what form the interest MIGHT take. Possibly a post on their website. If they will help tell the stories of THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE UNDER THE FREEWAY. I am all in!
CENTRE for DOCUMENTARY BRITISH PHOTOGRAPHY
They also have a beautiful magazine called HUMANITY
and a Facebook page
Might try to exhibit these two connected images as one platinum-palladium diptych. Dao with crazy YaBa eyes, and Prem crying after Dao attacked her. Two 11x14s in a common mat and frame? Or I might go with different images of this same moment.
Khun Prem crying after being beaten by her boyfriend Dao, THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE UNDER THE FREEWAY, Khlong Toei Slum, Bangkok, Thailand 2025
Young boy in doorway of his dump shack. THE FAMILIES OF THE DUMP, 2025
Tonight, Khun Anne was crying, under the freeway, family problems I think. Ann is 27 and lives with her cats, under the freeway . The old ladies were fighting over some food, gave them some money. II feel part of a family here.
Fighting for food is not something I am used, to see old woman doing so, was even harder to see.
Tonight, Khun Anne was crying, under the freeway, family problems I think. Ann is 27 and lives with her cats, under the freeway . The old ladies were fighting over some food, gave them some money. II feel part of a family here.
Took my three ladies to buy some food tonight. We all walked together down the side of a busy road for maybe a kilometre to get to the store. Then we all walked back and shared some food. It was midnight so everything else was closed. Two of the ladies in their late 70s walked barefoot. They are all widows with no husbands or families to take care if them.
When we walked into the 7/11, it seemed they had never been inside the store before in their lives. All confused and fascinated, it was rather strange. Many Thais staring at us, especially me. They must have been wondering who this farang man was, and why he was hanging out with these old gals.
The UNB (University of New Brunswick print buys)gave each of these ladies 100 baht as well. Got thanked more than 10 times. The wais were flying about evertime i turned around. Such good people.
Kinda a surreal event that I will look back with fondness on my return to Canada.
Jack bathing on the street #3 in B/W and in Color. He is holding the donated shampoo, Jack was going to use clothes washing powder until I gave him the shampoo I was carrying for Khun Apple. The light was rather beautiful, the moment strangely relaxed and peaceful, it was just after midnight.
Shot last night.
Bumped into this picture tonight. It is of Khun Anapon (Moo), shot in 2022. THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE UNDER THE FREEWAY.
I found out during this 2025 trip that Anapon had died. He was a former Muay Thai boxer. A good quiet man, who lived a later solitary life of loneliness.
I photographed him staring around 2010. Khun Anapon was the first person I photographed UNDER THE FREEWAY.
One shot from tonight. Now off to sleep its 555am here.
Khun Jack, smoking Naum Keng (meth), THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE UNDER THE FREEWAY, Khlong Toei Slum, Bangkok, Thailand 2025
Got this from Prem. The reason I call myself Gerry in Thailand is because every Thai person knows the cartoon Tom & Jerry. I am the mouse!
Some man came and took some of the donated food for the old ladies. Not sure who he was.
Apple took off her shirt for a second to change to another shirt tonight . I saw her breasts. They are fake ones, probably bought from her batgirl days. Maybe by her Swedish boyfriend. Cost 40000 baht or so $16.70 CAD. So she money at some point.
Sad to see her this way now. I thought working as a bargirl was a bad life, this is far worse.
Khun Oye has a loose tooth. Most of her teeth are gone. I have known her since 2018. She was the cover portrait for Black & White magazine. We gave her some money for food.
She says to me. “Non Nee, Mai Bai! “. Sleep her don”t go. She must have a very lonely life.
I will put Prem's ring in the darkroom, to remember her buy. Along with Pia's camera and Ying's jade lion. Prem took this ring off her finger and placed it on mine.
No hitting today, that I saw. Prem did say her arm hurt, not sure what happened there.
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| Khun Dao , preparing to do YaBa, THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE UNDER THE FREEWAY, Khlong Toei Slum, Bangkok, Thailand 2025 |
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| Khun Apple, eyes, THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE UNDER THE FREEWAY, Khlong Toei Slum, Bangkok 2025 |
Khun Cho-Ned, THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE UNDER THE FREEWAY, Khlong Toei Slum, Bangkok, Thailand 2025
I found her at Khun Dao and Prem's sleeping area. She spoke in circles, a user of YaBa. Sometimes she made sense, sometimes she did not. She told me she was 80+ years old. She probably was 27-32. Promised her some food tomorrow.
Having trouble editing this photo with the new program GIMP. Keep falling asleep! Will try again later, Here are two
She came out of the darkness, talking to herself, then me.
.JPG)
