THAI TAXI TALISMANS

Bangkok from the passenger seat

Description

Strings of beads and amulets hang from rearview mirrors, swaying as the driver negotiates his taxi through Bangkok’s chaotic streets. Statuettes of the Buddha glued to dashboards sit patiently beside flower garlands and beribboned objects. Buddhist ritual patterns adorn the ceilings, and images of monks are everywhere. The author Dale Konstanz has spent over four years documenting the interiors of Bangkok taxis, photographing the iconography and asking what it means to the drivers. In Thai Taxi Talismans, he recollects and ruminates as to the meaning of these mini-altars, accompanied by colourful photographs and the explanations and philosophies of the Bangkok cabby. This book is a cultural study of Thai beliefs, an appreciation of Thai popular design and a document of the daily existence of Bangkok taxi drivers. It is fascinating, fun, and culturally significant.