Locked Into Street Art At Lunchtime

There are times when something we perceive to be bad happens. In other words, we see a lack of goodness in whatever it is that takes place. And often, it's not clear why it happened. Other times, it gets us down and our negative emotions don't allow us to see some greatness or merit in whatever happened. And once in a while, we see it right away. The greatness in an unforeseen circumstance looks you right in the face, stops you, and demands your attention.

That's what happened today at lunch. An opportunity smacked me in the face in my moment of doubt. It was a comical and whimsical kind of doubt I experienced as I asked myself what I was doing under the noontime sun on a trail I'd never been on before. Since this morning, I've felt this guidance away from eating meat. Usually in the cafeteria at lunch, they serve chicken. And I consider chicken to be a lighter meat, a lesser evil. And it's not everyday that I want to go out looking for a vegan restaurant nearby. In fact, it was today that I went on such an excursion for the first time. 

I had ordered from this one vegan restaurant on Grab Food and I knew it was nearby the school we teach on Tuesdays. I looked on the map and started thinking about the way there. The map isn't the territory so I had to visualize the intersections I would pass and the U-turn I would have to make under the bridge. I finished my ice coffee and set out to discover a new place. As I drove there, I was thinking about the person I would tell my order to in the restaurant. Moreover, I was excited to tell them that I'd ordered food from there before but that it would be my first time in the restaurant.

The ride there on my motorcycle felt even longer than it would have under the beaming midday sun. I couldn't see any street signs around the place I knew I was supposed to make a left so I stopped to check in with the maps before continuing on my way. Going into this little soy, I wondered what a vegan restaurant would be doing in such a residential area. It was all little homes in the little alley. Finally, the yellow signs and banners of the vegan restaurant appeared. Getting closer, it also became clear that the restaurant was closed.

I stopped in front of the little restaurant in the alley, took it in, and then got out of there.  Back on the main road, I was about to go back to a restaurant I like near the school and order something as vegetarian as possible. However, something stopped me. It literally stopped me as I pulled over to the side of the road. I searched for another vegan restaurant on Google maps, thinking there might easily be one nearby. And there was one about a kilometer or so away. I turned left at the intersection instead of turning right towards the school. And this is where the sun beaming down on my head made me ask myself "What in the world am I doing?"

The answer came straight away. I had travelled a couple hundred meters down this road when I saw the art on the walls. Sometimes we take a bad turn in the road and it leads to another bad turn. Perhaps those 'bad' turns are just in our perception of the event. What makes something good or bad other than our thoughts about it? Isn't bad just a lack of the good? Or is it a perceived lack in a state of mind dominated by excess thoughts and negativity? At any rate, my bad turn had turned into a worthy encounter with art.

The various elements in the mural represent different aspects of the local culture. The figure on the left represents Thai culture and identity, whereas the two figures on the right represent Malay and Chinese cultures respectively. Fried chicken, dim sum, and a teapot can also be seen in the piece. The mermaid in the centre represents the province and its landmark sculpture in the provincial capital. 

I turned back immediately and parked my motor-psych(มอเตอร์ไซค์ in Thai) in the wide parking lot of a food court. There were a few others around but the first order of business was written on the walls facing the food court. I took a few snapshots, making sure I got everything - actually I didn't take a photo of one last piece, not yet. The style of the art reminded me immediately of the temple I found last time, documented in my last post. It had to have been the same artist.

I had taken enough photos, and I was eager to put my motorcycle helmet back on to provide some protection from the 11:30 am sun. That's when I noticed that the people there were wondering what this crazy farang was doing in midday heat. In Thailand, if you're not sheltering yourself from the sun between the hours of 10 am and 4pm, there's a good chance you're crazy. In my case, I think the word 'craze' is a better fit. My newly found craze to document street art in Hatyai helped me see past the blazing sun. 

It's a good thing I talked to the locals there because not only did they end up treating me to an icy milk beverage, they also gave me some information about the murals on the walls. It turns out there are two artists who contributed to the fabric of art at the site. One artist made a lot of money from painting the man reading a newspaper, taxi, guitarist, and girl with the balloons on the far right end of the wall. He came from Chonburi(ชลบุรี) and the figures we see on the wall came from his imagination. 

As for the mural on the side of the building reaching towards the sky, it turns out the artist is a university graduate from Hatyai. He was commissioned to do the piece at a lower price than the Chonburi artist even though his pieces are much larger, more colourful, and speak more to a cartoon-like imagination. The people I spoke to confirmed that it is indeed the same artist who painted his giants outside the temple walls I saw last week. 

Apparently, the place is more than just a food court as well. There is a villa at the end of the lot. I didn't want to take photos of it at first, thinking it was private property. Apparently though, they rent out the villa and smaller rooms on the estate as well. I didn't ask how much because I didn't want to hear the answer. "When would I ever need to rent a villa in my own city?" I thought. 

The site is in Ta Kien (ท่าเคียน) across a health centre. Altogether, all the art on the walls cost the owner somewhere around 75 thousand baht. The food court has four or five little stalls, three of which were open when I was there. There must have been at least another five or so stalls that seemed vacant. One of the people who talked to me was a retired teacher and the other was the manager of the place. The manager combed through his phone when I expressed interest in contacting the artist. I couldn't get the info from him but I'm hopeful about getting it on my next visit. I'm thinking about revisiting the place with Ying, wearing Ace Beaming Sun shirts. 

I probably spent about ten minutes there, beaming with joy over my new discovery on my newfound purpose to document the street art. The fact that these were commissioned pieces doesn't take away from the excitement I felt when I stumbled upon this unique place. Of course, it adds mystique and flavour when you know the art was done for the sake of art and there was no money involved.  However, it's still fun to spontaneously stop on my way somewhere else and take snapshots, thereby adding purpose and dimension to my day. 

Songkla isn't a one-dimensional place. It has multiple cultures, eras and kingdoms; different languages and dialects, and plenty of opportunities to try all kinds of delicious food.

This figure is also holding up a boat, another important element in local culture. The sea is nearby and is full of resources, inspiration, and imagination. 

The black figure is a folkloric figure of the local collective consciousness. Such images are found all around the south of Thailand.

"Sun in the sky, you know how I feel."

Eventually, I found the other vegan restaurant, had a meal and went back to the school feeling refreshed and inspired.