One thing I’ve always thought was funny in Thailand was when you often see Thai men having a public pee. I see it all the time on my soi in Bangkok – Thai motorcycle taxi drivers having a quick pee in the bushes before they get back on their bikes and continue working. Then again, if you’re working a job that requires being on the streets all day and you drink a lot of liquid (Bangkok is officially the world’s hottest city), and there are no public bathrooms, where else are you supposed to pee?
Funny too, last time I was in the US with my Thai boyfriend he asked me to stop the car near a park so he could have a pee in the bushes. I had to stress to him, in America, probably not a good idea as he’d hate to be arrested for public indecency. He couldn’t believe it and kept asking “Then where do people pee if there’s no toilet?”. Good question, was all I could think, and he was absolutely right.
That’s why I loved this photo by Suraphat, who caught a typical public peeing in Thailand on his camera. And, at least he was discreet with his filming, so you don’t actually see the guy’s face.
Suraphat’s photo, which is under a Creative Commons License, now has pride of place in our Thailand Featured Photos section. If you want to see more, he has some other gorgeous typical Thai scenes on Flickr and, no, they don’t all involve public peeing.