the author, pretending to be a doctor scanning an X ray

I just flew for one day from Chiang Mai to Bangkok, spending a day and then returning the next morning. For at least three hours of that day I was trapped in a taxi, in traffic. The distances are huge and the traffic is horrible.

But the photo shoot that I came down for went quickly and they seemed pleased. They were a Japanese crew, and no one really spoke English or Thai, so we communicated via sign language. The best park it, it only took one and a half hours and they paid me in cash when it was done. Plane fare included.

I posed as a doctor for some sort of advertisement, but no one ever explained to me what the product was. They had clipping from another advertisement or catalogue for me to look at, and there I saw another graying sixty-something in a lab coat, looking serious. So I imitated his expression.

The facility for the session was a five story building called CreatImage in an unlikely neighborhood, near the Prakhanon BTS. I had assumed it would be shot in Town In Town, the AV center of Bangkok. It was hard to find this place, and I asked an American-looking guy in an alley where it was. Turns out he lived across the street, but hadn’t heard of it either. He was, however, intrigued by my story of getting a gig as a model, so he gave me his card and asked me to call him if they needed any more “farang” models. He had long stringy hair and bad teeth and looked like a rock musician. Turned out he was, and from LA. I told him I had lived in San Francisco for many years. He said “I knew you were a Californian.”

His business card was for a financial group with offices in London, Paris, Hong Kong and Bangkok. He was apparently the CEO, and had the title “Dr. “ in front of his name.

A big thundercloud hovered about Doi Suthep, and a bolt of lightning struck with a resonating boom. But my friend and I head up into the hills anyway, and when we had climbed a thousand feet, the air was much cooler and fresher. The sun was struggling to make it through the clouds so the light was weird, it was like an eclipse was taking place, but it wasn’t. We rode along for two-thirds of the way up to the Hmong Village, and then some road construction had caused a massive mud wash over the road, red clay that was insanely slippery. His bike went down, breaking a mirror. I stopped and gingerly turned back. I got muddy, but both the bike and I remained uninjured. I’ve been down this same road five times now, and I never get tired of it. It’s a visual feast.