By Veronica Inveen
Photographs by Cedric Arnold
Apr 13, 2020
IT’S 9:30PM ON A FRIDAY in Asoke, one of Bangkok’s busiest neighborhoods, and not a car, motorcycle, street vendor or tuk tuk is in sight. Eerily quiet, this is the city’s new reality since the Thai government has imposed a 10 pm to 4 am curfew at the beginning of the month as a way to combat the spread of COVID-19. The curfew has presented a hushed version of Bangkok that most have never thought possible of the notoriously rowdy city—let alone have experienced.
Though most of the city’s dwellers have dreamt of carless streets and clear, pollution-free skies, nobody can deny that Bangkok’s sensory overloading way of everyday life is a major part of its charm. Here, longtime Bangkok resident and T+L contributing photographer Cedric Arnold reminds us of the vibrant city we have to look forward to when the world returns to normalcy.