Smile please - an Instagram tour of Bangkok

Mobile phone charged, battery status at 100 percent, photo library tidy, enough storage space available: Technically, nothing stands in the way of the planned photo tour through Bangkok. And the guide is also on time. At nine o'clock he is in the lobby of the hotel. He calls himself "Tiger" and wears an optimistic sun-yellow T-shirt. The sky is blue, the temperatures are still quite mild at 28 degrees in the morning. During the day, the 30 degree mark is clearly exceeded, Thailand's capital is one of the hottest cities in the world.

A minivan is waiting in front of the door. The driver introduces himself as Wit. He will drive us to the most photogenic places in Bangkok, of which there are plenty, with over 28.5 million photos tagged with the hashtag on Instagram alone

This primarily caters to the needs of young Asian visitors who always have their cell phones with them and want to take pictures of themselves quickly and effectively for loved ones at home and for the stream of photos on social media. But Europeans also get an unusual view of the Thai capital on such a tour.

Chauffeur Wit nods silently to the passenger and greets with clasped hands, the traditional Thai greeting. Wit won't say a word for the next eight hours either. With his air-conditioned minibus, which is cool in the North Sea summer, he is almost magically always on the spot as soon as the next photo stop is due. Wits silence does not disturb; Tiger tells all the more. After all, that's his job.

What will have been learned seven stations and 300 photos later: Big ears mean a long life. Presidents also take off their high-heeled shoes in the temple. Michelin-starred street food can be found in Bangkok's Chinatown.

Furthermore: Buddhist temples can be made of porcelain, Italian marble or iron. Thais put their flowers on ice to survive the heat. And they are an incredibly charming people who endure it with a smile when insensitive tourists repeatedly interrupt laboriously arranged selfie staging.

First stop is Wat Arun Rajwararam, the Temple of Dawn in Thonburi on the western side of the broad Chao Phraya River. This means that one of the most beautiful sights in Bangkok is on the program right at the beginning. Dramaturgically maybe not very skilful; but ultimately it's not so much about the monuments - the traveler himself is now the star.

The tour operator, Forever Vacation, pre-picked the best spots in the temple to take a selfie or get a portrait from Tiger's hands. Wat Arun is a fantastic setting. The central temple tower, which rises 79 meters into the sky like a white cone shot out of the ground, is covered with blossoms, gods and ghost faces made of Chinese porcelain.

Tiger chases you up the steep stairs to the first floor and climbs up another floor himself to take a photo of the guest from above. Unusual perspectives are his passion. "Please smile," he calls down, "three, two, one!" Zack, the first pictures have been taken. "Looks great," Tiger flatters, looking at his cell phone. "Maybe next time without sunglasses?"

You are not alone in Wat Arun. "Three, two, one", it sounds right next to us: a couple from Singapore. "One, two, three", a few steps further, this time counting up to the click. That's not Tiger's style. He prefers to count down, so he stays true to himself throughout the day.

The large temple complex directly on the river is firmly in the hands of photographers and photographers, and photographed photographers. The few Buddhist believers accept the posing and snapping crowds of visitors with stoic composure.

Asian tourists in particular have prepared. They don't show up in t-shirts and trainers like western tourists, but have done their hair, powdered their cheeks, trimmed their eyebrows and dressed in historical clothes - as if they wanted to go to the opera or a masked ball.

Two young women from Hong Kong stand out in particular. One wears a bronze dress that reaches to her bare feet, with a pearl necklace around her hips and a glittering handbag like something out of a princess workwear shop. Her companion floats in a long robe in delicate light blue, also hung with strings of pearls.

Of course, anyone who steps into the Temple of Dawn for a photo so beautifully does not rely on a hobby snapper. Instead, the two hired a professional for an hour. Jatuporn Singtomast comes with a big camera and stages every shot with the persistence of an ambitious Hollywood director: Do it again! Again! Again!

The images that he then shows on his camera display are correspondingly great. Or as Singtomast puts it much better on his Facebook page: "More expensive but more luxury!" More expensive, but more luxury. Who doesn't want that when it comes to lasting holiday memories?

His hourly prices start at 2600 baht, a good 70 euros. Conveniently, he works with a clothes rental company, so if you're not from the area you don't have to look far for the right outfit. The gala combination for a "lady" costs from 600 baht (17 euros), an umbrella plus another 100. The "gentleman's set", no less expensive, costs the same. Return of the costumes is requested by 7 p.m., then the magic is over. A bit like Cinderella.

Five women in traditional-looking robes have lined up on one of the four main stairs. Three Thai women with their friends from Taiwan. Even her photographer is dressed in a blue skirt with a gold sash. The women move their hands with graceful gestures, their cool smiles seem even more sophisticated than the dresses.

They have nothing against visitors from Germany sitting on the stairs with them for their own photo. The result is a little embarrassing: beautifully dressed women and in between a sweaty guy in shorts like the party crasher at a posh wedding.

But there are not only the coiffed and costumed. Even normal tourists immortalize themselves with their mobile phones. A group of young Spaniards chatter while posing, an older couple from Vietnam are looking for the best location, a man and a woman from Virginia ask Tiger if he could take a picture of them too. Tiger, the polite Thai, obliges them: "Three, two, one!"

A small tour group with bodyguards dressed in black and three monks in orange robes from the local monastery arrive in front of the temple. One of the people dressed in black explains: It is Dina Boluarte, at the time still the vice president of Peru (she is now even the president).

An international business meeting is currently taking place in Bangkok; she uses a few free hours for a private tour. One of the monks insists on taking photos of the politician as well. Does he also have an Instagram account? Like all other visitors, Madame Boluarte takes off her shoes before entering the temple.

Ben Dolgoff and his wife Janie Le, the founders of Forever Vacation, didn't launch the 2018 Instagram photo tour in Bangkok, but on the Indonesian resort island of Bali. The two had previously interviewed travelers in detail. If there are no good photos for Facebook or Instagram from a tour, they kept hearing, then it basically didn't take place. "So why not offer a tour specifically for the needs of Instagram fans?" Dolgoff explains the origin of the idea.

After becoming a success in Bali, they exported it to Thailand and now five other countries. What particularly pleases the 37-year-old Dolgoff: The photo excursions, which are always carried out individually for the person making the booking, attract younger travelers in particular, who usually do not book a guide. "Around 70 percent of our guests are under 40."

It goes to two more temples, this time located on the east side of the river. The Wat Benchamabophit is built of Italian marble, in its main hall sits a mighty Buddha made of two and a half tons of bronze. The Wat Ratchanatdaram in turn is also called "Iron Palace" because the 37 stupas on the pyramid-shaped temple are made of metal. Both are not as popular as Wat Arun. But you have more space and peace.

Tiger takes the opportunity to talk about the countless Buddha images that are set up. Each hand gesture has its own meaning. Depending on the origin of the statue - Thailand, Myanmar, Japan, Sri Lanka - the shape of the head differs. But the big ears, according to Tiger's explanation, are the same for all figures. They symbolize a long life.

For the lunch break Tiger and Wit show the promised flexibility. Although not officially included in the program as a stop, the journey also leads to the Jim Thompson House if requested by the customer. The garden should be particularly beautiful. Thompson was a former CIA spy who revived the Thai silk industry in Bangkok after World War II.

At some point, Thompson disappeared without a trace in the jungles of Malaysia. But his residence and silk products remained. A good restaurant and of course a very extensively stocked Jim Thompson shop belong to the house and garden.

After temples and Buddha figures, Tiger talks a bit about himself here. The 45-year-old's real name is Tanapark Manoonphol. But his grandfather was a hunter and he even shot big wild cats. That's why the grandson was called Tiger from an early age. His sister is called "cat". In Thai, that sounds exactly how you would imagine a cat to sound: "Mää-jau".

Tiger has two sons, nine and 14. A photo of the two adorns the cover of his mobile phone. Every time he takes a picture with it, the guys look at you. Tiger likes his job, he says, he's been a tour guide for ten years. Previously he worked on a grapefruit farm in Australia and as a Thai boxer. Tiger is a big Bayern Munich fan. That's why he particularly likes German guests.

The next destination is the greatest imaginable contrast to the green idyll of Jim Thompson Garden: Bangkok's Chinatown. The area around Yaowarat Road looks like this: people after people, shops after shops. Street kitchens, jewelers, fruit stalls, vegetable stalls, meat stalls. In between, as a locally specific sprinkling, there are salons for Thai massages at a ridiculous price of six to seven euros per hour.

You certainly wouldn't find some of the displays in a German supermarket. Shark fins, for example, the stinky fruit durian or flattened pig heads. They lie shiny brown in the shop window like valuables.

A few steps further is Bangkok's only cookshop to be awarded a Michelin star. Chef Jay Fai is famous for her crab omelet; unfortunately there is no chance to try the dish spontaneously due to the queue. Chinatown, it quickly becomes clear, is not just any selfie spot, but one of the main characters in Bangkok that is worth photographing.

This also applies to the flower market very close by. Those who expect cute tranquility with bouquets and garlands will be surprised. It is a wholesale market where heaps of flowers are kept on ice to stay fresh in the tropical heat, wreaths and garlands are tied by the hundreds here. The range focuses on the most popular varieties: yellow marigolds, white jasmine, pink lotus flowers and orchids.

According to the program, opposite the market there is an insider tip for Instagram, which is of course the opposite because it runs up and down in the stream of images on the Internet: the "Floral Café Napasorn". It is the seventh and final stop on this tour. The coffee and cake selection is impressive; but what lures the photo-obsessed here is the decoration. The owner family has grown entire flowering trees and caves on the first floor.

At the next table, two young women are in the process of photographing themselves in front of this backdrop. Tiger builds on the generosity of the Thais again: “Sit down!” he asks. The women giggle and don't mind. One stays seated and beams professionally and happily into the camera, as if she had found a long-lost friend, the other stands next to Tiger and snaps along.

The next day, the photos of the two from the flower café can be found on their respective Instagram accounts. However, the picture with the German guest at her side is not included. A wise decision.

Instagram photo tours: The Forever Vacation photo tour lasts eight hours and costs from 115 euros per adult including guide and driver, admission and lunch (forevervacation.com). Photographer Jatuporn Singtomast can be found under Aofaum Photography on Facebook and Instagram.

Bangkok on foot: Street food tour with market visit and six tastings, guided by a local, two hours, from 25 euros per person (withlocals.com). The same provider offers a tour with a local guide on the topic "Buddhism, monks

Bangkok by Bike or Tuk-Tuk: Jungle Bike Tour: Travel by long-tail boat to Bang Kra Jao, a 5000-hectare jungle area, and then continue by bike on paved trails through mangroves, gardens and various parks, 4 hours, from the equivalent of 69 euros including food and rental bike (bangkokbikeadventure.com). An evening tuk-tuk tour with stops at the Grand Palace, Wat Pho and food in Chinatown takes four hours and costs the equivalent of 30 euros (wandersiam.com).

You have the feeling that the people there are flawless, says Anette Dowideit, Head of Investigation and Reportage WELT about the danger of Instagram. The pandemic in particular played into Instagram's hands.

Source: WORLD / Alexander Siemon / Matthis Kattnig