Off The Wall
Citylife’s photo editor, Boontawee Russameenin, meets up with some Off the Wall characters here in Chiang Mai. Absolute freaks or simply fabulous?
Phawat C. (male name)
Natty Love Garden (female name)
Phawat works as a gardener by day, and as a dancing show girl by night, under the name of Natty Love Garden. His motivation to dress as a female came from the fact that he can pull it off and because friends admired his beauty as a woman. Though if the day comes when he is no longer a female stunner he will put an end to cross dressing.
Kriangsak Buasrijan (35)
Piercing and tattoo artist
Kriangsak, nicknamed Ugly, began tattooing his body aged 18. Hi first tattoo was on his leg and first piercings were his ears. The multitude of tattoos on his body have taken over 40 hours to produce. He has now gauged, or stretched, his ears to a width of 3 cm. He has his penis pierced…it hurt a lot! He considers himself an artist and enjoys tattooing and piercing others as well.
Suitee Sae-lim (52)
Gecko [tukkae] man
I am originally from Songkhla and now live in Chiang Mai. I’ve bred geckos for sale for over 3 years. Though I have two small geckos as pets, I can’t bear to part with them. When I began raising gecko I often got bitten by them on my hands. After a while I began to fall in love with these creatures. I believe all animals can be trained. My two geckos are named ‘Ar-Pao’ and ‘Chao Tua Lek.’ I advise people not to fear geckos, they are usually more afraid of you, but if you are ever bitten by a gecko, put your hand in a vat of water and it will let go.
Kanittha Pakakad
Marketing Division Manager
I believe our body is a piece of art in itself, I also think it is a beautiful canvas where we can create art. All my tattoos have their own story. I’ve got four in total on my chest, thigh, back and hips. Though I have to keep them covered for my work.