Nong Gek Huay

NONG GEK HUEY is a nickname given to Bangkok’s first monorail metro line—the Yellow Line. Gek huey refers to chrysanthemum tea, a Chinese herbal drink with the same bright yellow colour as the trains themselves. Opened in 2023, the line connects Bangkok to Samut Prakan on the eastern side, running from Lat Phrao to Samrong along Srinakarin Road.

As with any new technology, its launch came with obstacles and challenges. Nong Gek Huey was no exception—and it brought a few unexpected surprises, unfortunately not pleasant ones. Among several incidents, one stands out as both memorable and alarming: a wheel fell off a moving train onto the street below, striking a passing taxi. Thankfully, no one was injured; only the taxi was damaged.

As someone who has loved trains since childhood, this incident shifted how I relate to the Yellow Line. I had created this small zine back in 2023, but never published it—it didn’t yet feel like a complete or honest narrative. I chose to wait for two years, so that revisiting the event wouldn’t feel like making light of the accident.

This new edition of the zine is now expanded with an additional element: a small toy wheel that physically falls out of the publication, echoing the incident itself. Despite the beautiful photographs I took of the Yellow Line trains, the wheel-falling event has become an inseparable part of my memory—transforming the work from a simple documentation into something more uneasy and personal.