Legacy of a Father.

Photos and text by Joshua Paul

A black ribbon is projected on an electronic screen in remembrance of the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej in Bangkok, Thailand, Friday, Oct. 27, 2017. 

"I miss him, I miss him very much," a Thai citizen told me when i was on my five-day trip to Bangkok to document the royal funeral of the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej. I could fee the sense of loss and despair in the air over the death of their beloved monarch.

As dawn broke on October 26, 2017, Thai citizens gathered around the Grand Palace to say their goodbyes to the late Thai king. 

It was clear that every loved the late king. I read a page from a book of condolence for the late king and am instantly overwhelmed with emotions reading the messages written by Thais and foreign tourists. In the particular moment, I realised that the late Thai king has somehow touched and influenced people from around the world, or at least his actions and memories reminded them of a father figure whom they love unconditionally.

During my stay, I split my time between documenting the official ceremony and roaming the streets of Bangkok to looks for signs of the late king, his legacy. I don't have to look hard as the late king's omnipresence could be witnessed everywhere, at every corner of the city.

The love for the late king will stand the test of time; the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej will live on forever immortalised in the hearts of those who loved him. 

Mourners shield themselves from the sun during the funeral ceremony of the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Oct. 26, 2017.

A mourner stands in line to pay her respect during the funeral ceremony of the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej in Bangkok, Thailand, Thursday, Oct. 26, 2017.

A portrait of the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej overlooks a mass transport system line in Bangkok, Thailand, Friday, Oct. 27, 2017.

A portrait of the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej overlooks the streets of Chinatown in Bangkok, Thailand, Friday, Oct. 27, 2017.

Thai people queue up for souvenirs at a photo exhibition in remembrance of the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej in Bangkok, Thailand, Friday, Oct. 27, 2017.

A portrait of the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej on an electronic display against the city's development in Bangkok, Thailand, Friday, Oct. 27, 2017.

A page from a book of condolence for the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej is placed in a shopping mall in Bangkok, Thailand, Friday, Oct. 27, 2017.

A portrait of the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej is seen at the front of a sidewalk in Bangkok, Thailand, Friday, Oct. 27, 2017.

A portrait of the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej is pictured at a traffic junction in downtown Bangkok, Thailand, Friday, Oct. 27, 2017.

Guests walk past a portrait of the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej at a hotel in Bangkok, Thailand, Friday, Oct. 27, 2017.

A Thai man wearing a memento cap of the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej sits on the sidewalk in Bangkok, Thailand, Friday, Oct. 27, 2017.

Mementos of the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej is seen in a dimly lit shop in Bangkok, Thailand, Friday, Oct. 27, 2017.

A portrait of the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej is pictured through a taxi's window in downtown Bangkok, Thailand, Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2017.

A mourner takes a souvenir photograph of the royal crematorium for the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej in Bangkok, Thailand, Saturday, Oct. 28, 2017.

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