Right after school on Friday, Tony and I left our respective neighborhoods to meet up for a staycation at a boutique hotel on the Phrao Chaya River in the heart of Bangkok. Although we technically live in the city, we each spent two hours in a taxi to reach the Amdaeng hotel.
We dropped our bags and immediately headed back out to explore Awakening Bangkok, an annual light and digital art festival. According to the Time Out website, this year’s festival in Old Town featured the theme, “Time Passage,” emphasizing how the labyrinth of streets and canals has met transportation needs for two centuries.
Our guide for the evening was Nicholas with the Bangkok chapter of Internations, a global organization for expats. Our group comprised about 15 people from around the world. It was fun to catch up with Claire, whom we had met at a previous event, and to get to know new faces. Nicholas led us to the various installations, sharing fascinating tidbits about Thai history and the temples, bridges, canals, and other sites we passed along the way.
Tony and I stuck with the group to visit about half the 29 installations before we petered out. Friday nights are rough for teachers! We found a tiny Thai-Mexican fusion restaurant nearby and enjoyed delicious cocktails and food with another member of the group. Finally, we called a taxi and headed back to our lovely riverside oasis.
The next morning, we took time to appreciate the hotel and its setting. I loved reading on our fourth-floor balcony, overlooking the busy river. The brick-red paint, tile floors, antique furniture, and clawfoot tub in our room contrasted a bit with the concrete floor of the oversized modern shower stall and exposed HVAC fittings of the high ceilings. It felt like Victorian Era meets Industrial Chic. The steep narrow stairway was lined with an ornate wrought-iron railing, and the reception area featured gorgeous tiled floors, a long leather couch, and a wall of partially desilvered mirrors.
Look at these gorgeous floor tiles!
Morning view from our balcony.
After a hearty riverside breakfast, we headed out for a morning of art and culture. Transportation took us a minute to figure out. The ferry to the other side of the river didn’t operate on Saturdays, so we started walking. After about 45 sweaty minutes, we hopped in a cab.
We had toured the Jim Thompson House before, maybe 20 years ago? Tony was especially curious to see it again. The attraction features the home and art collection of the late James H.W. Thompson, an American businessman who revitalized the Thai silk industry in the 1960s. He was first introduced to Thailand while serving in the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the forerunner to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). He later shifted gears and took an interest in the Thai silk trade, creating dramatic color combinations that found fame in the movie, “The King and I.” In 1967, he mysteriously disappeared while on a visit to the Cameron Highlands of Malaysia.
In addition to his silk legacy, Thompson is also known for the construction of his unusual home. In 1958, he purchased, moved, and reassembled several traditional teak houses, which sit on stilts. Our guide explained that a traditional teak home wouldn’t have anything on the first floor because that was where the Thai family would cook or keep animals and vehicles. To enter the home, they would climb an exterior staircase or ladder. Thompson went a little rogue by designing an entryway with a checkerboard floor and interior staircase. He also linked the houses together to comprise a large living room, smaller dining room, kitchen, study, and two bedrooms, all linked by a long hallway.
After moving into the house in 1959, Thompson played host to Western celebrities and politicians, showing off his extensive collection of Asian art. You can read more about the history at the Jim Thompson House website.
I liked the porcelain cat chamber pot in the guest room and the “mouse house” in the master bedroom. Apparently, this form of entertainment involved watching live mice scamper about, much like a hamster habitrail, I suppose.
It was a short walk to the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre (BACC). I hadn’t done my research, so we didn’t make good use of our time in the center. I think we missed several exhibits. We’ll have to go back!
That evening, we took the metro to The Deck, a fun bar where Tony’s school was holding its Christmas party for staff. I had heard so much about his friends and colleagues; it was great to finally meet them. Back at our hotel later that night, we hung out on our balcony for a while, watching tugboats pull huge barges while party boats full of revelers cruised by.
We went our separate ways in the morning. Back to reality. Counting down to our next school break. Two weeks!
