BANGKOK
BANGKOKSIGHTSBANGKOKSIGHTSLumphini Park PARK
(สวนลมพุ ิน; Map pี 90 ; Th Phra Ram IV, btwn Th With-
ayu/Wireless Rd & Th Ratchadamri; admission free;
h4.30am-9pm; BTS Sala Daeng, MRT Lumphini or
Si Lom) Named after the Buddha’s place of
birth in Nepal, Lumphini Park is the best
way to escape Bangkok without leaving
town. Shady paths, a large artifi cial lake
and swept lawns temporarily blot out the
roaring traffi c and hulking concrete towers.
There are paddleboats (per 1/2 hr 40B) for
lovers, playgrounds for the kids, open-air
concerts on Sunday afternoon, and one of
the best times to visit the park is before 7am
when the air is fresh (well, relatively so for
Bangkok) and legions of Thai-Chinese are
practising taijiquan (t’ai chi). The park re-
awakens with the evening’s cooler tempera-
tures – aerobics classes collectively sweat
to a techno soundtrack. Late at night the
borders of the park are frequented by street-
walking prostitutes, both male and female.
SUKHUMVIT สุขุมวิท
More time will be spent here eating, drink-
ing and perhaps sleeping (as there is a high
concentration of hotels in the area) rather
than sightseeing.
The BTS is the primary public-transport
option.
Ban Kamthieng MUSEUM
(บ้านคําเท่ยงี; Map p 92 ; Siam Society, 131 Soi Asoke/
Soi 21, Th Sukhumvit; admission adult/child
100/50B; h9am-5pm Tues-Sat; BTS Asok, MRT
Sukhumvit) An engaging house museum, Ban
Kamthieng transports visitors to a northern
Thai village complete with informative dis-
plays of daily rituals, folk beliefs and every-
day household chores, all within the setting
of a traditional wooden house. This museum
is operated by and shares space with the
Siam Society, the publisher of the renowned
Journal of the Siam Society and a valiant
preserver of traditional Thai culture.Khlong Toey Market FOOD MARKET
(ตลาดคลองเตย; Map p 92 ; cnr Th Ratchadaphisek &
Th Phra Ram IV; h5-10am; MRT Khlong Toei) This
wholesale market, one of the city’s largest,
is inevitably the origin of many of the meals
you’ll eat during your stay in Bangkok. Get
there early, and although some corners of
the market can’t exactly be described as pho-
togenic, be sure to bring a camera to capture
the stacks of durians or cheery fi shmongers.GREATER BANGKOK
Bangkok’s ’burbs cover a lot of land, but a
minimum of visit-worthy sites. The most
worthwhile area is Dusit, the royal district
of wide streets, monuments and greenery.JIM THOMPSON HOUSEThis leafy compound (Map p 86 ; http://www.jimthompsonhouse.com; 6 Soi Kasem San 2; adult/child
100/50B; h9am-5pm, compulsory tours in English & French every 20min; BTS National Stadium,
klorng taxi Tha Saphan Hua Chang) is the former home of the eponymous American silk
entrepreneur and art collector. Born in Delaware in 1906, Thompson briefl y served in
the Offi ce of Strategic Services (forerunner of the CIA) in Thailand during WWII. Settling
in Bangkok after the war, his neighbours’ handmade silk caught his eye and piqued his
business sense; he sent samples to fashion houses in Milan, London and Paris, gradually
building a steady worldwide clientele.
In addition to exquisite Asian art, Thompson also collected parts of various derelict
Thai homes in central Thailand and had them reassembled in their current location in- One striking departure from tradition is the way each wall has its exterior side fac-
ing the house’s interior, thus exposing the wall’s bracing system. His small but splendid
Asian art collection and his personal belongings are also on display in the main house.
Thompson’s story doesn’t end with his informal reign as Bangkok’s best-adapted
foreigner. While out for an afternoon walk in the Cameron Highlands of western Malaysia
in 1967, Thompson mysteriously disappeared. That same year his sister was murdered in
the USA, fuelling various conspiracy theories. Was it communist spies? Business rivals?
Or a man-eating tiger? The most recent theory – for which there is apparently some
hard evidence – has it that the silk magnate was accidentally run over by a Malaysian
truck driver who hid his remains. Jim Thompson: The Unsolved Mystery, by William War-
ren, is an excellent book on Thompson, his career, residence and subsequent intriguing
disappearance.