Art and performers
at Baan Silapin (above
and right)
recent history is
examined as well,
via displays on the
1932 coup that
ushered in Siam’s
constitutional
monarchy, and on
Thailand’s modern-
day relationship with
the West—and its impact on
politics, education, fashion and food.
My time at the museum reinforces
a few well-worn notions about Thai
culture, but far more often reveals
a place that defies all preconceptions.
Challenged to look beyond the standard
attractions, I discover a multilayered
metropolis that stimulates all of my
senses: dizzying sounds of rumbling
traffic; musky scents wafting from
the city’s canals mingling with sweet
aromas of ripe fruit and flowering jas-
mine; and the skin-hugging humidity
and sweltering heat.
Bypassing Bangkok’s bustling street
traffic—and its elevated Skytrain mass
Building up along the Chao Phraya River
transit system, which encircles the city’s
historic heart—I take a scenic longtail
boat ride toward my next destination.
Known as the “Venice of Asia,” Bangkok
is bisected by the Chao Phraya River
and an attendant network of canals.
The city’s growth has necessitated the
infilling of many of these waterways (to
improve roads and drainage systems),
so the remaining canals are
no longer as busy.
My boat passes
a constellation of
dilapidated shacks
perched precar-
iously on stilts.
They’re still
in use, but are,
essentially, cul-
tural relics. It’s a
humbling glimpse
into an old way of life
that’s vastly different
than the soaring high-rises
in the background.
At a charming cluster of teakwood
houses near Wat Kuhasawan, I find the
canal-side community of Baan Silapin
(Artist’s House). There’s an art gallery
plus several restaurants and shops. But
my attention is drawn to a sun-kissed
courtyard where intricately crafted
marionettes and masked dancers are
performing the Ramakien, Thailand’s
national epic, which was adapted
fromthe sacred Hindu text known as
Ramayana. Indian traders and scholars
brought the narrative to this region
several centuries ago, and since then
it has inspired all manner of Thai art. »
Modern Mecca for contemporary
art lovers, there’s no better place
in town than the ILHAM Gallery.
occupying levels three and five
of the 60-storey iB Tower, the
gallery is home to South Asia’s
first permanent sculpture display
by Chinese artist Ai weiwei.
while you’re there:
KuaLa LuMpur
LiKe BANgKoK, DiverSiTy
iS Key iN MALAySiA’S CAPiTAL.
CiTizeNS of MALAy, ChiNeSe
AND iNDiAN DeSCeNT
Mix wiTh viSiTorS AND
exPATS froM ArouND The
worLD, whiLe STreeT
MArKeTS MiNgLe wiTh
SKySCrAPerS
Shop hop
Kuala Lampur has
become one of Asia’s premier
luxury shopping destinations.
Peruse the seven-storey Pavilion
shopping mall and its 450-plus
stores. Near the iconic Petronas
Towers, pop into Suria KLCC,
which houses Alexander
McQueen, Dior