Showing 1-8 of 8 results
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Abhisek Dusit Throne Hall
This East-meets-West royal building was built by King Chulalongkorn, the first Thai monarch to visit Europe. Visions of his travels must still have been swimming in his head when he commissioned the throne hall, a stunning, intricate building which, despite its Western influences, has a distinctly Thai exterior.
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Bang Kwang Prison
Thailand's permissive reputation is juxtaposed by strict antidrug laws that often land foreign nationals in a prison system with feudal conditions. A sobering and charitable expedition is to visit an inmate, bringing them news of the outside, basic supplies and reading materials. The regulations for visits are quite involved and require research. You must dress respectfully, bring your passport for registration purposes and have the name and building number of the inmate you plan to visit.
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Hang Sura Lao Ngi Chun
This antique apothecary specialises in the Chinese version of Popeye's can of spinach: herbal liquors that make the weak strong, the impotent virile and the elderly immortal. An assortment of the herbs used in the concoctions line the walls and regulars file in for a quick shot chased by a glass of water or tea.
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Jim Thompson's House
This is a great spot to visit for authentic Thai residential architecture and Southeast Asian art. Located at the end of an undistinguished soi next to Khlong Saen Saeb, the premises once belonged to the American silk entrepreneur Jim Thompson, who deserves most of the credit for the worldwide popularity of Thai silk.
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Khlong Prem Prison
Thailand's permissive reputation is juxtaposed by strict antidrug laws that often land foreign nationals in a prison system with feudal conditions. A sobering and charitable expedition is to visit an inmate, bringing them news of the outside, basic supplies and reading materials. The regulations for visits are quite involved and require research. You must dress respectfully, bring your passport for registration purposes and have the name and building number of the inmate you plan to visit.
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Mahakan Fort
One of two surviving citadels that defended the old walled city, the area around white-washed Mahakan Fort has recently been converted into a small park overlooking Khlong Ong Ang. The octagonal fort is a picturesque stop en route to Golden Mount, but the story of its conversion is probably more interesting. For more than 13 years the community of 55 simple wooden houses that surrounded the fort fought for its survival against the Bangkok municipal government.
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Phra Sumen Fort & Santichaiprakan Park
Beside Mae Nam Chao Phraya in Banglamphu stands one of Bangkok's original 18th-century forts. Built in 1783 to defend against potential naval invasions & named for the mythical Mt Meru (Phra Sumen in Thai) of Hindu-Buddhist cosmology, the octagonal brick-and-stucco bunker was one of 14 city watchtowers that punctuated the old city wall alongside Khlong Rop Krung (now Khlong Banglamphu but still called Khlong Rop Krung on most signs). Apart from Mahakan Fort, this is the only one still standing.
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Saranrom Royal Garden
Easily mistaken for a European public garden, this Victorian-era green space was originally designed as a royal residence in the time of Rama IV (King Mongkut; r 1851-68). After Rama VII abdicated in 1935, the palace served as the headquarters of the People's Party, the political organisation that orchestrated the handover of the government. The open space remained and in 1960 was opened to the public.
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Showing 1-8 of 8 results
