Siam Society & Ban Kamthieng

Stepping off cacophonous Soi Asoke and into the Siam Society’s Ban Kamthieng house museum is as close to a northern Thai village as you’ll come in Bangkok. Ban Kamthieng is a traditional 19th-century home that was located on the banks of Mae Ping in Chiang Mai. Now relocated to Bangkok, the house presents the daily customs and spiritual beliefs of the Lanna tradition. Communicating all the hard facts as well as any sterile museum (with detailed English signage and engaging video installations), Ban Kamthieng instils in the visitor a sense of place, from the attached rice granary and handmade tools to the wooden loom and woven silks. You can’t escape the noise of Bangkok completely, but the houses are refreshingly free of concrete and reflecting glass and make a pleasant, interesting break.

Next door are the headquarters of the prestigious Siam Society, publisher of the renowned Journal of the Siam Society and a valiant preserver of traditional Thai culture. Those with a serious interest can use the reference library, which has the answers to almost any question you could have about Thailand (outside the political sphere, since the society is sponsored by the royal family).