Bangkok was a brief vacation stop; less than a week. Bangkok was going to be some much needed R&R after a year in Bombay. I had heard lots of stories about Bangkok. I heard that it was dirty, crowded, and overrun by beggars and pushy crooked street hawkers. I heard that the only thing in Bangkok was sex and sleaze. That’s what I heard and that’s what I expected. It was an R&R trip.
Was I surprised. Bangkok is a jewel. It is spectacularly beautiful, the food is fantastic and the people are charming. OK it is crowded and traffic sucks but I was coming from Bombay. Bangkok was a breath of fresh air.
I explored the city using the Chao Phraya River ferry and canal taxis to get around; traveling by foot from the ferry stops. I shot 14 rolls of film in five days. I will post some pictures from time to time.
One highlight of my trip was a visit to Jim Thompson Thai House and Museum. Jim Thompson, an American, was once the OSS station chief in Bangkok. Later he became a very successful silk trader who built a traditional Thai home and garden in the center of the city. The house was built by transporting several traditional homes from the countryside and assembling them into a single larger structure enclosing a beautiful garden. Jim Thompson disappeared while vacationing in Malaysia in 1967 and was never heard from again. His home is now a museum. If you visit Bangkok, don’t miss it.
I have posted some photos from the gardens at the Jim Thompson house on my Flickr photo site. Please take a look and leave your comments.
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