Amazing Siam
Wanderlust Oct 8, 2013
A few years ago the Tourism Board of Thailand adopted the catchphrase, “Amazing Thailand.” Quite appropriately so. I’ve lived in Thailand for over 12 years on and off my whole life and I still haven’t explore all of what “Amazing Thailand” has to offer. From the mountains to the cities to the beaches and everything in between, there’s so much more to Thailand than just Bangkok, shopping malls, and nightlife.
But since we were rather restricted to the city, we decided to take the opportunity to explore a different side of Bangkok. Deep in the heart of Bangkok, the old city of Siam still bustles although a bit sleepier than her modern surroundings. Beautiful temples shine brightly next to the occasional skyscraper then here & there, rickety old wooden houses lean precariously towards the water to create the skyline along the Chaopraya River.
For anywhere from 3 to 30 baht you can catch a river taxi up and down the river to stop at the temples, go to Asiatique, find a nice river side restaurant to dine at, or simply take in the view.
The water isn’t the cleanest nor the nicest but then again you’re not there to swim. You’re there to experience what Bangkok may have been like decades ago when the rivers and canals were a main path of transportation. Siam was once called the Venice of the East where our very own long tail boats (our answer to Italy’s gondolas??) took people to and from- of course the boats weren’t loud and motorized then as they are now, nor were they as colorful, but I’m sure life was a lot more organic then.
From the boat we hopped a tuktuk to find the Museum Siam.
If you’ve never been on a tuktuk… and you like risking your life… or you like rollercoasters… you should definitely try it sometime! Not only do they drive insanely fast, cut off other cars, and sometimes drive into on coming traffic, but they are an essential part of getting around in Bangkok, especially in this part of town.
After a short but terrifying tuktuk ride and a little walking we found the Museum Siam. Newly opened, the Museum Siam is a totally interactive museum with an all-encompassing history of Thailand. From examples of local food…
To how the news used to be broadcast…
To an exhibit about Miss Thailand 1965 who went on to win Miss Universe…
To an old time cafe when plenty of dates would have gone down….
There’s even a full history of the boats used in what was once called, “The Venice of the East”… aka Siam.
There are plenty of other interactive exhibits as well including games and instruments to play (:
After the museum we ventured across the street to The Deck- one of my favorite Thai/ Western restaurants due to its yummy food and killer view of Wat Arun from across the river…
Try going just before sunset and stay for dinner to see the temple all lit up at night.
Wandering around further you may catch all sorts of hidden corners of Old Siam, local life and amazing views.
You can even catch the boats further down to Asiatique for some late night drinks or shopping or just take some amazing pictures on the dock
As you can see there are all kinds of hidden gems in Amazing Siam to be explored so whether you’re a tourist or a local Playing Tourist in Your Own Town (; you should definitely get out there an adventure!
Got any suggestions on where to play tourist in your own town?
