So my last day in Bangkok was spent walking around a bunch. I walked from the touristy Khoa San area all the way to the skyscrapers and megamalls downtown. Individually each area is beautiful but the stuff in between can be pretty gritty. I did get some nice photos of graffiti though. My walk culminated in a visit to the Jim Thompson house. Jim Thompson was an American entrepreneur in the Thai silk trade. Interestingly enough, he disappeared fifty years ago in the jungles of the Cameron Highlands (where I just traveled) and no one has seen him since. His home is now a somewhat high brow museum that requires a guided tour, and a steep entrance fee. However I'm glad I payed it because his personal collection of Thai artifacts, including a few very rare Buddhist pieces was quite impressive.
Today I got to the ancient Siamese capital of Ayutthaya. This place was once a bustling metropolis, but is now mostly home to large parks, decayed and decaying temples, and stray dogs. After the Burmese sacked Ayutthaya for the second time, the Siamese capital was moved to a village near modern day Bangkok. The museum I visited this afternoon had an amazing collection of 14th to 16th Century Buddhist and Siamese artifacts. The flat landscape is constantly being disrupted by crumbling facades of ancient temples and tomorrow I will have quite a bit of temple diving to do. I can't wait!
C. Johnson
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