Completed in 1959, the house (Now a museum) used to be a dream home to the legendary “Thai Silk King”; an American expatriate. JT was recognised for his exceptional contribution to the Thai Silk industry by turning them into a global business. Being a former architect, the wooden house was refurbished and connects six traditional Thai-style building made from teak wooden house. They were sourced from various sites in Thailand and reassembled on site by JT himself. Once you’ve stepped in the house, you’ll be amazed by the intricacy of the design and the home was filled with antiques and art (In fact, every nook and corner!) brought in from different parts of the world. A rich merchant indeed! $.$ A photo of us at the so-called "Chatuchak":-
Sadly, in 1967, JT disappeared mysteriously while holidaying
in Cameron Highlands, Malaysia. Apparently, he was missing when exploring the
jungle during daytime. Rumour has it that he’s the precursor to CIA and the
story unfolds. Until today, no one knows what happened to him. But, one thing
for sure, his legend lives on!
We were greeted by the sight of two pretty Thai ladies in
their traditional costume were demonstrating silk weaving. Too bad we missed
the graceful Thai dancing. Few nice lotus flowers in the house.
We, then, signed up for a 45-minute tour with a soft-spoken
guide who brought us to tour around the compound of the houses while showing to
us JT’s collection of arts and antiques. The design of the staircases and doors
are raised on stilts and is open-concept to allow natural ventilation and
circulation, a novel way of traditional Thai houses. The hand-carved teak
structure combines with cool feel of the marble floor is the perfect
juxtaposition of traditional meets with modernity.
The antique collection which includes ceramic (Blue-and-white
porcelain from China, Benjarong ware), sculpture and paintings were preserved
for visual delights.
Near the ticket counter, there’s a pond with some fishes in
it. It’s a tranquil oasis for us to stroll around. Nearby there’s a gift shop
bearing JT’s products which is made from printed and woven Thai silk but we
didn’t purchase any as the price is slightly on the steep side.
We stopped for a fast lunch nearby Siam Square. Lunch @Inter
Restaurant. The price here is very reasonable. Our 5 dishes only cost 710 Baht
(About RM85). Loving their “Som Tum” and their grilled pork neck was among one
of my favourite dishes. The green curry was yummy too. We felt local when
dining in this restaurant. Hopefully, the place remains humble just the way it
is and we’ll definitely pay a visit to this restaurant next time! But, here are some of photos along our way!
With nothing much to do, we then head to Siam Square, a
shopping haven for ladies and especially to students. It’s popular place to
hang around for students due to the cheaper price and the fashion which suits
young ladies & guys. It’s also a paradise for picking up gifts. Oh well, since I missed out Hello Kitty café, here’s a photo
of me posing in front of the Khao Manee cat instead. It’s the Thai version of
the Japanese Maneki-neko cat ^.^v
Siam Square kinda reminds me of Wu Fen Pu in Taiwan, a
wholesalers’ district jam-packed with heaps of clothes. But too bad, I did not
get many stuffs here… Just some cosmetics at Beautrium & NYX and afew
accessories at the street later.
Along the way, we’ve spotted some colourful advertisement
for the milkshake (Quite interesting huh?) but we did not try and settled for a
simple Holly’s cafe. Tried their sweet potato latte. Too sweet for my liking
eh? But, no worries, selfie first!
Local shops at Siam Square. Trendy clothes ranging from
cutsie tops to hippy fashion, the hundreds of shops cater for all! (*^＠^*）
We stopped awhile later for an afternoon tea (Hi-tea like a
tai tai but with very reasonable price). Tried our tastebud on the Amor Bangkok
Bakery Café cakes. I ordered Strawberry cake (My usual choice) while Chelle
preferred a local flavour; Pandan coconut cake *yummy* Tried a spoon and the
taste of Pandan and coconut cake just oozed into my mouth and lingered for
awhile *unforgettable*
It rained cats and dogs that evening and I thought to look
for an umbrella in one of the licensed merchandise shops at Siam Square. To my
surprise, the cheapest umbrella (Coincidentally, it’s Hello Kitty) costs a
whopping 850 Baht (About RM100). No wonder Chelle dashed out from the shop
faster than me. Ohwell, we were lucky to find a covered walkway which connects
Siam Square to Siam Center (How thoughtful!).
In contrast to Siam Square, Siam Center is more high-class-ish
shopping place with many high-end boutiques in the central of Bangkok. With the
cutting-edge, unusual design, they are aiming with young and hip with its
largest Forever 21 in Thailand, Steve Madden shoes, Nike, Accessorize,
SuperDry, Levis etc. One boutique, however, captured my attention as it was
bustling with crowd. It was their local designer brand, Lyn Around, selling alot
of dreamy dresses with whimsical touch. A girly-whirly kinda dress. Most
importantly, they were having members sale that day. I was trying my luck by picking
up afew blouses and queued up to see if I got the chance to enjoy the same
privilege and Whooila! The sales assistants were kind enough to allow me with
the same discounts upon borrowing the member card from the person who was
queuing behind me. What a lucky day! A great steal at just 850 Baht (About RM100/blouse).
My shopping haul photos on my last entry ya’
I’ve also managed to find Sephora to look for my usual Fresh
Soy eye-makeup remover and they asked if I wanted to be charged in home
currency. I preferred to be charged in Baht as apparently, it will be cheaper
to be charged in THB (But, anyhow, it still depends to the bank conversion
charges). The top floor of Siam Center servers alot of eateries and we took our
chance to relinquish our hunger pang by having our dinner at Som Tam Nua; dubbed
the Urban Eateries of Bangkok. It’s popular with Bangkok’s young and the
interior is as eclectic. It’s our first time trying on northeastern Thai
cuisine; not too bad for our liking as the taste is unique and again! We ordered
Som Tam (Papaya Salad) and their fried chicken was equally amazing; Crispy on
the outside and juicy in the inside. Overall, Siam Center is the mall to look
for designers clothing, cool hangouts and quirky art to keep a fashionistas
happy and glad that the malls are connected to each other yet iconic at the
same time.
At the end of the day, we took Uber back to our Air BnB before embarking to night life in Bangkok. We changed into new attire and googled for recommended clubs in Bangkok and the review for Route 66 (RCA) was rather good so we decided to head off to that club. Entrance fees was only 300 Baht (About RM35) worth of
drinks, so, basically the entrance fees is free as you’ll get for a free drink
in exchange. I’d prefer the live band at The Novel (Live Band) as it was more lively
with great live band performances and eye-candy male singers as well #^.^# Me
and Chelle sneaked into The Classic (House/Techno) and The Level (R&B) as
well but we found it to be squeezy and super crowded with a lot of “lalas” so
we ended back to The Novel. There was alot of good-looking Korean boys though #^.^#
That's all for a super tiring Day 2 (❁´◡`❁)*✲ﾟ*
XOXO
sassycat
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