Street art Bangkok Part 1

Photo by Patrick Jones. Mural at Siam Square, Bangkok. 24 Apr 2016.

Photo by Patrick Jones. Mural at Siam Square. 24 Apr 2016.

Photo by Patrick Jones. Street art near Khao San Road.

Photo by Patrick Jones. Mural near MBK Mall, Bangkok. 24 Apr 2016.

Photo by Patrick Jones. Mural near MBK Mall. 24 Apr 2016.

Photo by Patrick Jones. Canal, near Jim Thompson House, Bangkok.

Photo by Patrick Jones. Canal lined with graffiti tags. 24 Apr 2016.

Photo by Patrick Jones. Street art along canal. 24 Apr 2016.

Photo by Patrick Jones. Express boat departing stop near Jim Thompson House.

On Sunday 24 April I woke from my late return flight from Cambodia and set out to explore Bangkok. I did not have a plan, but thought I would start with a climb to Wat Saket (Golden Mount). I will have photos of that climb in a separate post. After checking out the Golden Mount, I jumped onto the Khlong Saen Seap express boat to the Jim Thompson House. For the price of 10 Baht I had a nice break from walking in the heat and was able to see a different side of life in Bangkok.

Source: Khlong Saen Seap Express Boat.

Jim Thompson was an American expat and former OSS operative who is regarded as the man who rebuilt the Thai silk industry. His home has been turned into a museum, and it is definitely worth checking out if you are visiting Bangkok.

After taking a quick tour of the home, I walked over to the MBK Mall for lunch. It was about 100 degrees on this day, and the Mall provided a nice break. I had heard about the Bangkok street art scene, and was able to walk through a mall completely decorated by local street artists (look for this in my Street Art Bangkok Part 2 post). I also had time to walk through the neighboring Bangkok Art & Culture Centre.

I spotted a few murals in & around the MBK & Siam Square area, but these were generally small in size compared to murals I have seen in other cities. I set out on a longer walk to find more murals, but I think the heat got to me. When I got back to my hotel, the hotel staff were shocked that I had decided to walk from MBK. The walk was roughly 4 miles, but that far in 100 degree heat was a bit much. I also didn't spot any street art along the way back. It was an interesting way to see Bangkok but if I had to do it over again I should have jumped in a taxi from MBK or taken the express boat back to Golden Mount & a taxi or tuk-tuk from there.