I'm a mall rat! That's why I love Bangkok! There is an abundance of malls here. The best thing is that malls are just a few minutes from each other. Either a couple of steps away or one or two train stations away. The thing is, if you want a dose of art and culture you have to go near the river where museums, palaces and temples abound.
A quick fix would be to go to Siam Center - the ideapolis and just ogle at all the art installations on the floor, on ceiling, on wall (you get my drift). But if you really want to be rid of all the "trappings" of consumerism and get some exercise (more on that later) just walk over to the BACC or the Bangkok Art and Culture Center.
Coming from BTS National Stadium, it's hard to miss this landmark. Walk past the entrance leading to MBK and you will see this...
Walk down the stairs and you will be greeted by this lady (and her girls)...
Walk past the entrance and the bicycle shop and you will meet these kids reading on top a tower of books. BACC has a mini library filled with books on art, fashion and photography. They encourage browsing and reading just make sure that when you are reading material from the BACC library. Reading of notes or books brought from the outside isn't allowed.
Coming from the street level entrance, I was greeted by this space-age circa 1914 super larger than life character. I thought that's odd...
But then I realized the whole structure inside made me feel like I was on the set of some sci-fi movie...
I was waiting for Ethan Hawke or Jude Law of Gattaca to appear on the escalator. Instead, I saw a lot of students form nearby universities, hanging-out or studying.
My favorite exhibit to date has got to be the one on Thai Street Photography. The subjects in or of the photos are truely Thai.
Before you go up to the exhibits on the upper floors (5th floor and up) make sure you present an ID at the counter on the 5th floor. They will give you key to a small locker where you can keep your things while you look at the other exhibits.
Some tips:
- entrance is free
- they don't allow taking photos of the exhibits located on the 5th floor and up
- hungry? there are cafes and small restaurants inside
- using your cellphone in the library isn't permitted
- need to exercise? walk from Siam Center/Discovery/Paragon to BACC and if you really really really need cardio you can even come from Central World.
- they have no permanent exhibits so always checkout the BACC's website
Travel Buddies: Carbon One Mini Digital Camera and LG G Pro click on the links for my tumblr photo dump
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