I am willing to bet that most people in Bangkok who find themselves on Asoke Road near Sukhumvit Soi 21 probably end up in the notorious Soi Cowboy district. I haven't met anyone here yet who has taken a walk across the street to visit the home of the Siam Society, an organization dedicated to preserving traditional Thai culture. And that's too bad, because it's an interesting place and doesn't really take much of a time commitment for a casual visit.
The grounds of the Siam Society are filled with wonderful lush plants which make for a relaxing atmposhpere. The main draw here is Baan Kamthieng a 160-year old traditional teakwood house that's a fine example of a Northern Thai structure built on wooden stilts.
Baan Kamthieng (baan means house by the way) also serves as an ethnological museum and contains many relics from Thailands history, including a statue of a goddess for the rice harvest (and a huge rice bowl):
And a lot of other artifacts:
There are other structures on the premises besides Baan Kamthieng and a library that houses many rare and historical documents.
The Siam Society sponsors a lot of trips in Thailand and overseas to study the arts and history. They also host lectures, concerts and exhibitions. For anyone into this kind of stuff, it seems like a great place. At the very least, it's nice to know that there's a beautiful garden oasis situated right in one of the craziest sections of town, in case a little peace and quiet is needed. It's a shame no one (or at least no one I'm aware of) knows about it.
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