Introduction to Bangkok

I’m a practical woman, so on my first day exploring Bangkok, I chose the Bangkok National Museum as my first stop not because it seemed like the most exciting thing to see, but because on Thursdays (and Wednesdays), they offer a free, guided tour in English.

Now, I’m the first to admit that museums can be dizzying places – so many placards, so many names and dates, so many new facts to absorb in so little time. Not everything in a museum is worth your time, but how do you know what is? It can be downright overwhelming.

I think I might like the idea of museums better than I actually like museums. The anal retentive in me says I have to know everything there is to know about every artifact, and this is an exhausting way to go through a museum. Enter the guided tour – only the crème de la crème of the house, brought to you by someone who’s just overjoyed to share her wealth of knowledge.

To be honest, the guided tour is the only way to see the National Museum. As museums go, it’s a wreck. The artifacts are housed in crumbling buildings, some resembling warehouses more than museum halls. Not a lot of thought has been put into where pieces should go and which ones should be spot lit. Our guide, Margot, actually had to use her own penlight to show the intricate, spidery carvings in one artifact I would have dismissed as a hunk of rock. The placards give virtually no information in English, and a good portion of the information is simply incorrect, Margot said.

Who would have thought a free tour would last three hours? Margot was a brilliant story teller and historian, weaving folklore, legends and myths with the actual events of the past and the religions – Buddhism and Hinduism – that had such an impact on the region. Now, I can tell you what each of the Buddha’s poses mean. I can tell the difference between Vishnu and Shiva. And I can deconstruct any gable board on any Thai temple or palace.

But I’m not giving my secrets away. You’ll have to show up at 9:30 in the morning for your own tour if you want my treasure trove of fun facts.

It turned out to be the perfect place for my introduction to Bangkok. Everything I’ve seen since visiting the museum, and everything I’ll see during my travels, will have greater meaning because I understand the story and history behind the art, architecture and religion of Thailand.