A C. T U. A L. L Y

MARCH 20 - 25:   When we arrived in Bangkok on the afternoon of March 13, we were scheduled to return to Berlin on March 15.   We quickly realized that 48 hours in Bangkok would simply not be enough, so we contacted Qatar to re-book. To make a long story short, for reasons of flight cost and availability, our best option was to extend our trip by ten days.   We re-booked a return flight on March 25 and decided to split the ten extra days between Bangkok and an island.   After some frantic and what would prove to be insufficient research, we chose the island of Phuket, mainly because we could get a direct flight there from Bangkok.   We knew it was a very popular tourist destination and worried it might be a little too popular, something like Jamaica or Miami on Spring break, but we did not know it would be full of Russians.   And I mean FULL. As The Guardian noted in August 2023, Phuket, one of Thailand’s most famous tourist destinations, has always ...

MARCH 18:   I was admiring the heavy woven cotton textiles used in the draperies and upholstery at Siamotif when our concierge told me the owner is an interior designer who bought the fabrics from Jim Thompson, a design house best known for its silks.    Lonely Planet recommended a tour of the Jim Thompson House , and after another delicious homemade breakfast at a table overlooking the canal, we called a cab and made our way across town.   The link above has a comprehensive description of the house, paraphrased here:   The Jim Thompson House  is a beautiful traditional Thai house standing at the end of a quiet soi [lane] by the Saan Saab Canal.   The house consists of six authentic Thai houses interconnected seamlessly to appear as a large elevated house set in a lush garden. Some of the houses were acquired from as far as Ayudhya and transported to Bangkok. The house making up the living room is 175 years old, the oldest house and the other h...