Old School Thai

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If you've been to Bangkok, chances are you've done the Jim Thompson House — the gallery and museum set up in the late silk baron's former home, and a mainstay of the tourist trail. So, next time you're in town, head instead to its lesser-known but arguably more[an error occurred while processing this directive] interesting rival: the M.R. Kukrit Pramoj Heritage Home, tel: (66-2) 286 8185,. The Kukrit residence — open only on weekends and national holidays — is one of the best-preserved examples of Thai vernacular architecture in Bangkok. Set amid lush greenery on South Sathorn Road, it belonged to former Prime Minister M.R. Kukrit Pramoj (1911-1995), an Oxford-educated polymath whose life included stints in banking and acting (he played opposite Marlon Brando in The Ugly American).

Kukrit took more than 20 years to complete his home. The living quarters consist of five one-room traditional teak houses, elevated on stilts and connected by a breezy open veranda. The sitting room features royal heirlooms such as a daybed from Kukrit's ancestor, King Rama II, while the library includes biographies of Mao Zedong as well as the complete works of Charles Dickens — a reminder of the late owner's eclectic interests. But the best surprise is a vast, well-manicured lawn framed by a lotus pond and trees. Stretch out on one of the benches for that most elusive of Bangkok treats: a tranquil, verdant vista without a single high-rise in sight. The view could be declared a heritage monument in its own right.