Early Bangkok

I don't know about you, but I seldom consider how my current city of residence must have looked in the past. It's easy to assume that Bangkok (in my case) always looked and functioned the way it does now. No doubt I am thinking about this because I just got back from Vietnam, having learned how citizens in that country lived during the past half century.

Friends from school agreed to join me one afternoon visiting the Bangkok Folk Museum where a few homes built around World War II (specifically 1937-1957) are on public display. Walking through these homes allow visitors opportunity to gain an understanding of what life must have looked like for upper middle class families in Bangkok during early-to-mid 20th century.

It is interesting to note that western influence had already made its way to Thailand well before the Second World War. Even the homes looked and functioned similar to our houses in the west while adapting to the Thai environment. Obvious differences included the lack of glass and screens in windows, single board construction of walls (in other words no insulation), lack of plumbing and kitchens that were outdoors.

At the same time, quite a few exterior and interior architectural elements were what one could find in Canadian and American homes during this period. From light switches, dining chairs, piano, right down to the Singer sewing machine -- all reminding me of visits to my grandparents in their early 20th century home when I was a child.

Western influence continues to have an impact on Asia to this day. So much so that when observing modern districts of Bangkok, it is often difficult to tell this city apart from our western counterparts -- from skyscrapers to amusement parks.