DAY TWO
MORNING
After a late breakfast, we go to the Artists House – otherwise known as Baan Silapin (facebook.com/ Baansilapin) – in the trendy Thonburi district. This is ‘old Bangkok’: sleepy, wooden buildings and winding alleys that fringe the canals.
The Artists House is a 200-year-old teak building. As you wander along the canal past little cafes serving stirfried dishes, every now and then an elderly lady on a boat will pull up to sell skewers of barbecued meat.
You’ll probably not see too many tourists in this part of the city, bar the occasional boat-load being whisked along a canal.
The House itself is built around a 700-year-old Buddhist stupa, and at 2pm you can watch a traditional Thai marionette show. Children are invited to paint paper masks and participate in the event.
AFTERNOON
Fully prepared to get a bit lost, we head east over a footbridge and into the bustling streets around Soi Charan Sanitwong, where street vendors sell fried fish balls, noodles and sweet treats. As the sun goes down, we stumble upon a night market – food, toys, electric goods and clothes are all for sale and cost next to nothing – then keep heading east to Wat Arun, one of Bangkok’s most iconic ancient temples, overlooking the Chao Phraya river. From there, a river taxi will take you back to the other side, where we drop into The H Gallery which shows Thai art in a beautiful 125-year-old mansion.
In the evening, we head to Maggie Choo’s, a subterranean bar, restaurant and live music venue beneath the Novotel which is famous for its must-see drag shows. Later, if you’re feeling brave, try a foot massage at one of the spas lining the streets. Finally, there’s time for a nightcap back at our hotel’s cosy Bamboo Bar, where a live jazz band is in full swing.