Jim Thompson House Museum

Yes, it’s a house that belonged to a man called Jim Thompson. But it looks utterly incongruous in the heart of modern Bangkok. Despite being just 1km from the gleaming shopping malls and criss-crossing flyovers of Siam Square, it feels like stepping into a jungle clearing; the old teakwood buildings are shaded by monkey pod trees and surrounded by verdant gardens.
The eponymous Jim Thompson, an American silk magnate and former CIA agent, built the house in its current location in 1959. Rather than erecting a contemporary mansion house, he chose instead to collect parts of various derelict Thai homes and have them rebuilt on the banks of the Saen Saep canal. Some were transported from the ancient royal capital of Ayutthaya, while others were pulled down from the neighborhood of Baan Krua, a historic hub of the silk-weaving industry, on the canal’s opposite bank. The museum offers guided tours of the airy main house, which is still complete with original features and artworks. It might be a cliche, but visiting the property is like stepping back in time to an age when Bangkok had yet to become an Asian megacity, when its tallest building had just nine storeys and water buffalo could still be spotted within the city limits.
There’s no doubt Bangkok loves to party. Whether you want chic cocktail bars, glamorous sky lounges, or grungy side-of-the-road watering holes, you’ll find it here. But you can only start to get a handle on this fast-paced, eclectic city once you shake off your hangover and set out to explore its cultural jewels.
Every time I land at Suvarnabhumi Airport, I ask the taxi driver to take the highway into the center. Partially because it’s quicker than sitting for hours in the chronic, choking traffic that plagues the world’s eighth most congested city, but mainly for the electrifying thrill of seeing the Thai capital’s Gotham-esque skyline materialize through the windscreen.
Bangkok was my first enticing taste of Asia. Flying in at age 20 from industrial northern England, I couldn’t believe a city like this was permitted to exist: haphazard, chaotic, and sweltering. It seemed woven together by a very unfamiliar magic and I was hooked. In the 11 years since, I’ve travelled extensively around Southeast Asia and returned to Bangkok whenever I had the chance. After all, you never forget your first. 
The Thai capital is home to a myriad of must-see landmarks, from the huge, glittering Grand Palace thronging with tourists, to tranquil Wat Pho, where the giant reclining Buddha radiates golden serenity. Yet for me, the seduction of Bangkok is in the rowdy markets in the frenzied street food restaurants where you can enjoy a $1 dinner of noodles against a backdrop of ritzy skyscrapers. It’s in the open-fronted bars that line narrow backstreets, booming pop hits, and karaoke, where revellers glug their way through Chang towers and luminous cocktails. It’s in the sharp contrasts and the people watching.