Category: Art

One of my hidden pleasures when I am in a new city is visiting its art museums. I have wandered around most of the famous museums in the world: El Prado, Louvre, Hermitage, Vienna Museum Quarters, Metropolitan in NY, etc.

So as an art aficionado, I have to say that MOCA, Museum of Contemporary Art, in Bangkok, is my favorite museum in Thailand, and probably one of the best I have visited nor just in Asia, but around the world.

Moca Bangkok is located in the north area of the capital, and unfortunately not so easy to reach by public transportation, so probably the easiest option to arrive there is by taxi, but believe me, it is worth the trip.

With 20.000 sqm, it is an experience to be visited for quite an affordable price (280 baht for normal adult entrance) from the moment you step into the lobby.

Although due to its quality if might look like a state museum, in fact this is a private museum put together by businessman and art lover Boonchai Bencharongkul, and as in some other impressive private collections open to the public like the Thyssen one in Madrid, you notice the special care with the tight security with floormen watching in every of the 5 floors.

However, the museum space lets you breathe and bathe in art, the building is spacious and bright, with a lot of places also to sit and rest while contemplating the art in its rooms, so you really feel welcome there, and the personnel is pretty polite and speaks English.

The array of art forms displayed there is notable, from sculptures to cinema posters, a huge collection of Thai Ramayana and other Asian masks, shadow puppets, drawings and pictures

Some of the highlights that you can see around is an extensive collection of one of the most famous Thai artist, Thawan Duchanee with his trademark style of black and white or red beasts drawing and tools carved from animals teeth and fangs that is beautiful and unsettling at the same time. Also it is notable the huge space, similar to the chapel of a church, dedicated to contemplate the modern triptic “The Three Kingdoms“.

One thing that can be shocking for some visitors is that, even when located in a country such as Thailand that can be very conservative in some areas, nudity is all over the art work here, sometimes even full nudity in some of the pictures displayed. So this museum is not for the conservative minded.

I also love that the museum is big, but not huge, as I usually start to lose focus roaming rooms when a museum contains too many works to contemplate. It is perfect to spend a couple of hours and fully bathed in its art, but you will not end up tired or unable to concentrate anymore, so it makes it perfect for a half day visit.

Besides, when the visit is done, it counts with a very cosy cafe on the ground floor and some tables on the outside terrace with a beautiful view of outdoors amphitheater garden and a couple of beautiful permanent installations there, perfect for a coffee and a snack before leaving the venue.

As I said, not just for the quality of the artwork, but for the sense of meticulously care given in arraying the collection, the beautiful architecture of the building and the space to roam in peace around, this has become one of my favorite museums in the world. And the best part is that every time I visited, it was not crowded at all (apart from the annoying youngsters and teenage girls that do not care about contemplating the art and just want to shoot a million pictures for their instagram). In a way, it is a hidden gem in Bangkok standing in plain view. If you like art, or just feel bored one day and want to discover one more nice spot of the Thai capital, go and visit it. It will not disappoint!

MOCA official website: https://mocabangkok.com/

For more awesome museums in Bangkok, check:

Bangkok hidden gem: Batcat Museum & Toys

A Bangkok hidden gem: Bangkok Dolls Museum

Bangkok Hidden Gem: Royal Thai Air Force Museum

Bangkok Hidden Gem: Sam Sen Nai Philatelic Museum

In the era where almost all the information is accessible in Internet in posts like this one, it is really difficult to consider a place a real “hidden gem” in a touristic city, overall if that city is Bangkok, with the huge influx of visitors, social media gurus, tourists etc that receives in yearly basics.

However, I bet you a coffee that probably you have never visited Bangkok Dolls Museum. Pretty much cause its location is not so easy to reach (I had to walk around 30 minutes from Victory Monument BTS and got a bit lost before finding its correct street, but during my path I found another small and great hidden gem park “Suan Santi Phap” that might be worthy of a separated own post). And also because their visiting hours are pretty restricted, as it opens just on Saturday mornings until 3:00pm.

Once I arrived to the house, because the museum itself is pretty much based on a couple of big rooms on the ground floor of a beautiful gated villa house, I was not even sure if the place was open. But the owner kindly opened the gates for me, and not only that, but as I was the only visitor, I had the chance to have a small private tour while he explained a bit about the history of the place.

I can say that this is one of the most charming and authentic “museums” that I have ever visited in my life. It is not big and can be visited in a few minutes, it is a bit dusty and some sections are chaotic, but it just exhales Thai tradition all over.

The museum was founded in 1956 by Tongkorn Chandavimol, a lady who became a famous doll maker after studying in Japan, even winning the International Folklore Dolls competition in Krakow (Poland). His son, a friendly a charming elder, keeps the tradition of the handmade dolls making and the place running and open to the big public every Saturday honoring the legacy of his mother. He proudly showed me the trophy that the city of Krakow gifted her as a guest as well as the prize for the competition winning.

The family’s love for traditional folklore dolls can be seen at the museum, cause apart from very beautiful displays of Thai dolls, there is also a section with pieces collected or gifted to the family from other different regions of the world, such as Russia, Spain, Finland, etc.

There is a chance also of buying some of the original dolls from the family there at the museum. These dolls were so renamed years ago that even the Royal Thai Family gifted them to foreign dignitaries when they had some official trips abroad. So although they can be a little bit more pricey than what you can find in some night market, I think that they represent a special unique souvenir to bring or gift to a loved one from Thailand, as these dolls are a part of Thai art’s history.

Bangkok Dolls Museum address:  ติดร้าน7-11 และคอนโด K J S 85 ซอยหมอเหล็ง ซอยรัชฏภัณฑ์ Makkasan, Ratchathewi, Bangkok 10400

Discover more Bangkok hidden gems:

A Bangkok Hidden Gem: Nai Lert Park Heritage Home

Bangkok hidden gem: Batcat Museum & Toys

Bangkok does not lack of great cafes scattered all over the city, with a great variety of flavors, decoration, food options and thematics. However, finding a cosy cafe with super friendly staff, open terrace space and that makes you feel like resting in an oasis in the middle of the chaotic city is a little bit more complicated.

In our endless hunt to explore the hidden gems that Bangkok has to offer, our path led to a recently new open cafe in Sathorn area: Just a Garden.

Mind that the place is a bit difficult to find, as it is located in a beautiful townhouse style area in a narrow street, and a good 20-25 minutes walk from the nearest bts/metro stations. But once I found it, it became instantly at first sight one of my favorite spot in the city!

As said, Just a Garden is a cafe with a big open garden style space around the building, which makes it perfect for people like me who likes sitting outside, enduring the humid heat, but having the pleasure of a smoke while reading a book or chatting with a friend. The interior walls are decorated with really nice graffiti from some artists from the Thai community.

The “artsy” feeling is also found inside the cafe building itself, as it really gives you a chilling vibe all around. You can sit comfortably in some sofa and choose a book to read downstairs while you order a drink, or you can even head to the 2nd floor, that has an amazing atmosphere to relax or even do some remote nomad work, sorrounded by cool paintings.

I had the chance to chat a bit with the owner, a very nice guy half Thai/German and his partner, and they transmitted me their desire to create this chill space where people could feel comfortable and escape from the city. They also seem to organize different workshops and events there, so it is not only a nice cafe but also a small cultural hotspot.

If all what I said before still did not convince you to give it a try, I must say in full honesty that the ice caramel latte that I ordered was one of the most delicious one that I tasted in Bangkok, and this is coming from a Spaniard for whom coffee is almost a religion! :) Fantastic, I hope other beverages in their menu are as tasty as that one I tried!

I will definitely go back to Just a Garden, as it is a place that has everything I dream of when I want to relax in a cafe: friendly staff, chilled vibe, amazing outdoor and indoor space and a cultural vibe.

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention 2 more important details: first is that their opening hours are really friendly, as they open most days until 8, 9 or 10pm, opposite to other cafes in Bangkok that are closing around 5 or 6 pm, and secondly is that they also sell craft beers! So you can decide to use the place as a chilled place for caffeine or tea, or as a more social spot where to enjoy some quality beers with friends.

Cafe address: 68 Chan 28, Thung Wat Don, Sathon, Bangkok 10120

You can follow the activities and menu offered in Just a Garden at their official website: https://www.justagarden.com/

For other amazing cafes and hidden gems in Bangkok, please check:

A Bangkok hidden gem: The Artist’s House

A great cafe in Bangkok: Adamus Cafe by the River

Bangkok has an almost endless array of amazing places to visit, as the big megalopolis that it is. But for the long term visitor or the resident of the Thai city, as it happens in any other city in the world, when you have lived here for long time and have already shown a few times the Royal Place, the reclined Buddha, the most famous night markets… you start to feel the hunger for discovering those “hidden gems” off the beaten track.

One of these places that most visitors never visit is Sam Sen Nai Philatelic Museum. And there I was headed on a free day, driven both by my hunger to discover new places and also, why not to say, by my hunger as a collector, as I do not collect stamps per se, but I have collected since I was a child coins and notes from all over the world

The place has a lot of positive things to make it a small hidden gem in the capital:

First of all, its location is really convenient, as it is just opposite to Saphan Khwai BTS stations, a very short walk away. Just mind that you will have to go inside the postal complex, and that there are no clear signs to guide you in English (mostly written in Thai around), so remember that it is on the 2nd floor, and do not do like me, who went to the upper floor by the upstairs and I had to catch my breath on my way back to the right floor :)

The second great thing is that the small museum is totally FREE. No entrance fee, so you just can happily walk in. And another good thing for you is that not being so popular, is quiet and you have all the space to explore with total tranquility.

The exhibition per se can be seen really quick, but I think that the best charm the museum has is its stamp collection per se, that is divided per continents and countries in sliding shells. You can really get lost watching the amount of beautiful stamps with different motives, from animals to popular artists, from all over the world. And of course the shining part of the collection is the area dedicated to the Thai stamps themselves.

One final great feature that the museum has is that you can buy some local Thai stamps for a bargain price, plus the ladies at the cashier were really super friendly and happy to help (probably they are bored with the lack of visitors and they appreciate anybody who decides to pass by). So if you are a stamp collector, or you just want to buy some small and light local gift for a friend, this is also a great opportunity to purchase some beautiful Thai stamps. I bought a few, among them some that were portraying the local beautiful Siamese fighter fish, for 1.5 euro total.

If you are a philatelic enthusiasms, if you are running out of ideas about what to visit next in Bangkok, or if you just happen to be around Saphan Khwai BTS area with some free time, go and give it a try. Meanwhile we will continue on the hunt of more Bangkok hidden gems for the delight of the audience!

Interested in more Bangkok hidden gems? Check:

https://www.freemagazine.fi/a-bangkok-hidden-gem-batcat-museum-toys/

10 Great tips for a date in Bangkok

The highly anticipated sixth Vilnius Light Festival has begun, and has already transformed Vilnius’s streets into illuminated art. Artists from the Netherlands, Poland, France, Lithuania, and the UK began showcasing their installations yesterday, bringing thousands of people eager to see newly interpreted urban areas within the city. 

January 26, 2024. The tradition to brighten up the post-holiday slump in January is going strong in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania. The sixth annual Vilnius Light Festival returned to the streets, courtyards, and alleys of the Old Town on January 25. It is expected that around 200K visitors will visit the festival, as every year.

Vilnius is celebrating its 701st anniversary on the 25th of January with the Vilnius Light Festival while entering a new century after the jubilee year, a grand celebration that brought together more than 150 partners and hosted hundreds of festive events. During this time, the capital of Lithuania was celebrated as one of the 100 best cities to live worldwide by Euromonitor, while the country is among the top 20 happiest nations according to the World Happiness report. Additionally, Vilnius was awarded as the 2025 European Green Capital.

In 2024, the Vilnius Light Festival program consists of two parts: the main one with curator-selected installations and the second with initiatives by culture, arts, science, education, and business organizations, concluding to 20 light art installations.

This weekend, the Old Town draws visitors with unique venues like the Arts Printing House. Housed in a 16th-century printing house, this contemporary arts center showcases two light installations. One, called Flux by Polish artist Ksawery Komputery, explores virtual communication through 4,800 meters of LED strings and 144,000 pixels, unveiling hidden algorithms of virtual meetings. Another installation is Continuum presented in the yard of Lithuania’s presidential palace, by the UK artist duo Illumaphonium. The piece transforms the urban landscape with geometric mirrors, mesmerizing light, and sound monoliths while asking how we identify the city’s space where we live. Additionally, the capital invites visitors to dive into the alternate space-themed Vilnius through a mockumentary by artist Rimas Sakalauskas, offering a speculative vision of the city’s creation, history, and life beyond Earth. 

The Vilnius Light Festival is open January 25–28 from 6 PM to 11 PM. It is important to check the description of each installation for the exact visiting times. Visitors can find all the festival routes in the map provided by the organizers and easily plan their commuting in the city area. Additionally, the festival’s app with routes and installation information is available on Google Play and App Store.