Southeast Asia Travel Journal

The new contemporary art museum may not be opening until later this year, but it’s already the center of a new art scene. Beginning today until 28 September, the plaza in front of the museum will host an art market, complete with recent works by new artists and performance art.

The museum is located on the corner of Rama I and Phayathai Road, filling in the blank space left between MBK center, Siam Discovery Mall and Siam Square. Take the Skytrain to the National Stadium station.

My room at the Crowne Plaza Dubai Festival City

So, I’m back in Dubai. In June. Outside, it’s a balmy 102°F with 60% humidity. And it’s only June. Good thing I didn’t wait until July for this trip, or, heaven forbid, August.

Fortunately, I’ve got this little slice of heaven to get away from the hell outside. I’m staying at the all new Crowne Plaza hotel at Dubai Festival City. The hotel was just opened earlier this year, and is part of the huge Festival City development that includes a shopping mall, office towers, housing development, yacht club and golf course, all just a few minutes from the airport.

My standard room is sleek and modern, with all the conveniences. There’s a king-size bed, flat screen television with DVD player, a sofa, desk and large closet. Accents are silver, with blue LED lights highlighting switches at night. The bathroom has a large tub, with both a standard shower head and a rain shower. The bathroom is divided from the bedroom by a huge picture window. There’s an electronically controlled blind you can lower if you want some privacy in the bathroom.

The television has lots of channels, including a fair number of American comedy networks. There’s also an Internet connection in each room, although it’s not free.

Pet peeve: Why do hotels charge for Internet use? In most cases, they pay the same fee regardless of how much use the connection gets - just like the cable television channels - so why charge for it?

The fitness center is small but usable. The pool is set up specifically for laps. The coffee shop breakfast features a good selection, especially of healthy options like fresh fruit.

The hotel is connected to the Festival City shopping center, although it is a bit of a hike. You have to pass through the meeting center, which is shared with the Intercontinental Hotel, then through the Intercontinental itself, and finally over an enclosed bridge that gets you to the mall.

The mall is big, although not the biggest in Dubai by a long shot. There is a Marks & Spencer, hypermart, Ikea, Toys R Us, and tons of boutiques. The mall also has a Fitness First branch, if the hotel’s gym isn’t big enough for you. Perhaps most importantly, the mall has a huge selection of restaurants, selling just about every cuisine you can think of, from Japanese Sushi to Mexican.

The dates have been set for this year’s Ubud Writers and Readers Festival, which will be held from 14 to 19 October, 2008. From the web site:

The theme for UWRF 2008 is Tri Hita Karana, a Balinese Hindu concept that translates as the relationship between God, Humanity and Nature.

Invited international guests include acclaimed Indian author Vikram Seth, US novelist John Berendt, award-winning UK writer Caryl Phillips, Mexican author Alberto Ruy-Sanchez, Australians Alexis Wright and Helen Garner and 2007 Man Booker Prize short-listed writers Indra Sinha and Mohsin Hamid.

The Ubud Writers & Readers Festival has become the stage where voices from China, India, South Korea, the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia are heard. In 2008, we will engage writers from beyond Asia into the heart of Africa and Central America.

Collision of cultures will be one of the underlying themes with established and emerging writers confronting the issues of ‘Us and Them’. Issues such as the environment, world religions, languages and lifestyles will be explored together with the subject of migration and its impact on communities. Hot debates addressing crime and punishment in Asia, and more specifically drugs, civil rights and moral dilemmas, will take center-stage.

Satisfy your hedonistic passions with our acclaimed stars by luxuriating in the lush surroundings of Ubud’s elegant hotels and gracious homes at our literary lunches and dinners. Join our Long Table feast in the rice fields featuring acclaimed chefs and food writers as they showcase Bali’s vibrant food culture. Enjoy workshops that teach the craft of writing or cultural activities that offer a peak into the mystical, magical world of Bali, in between book launches, performances, exhibitions, cocktail parties and celebrations into the early hours of the morning.

And if that is not enough, the 2008 Festival will take to the streets, literally, with international street performers matching their wits against Ubud’s youth in a carnival of skill and artistry.

The Shangri-La hotel in Bangkok is running a great deal, all the more so because it runs until 22 December 2008. For around US$300 a night, and a minimum stay of three nights, they include a one-way airport transfer, breakfast (for two), daily fruit basket and a free spa treatment for two.

This deal is only available for direct bookings through the Shangri-La web site, so no discounts allowed. Also note that the hotel’s rates do not include tax and service charge (currently a total of 17%).

The Shangri-La is one of the best locations in Bangkok, right on the river next to a Skytrain station. You can take the Chaophraya Express boat to most of the major sights, such as the Grand Palace, or the train to more sights, restaurants and the main shopping district of Siam Square.

The Siam Discovery Museum

That’s the difficult, and potentially controversial, question tackled by Bangkok’s newest museum, the rather redundantly named Museum of Siam Discovery Museum. The museum is housed in a beautiful cream-and-white confection of a building that used to house the Commerce Ministry. Although the exterior has been restored to the way it must have appeared the day it was completed 100 or so years ago, the interior is thoroughly modern. Aimed primarily at Thai children, the displays use bright colors and every technological gadget imaginable to get their interest. If my visit was any indication, it seems to work. Most of the gimmicks are just as attractive to a lot of adults as well. I would have like to take a turn with the video game employing a 19th century canon myself, but there was a queue of 10-year old boys waiting and I didn’t feel like joining them.

As you’ve probably already guessed, this is a museum that encourages interaction. I didn’t see a single “do not touch” sign. At one point, I made a joke of swapping my Panama hat for a pith helmet on one of the displays, and the attendant told me to go ahead and try the hat on. Another one asked if I wanted to record a 20 second news piece on their 1960’s era television studio set, while in the next room I was encouraged to take a seat in the mock-up of a diner.

Despite the casual atmosphere, the museum probably succeeds in at least getting people to think about the subject. It suggests that being Thai means many things, and has probably changed meaning over the centuries, as this "golden land" has absorbed many peoples from other lands, including the Thai ethnic group.

The museum is open 10:00 to 18:00 Tuesday to Sunday. Friday evenings there are usually events i the large open square behind the building. The museum is located near Wat Po. To reach it from Wat Po, you exit the temple through the south gate, turn left, then right at the next street. The museum is in the next block past the Wat Po School. Alternatively, you can take the express boat to the Memorial Bridge pier, walk though the Pak Klong Talat market an turn left once you reach the main road. Walk to the end of the market and over the canal. You’ll see the Phra Ratchinee police station at the intersection. Take the road to the right of the station. The museum is immediately behind the police station. Admission is free.