Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Wang Burapha fell into disuse in the 1940s and was pulled down in 1951, but this dis-
trict, which to this day is known as Burapha, had in the preceding decade emerged as
one of the trendiest spots in town. Ming Muang Market had developed into a popular
public market for textiles and clothing: it took the form of a large square bordered on all
sides by shophouses, with the open area covered by a roof, and hairdressers, clothes shops
and restaurants all doing a thriving business. Thailand's first modern department store,
Nightingale-Olympic, opened its doors opposite the market in 1936, occupying the first
two floors of what was at the time the tallest building in the city, its frontage taking its
design theme from an abacus. Today the store remains in a time warp, with aged man-
nequins and no air-conditioning, but still stocked as it always has been with imported
products such as cosmetics, sporting goods and musical instruments. The store had been
opened by a Chinese immigrant's son named Matti Niyomvanich, and remains family-
owned to this day. In its prime the store employed almost a hundred staff and served
the most affluent sector of society, being so well known and respected that it even had a
mail order service for customers in the provinces. Today, once fashionable sportswear and
equipment moulders in cabinets, none of the fashions seem to be later than the 1960s, and
some of the goods have such a museum aura around them that they are no longer for sale.
Most of the business now comes from the cosmetics, especially the Merle Norman brand,
which started out in Los Angeles only a few years before Nightingale-Olympic opened,
and on which some of the store's early fame was built.
These craft are part of a fleet that keeps the canals and river clear of weed and litter.
The year 1932 saw the building almost opposite of the Chalerm Krung Royal Theatre,
decreed by Rama
VII
as one of the landmarks to celebrate the 150
th
anniversary of the
founding of the city. An imposing Art Deco structure, it was the first of its kind in South-
east Asia to have air-conditioning, and was fully equipped for the new talkies. Renovated
in recent years, the theatre today specialises in the staging of
khon
masked performances,
and is used for live concerts and classical plays. Also dating from the 1930s is the nearby
On Lok Yun coffee shop, completely unchanged by its very elderly owner who has sought
to retain the original ambience when this was one of the coolest hangouts in town for
