Art, Curry, Stamps, and Prawns

There's always something interesting going on in Bangkok, and I'll admit that sometimes I get a little lax or lazy at seeking out fun things to do.

However, over the past few weeks I ended up seeking out a few small adventures.

I. Art

The first was to an art exhibition.

Hiroshi Nagai is an artist that I've liked for a while who is best known for his colorful pop art paintings of tropical landscapes, swimming pools, palm trees, and idyllic coastal scenes.

His work has become closely associated with the Japanese city pop aesthetic of the late 1970s and 1980s, and he has also created numerous iconic album covers.

II. Curry

I had been wanting to try Khao Gaeng Jek Pui's famous "Netflix Curry" (featured on "Street Food Asia") in Bangkok's Chinatown for a while now, but the first time I made my way out there, the shop was closed for a holiday. The second time I went, it was at 11am, and I learned that the restaurant doesn't open until 2pm each day, so I went home.

I was able to pay a visit to Khao Gaeng Jek Pui, or Jek Pui's Rice and Curry, in Thailand's Yaowarat neighborhood, for a plate of their incredible curry on rice.

There's nothing fancy about the shop, and it would be easy to overlook were it not for the large crowds it attracts each day. I stepped into the alleyway behind Wat Mangkon Temple and queued up to place my order. The man working at the front, whom I heard speaking English and Chinese to customers in addition to Thai, took my money and shouted out my order to a woman behind him, who scooped the curry over a huge plate of white rice.

There were several curries to choose from, but I went with the famous red beef curry, along with a side of sweet Chinese pork sausage that had been fried until crispy on the outside while remaining nice and chewy on the inside.

I don't go out to order curry that often, but maybe I should. Every time I do, I'm reminded of how comforting and satisfying a good Thai curry can be. I sat down on one of the tiny plastic stools in the alleyway (the restaurant's dining area) and enjoyed my meal. I'll definitely be returning.

III. Stamps

I had passed the Thai Philatelic Museum so many times, but had never actually taken the time to stop and check it out. Located at Saphan Kwai Post Office, the museum is dedicated to philately, the study of postage stamps and postal history.

The museum, which turned out to be a really interesting look at the history of Thai Post and both Thai and global postage stamps, had put on an exhibition of stamps from around the world featuring cats, and Pinky and I, both cat lovers, decided to stop in spontaneously one afternoon.

It was a small but very well-designed museum, and I'm glad to have gone out of my way to visit.

IV. Prawns

Sometimes, a great meal can be found at the most unexpected of places.

Now that I have a car, I've been able to drive past parts of my neighborhood I had never really seen before, and a tiny little restaurant called River Prawns 90s at a local gas station had caught my eye every time I drove past.

A couple of days ago, we decided to drive out for an early dinner to check it out.

I'm so glad that we did, because the owner told us that it was the restaurant's last day before closing for a while to move to a new location. It was just luck and good timing!

The shop sells, as you can imagine, river prawns. We ordered a half kilo of prawns along with a plate of stir-fried cabbage and a serving of prawn fried rice.

I know this isn't exactly the most exciting post on my blog, but sometimes it's nice just to feature a little bit of daily life. Things have been really busy lately, and I'm trying to appreciate the small things more.