参观泰国贵族的珍藏
Visiting the Treasures of Thai Nobility
到达曼谷，在旅舍卸下行李之后，便去解決肚子问题，这时已是下午三时了，为不愿白费了大好的时光，所以就决定驱车至附近的Sri Ayudhya 路去拜访宗和公主Princess Chumbhot，并参观她所收藏的古玩与美术品。
这是一处相当雅丽的庭园，建筑物凡四座，全是暹罗式的建筑。那矮小的木屋，前半截伸入池塘中，淡淡的水光掩映着这红栏绿柱的亭台楼阁，倒也別饶幽趣。在第一座的建筑物里，我们看到了许多的古雕刻，楼上藏有金佛、古屏、木雕、古扇，王座，古瓶，佛龛等。那些佛像，有來自印度，日本，中国，缅甸，越南等地形形色色，琳琅滿目，古色古香，鉴赏不尽。
离此三、四十步光景，走过一道小桥，便是宗和公主的居室了。由此再折向北行，有座完全雕刻的小型厅堂。据说是將皇城拆来的两座佛堂，合而为一，建筑而成的。步上小楼，就可以见到许多出古意颇浓的壁雕，四面都有一扇小门，我们要偏偻着身体才能举步。在这座四壁满是雕刻的小楼中，除了拜垫之外，空无余物。因为室内空气，极其窒息，加上天气酷热，臭汗淋漓，心里觉得烦燥不堪，实在无法在里面多事留连，仅能匆匆地一瞥既过。所以这座充满 [古] 气息的雕刻小楼，在我的头脑里只留下一个极模糊的印象 ！
我们走出这座子小楼，在向右转，又经过一道木桥，便到达了收藏油画的画廊了。楼上收藏有百余帧当地及新加坡画家的作品。这些绘画的作风，多数是利用暹罗古典的人像造型，再以便表现主义的手法完成的。那细腻的线条，钩勒的笔法，又颇有中国画的风味， 带有浓厚的东方民族的装饰趣味。換句话说，这些绘画的风格， 是最古与最新的揉合。当然这只能代表收藏者的爱好并不能代表现时泰国的绘画风格。
我们参观完毕后，便鱼贯地走入迎宾馆去，这里有点像印尼的美术品售卖处 Gallery. 有些同伴买了几本影印本的画集，一本是介绍这位公主的所有收藏，一本是介绍当地画家的作品。 五点过后，我们才告辞出来。
泰国人真是爱好清洁的民族， 我们去参观时，进门必须先脱下鞋袜，出来时又再穿上。我们详细的计算一下。在这短短的两小时之内，我们脱， 穿竟达六次之多 ！ 难怪惠民说 ：[ 以后我们还是穿拖鞋出门，省却这许多麻烦 ！]
Upon arriving in Bangkok and dropping off our luggage at the hostel, it was already 3 PM. To make the most of our time, we decided to drive to nearby Sri Ayudhya Road to visit Princess Chumbhot, the granddaughter of King Chulalongkorn, and explore her collection of antiques and artworks.
The place was an elegant garden with four buildings, all built in the traditional Siamese style. The small wooden houses extended halfway into a pond, and the gentle water reflected the red railings and green pillars of the pavilions, creating a serene atmosphere. In the first building, we saw many ancient carvings, and upstairs, there were gold Buddhas, antique screens, wood carvings, ancient fans, thrones, ancient vases, and shrines. The Buddhas came from various places, including India, Japan, China, Myanmar, and Vietnam, each with its unique style and charm, presenting a rich display of artistry.
About thirty or forty steps from there, we crossed a small bridge, leading to Princess Chumbhot's residence. Heading north from there, we encountered a beautifully carved small hall, which was said to be a combination of two Buddha halls from the Royal Palace. Climbing up to the small building, we encountered numerous wall carvings, and each side had a small door that required us to bend down to pass through. The room was stiflingly hot and humid due to the weather, and we felt uncomfortable and quickly left, only retaining a vague impression of this heavily "ancient" atmosphere.
Exiting the small building, we turned right and crossed another wooden bridge, which took us to the gallery displaying oil paintings. Upstairs, there were over a hundred works by local and Singaporean artists. Most of these paintings used classical Siamese figures but employed an expressionistic style to portray them. The intricate lines and hooking brushwork also had elements reminiscent of Chinese paintings, enriched by an exotic Eastern ethnic decorative taste. In other words, these paintings were a blend of the oldest and newest styles, representing the collector's preferences rather than the contemporary Thai painting style.
After our visit, we proceeded to the welcoming lodge, which resembled an Indonesian art gallery. Some of our companions purchased several copies of art books, including one featuring all the collections of the princess and another showcasing local artists' works. We said our goodbyes after 5 PM.
Thai people are indeed keen on cleanliness. When we visited, we had to remove our shoes and socks upon entering, and then put them back on when leaving. We calculated that within those short two hours, we had taken off and put on our shoes six times! No wonder one of our friends remarked, "From now on, let's just wear slippers when going out to avoid all this trouble!"