Baan Silapin Artist House

Baan Silapin occupies a wooden house of around a hundred years old on Khlong Bang Luang, a canal in Thonburi that predates the shift of the capital across the river, with an old chedi standing in the courtyard beside the water. An artist took the derelict house on in 2010 and turned it into a community arts space - studios, a small gallery, a cafe on the deck over the canal, mask and puppet making, and workshops where visitors can paint plaster figures. The reason most people come is the hun lakhon lek puppetry: small rod puppets manipulated by three visible performers each, a nineteenth-century Thai form derived from the larger court puppet tradition, performed here most afternoons in a short free show with donations. The canal outside still carries longtails and the neighbourhood is residential. It is free, informal, and takes an afternoon including getting there.

What you actually see

• The puppet show - hun lakhon lek performed most afternoons, free.
• The teak house - a century-old canalside building with an old chedi in the yard.
• The studios - mask and puppet making, painting and workshops.
• The canal - Khlong Bang Luang with longtails and canalside houses.

When to go

November to February. Show times are early afternoon and vary - check before going, and note performances do not run every day. Two hours plus travel.

Honest expectations

Performances are not daily and times change - confirm before making the trip. It is a long way from central Bangkok with awkward transport. Small and informal. Free with donations expected after the show.

Nearby

Khlong Bang Luang's canalside houses run either way; Wat Paknam is north-east.