Along the bustling street of Ratchadamri between the Ratchadamri BTS and Lumpini park is the site of the former Cambodia embassy. The land was bought by developer Raimon Land who will build yet another Condominium (sorry, a luxury lifestyle living accommodation) in Bangkok. I don’t want to turn this blog into the abandoned former embassies on Bangkok, but the Cambodian embassy was a beautiful building, former site of protests, and another example of the city’s changing landscape.
I entered the plot of land, saw the guard and made some polite chit chat before showing him my camera and making click click sounds. He nodded and I went in. The building is gone and reclaimed by grass. There are still some beautiful trees in the embassy grounds. Hopefully the real estate developer won’t feel the need to uproot them. Towards the back of the former compound (and the noodle shop near the back entrance is excellent), there’s a tree accompanied by a spirit house while further on two guards sit by a low barricade. The guards are a mixture of suspicion and boredom, watching over an empty lot, and protecting it from passersby who could care even less.Although Lumpini park is nearby, it would be nice to keep this space green. It’s almost eerily quiet, and a visit at dusk has an element of spooky despite being outside. I wish I had pictures of the embassy before it was torn down, hopefully the quiet field serves of a reminder of what was once there.
