Story: Innkeeper of Siam

INKEEPER OF SIAM
by
Carl Kuntze

The Oriental Hotel Complex is a regal presence on the east bank of The River of Kings (Menam Chao Phya), a 160 mile waterway that cascades down from springs in the highlands of Southern China and Northwestern Laos to wind around Bangkok before spilling into The Gulf of Siam. A tacit witness to its history for more than a century, it has kept vigil over riverbourne traffic, first as a two story wooden structure in the endemic style and finally as modern highrises. Reviewing a panorama of watercraft in every concievable style and category from dugouts driven by a single paddle to Royal Barges with a team of oarsmen to western fourmasters, eventually replaced by steamers. It has seen Bangkok blossom from a backwater anchorage to a major maritime crossroads, becoming inextricably weaved into its historical tapestry.

There were few roads then, and those that existed were no more than foot passageways linking compartments of Wats and Royal Palaces. Internal commerce was conducted through klongs (canals) that interlaced the different communities. Boats were the only practical conveyances that could flow unobstructed through these vital arteries.

The first of Siam’s visionary monarchs, King Mongkut (Rama IV), ended his countrys self-imposed isolation in 1855, opening the gates to world trade. His predecessors had clamped them shut to foreign intrusion when they became alarmed at colonial rapacity,
as European powers devoured adjacent countries. Confident he could deflect their designs with liberal mercantile policies, he negotiated astute treaties that had obvious benefits to all signatories. This made it improvident for foreign powers to risk antagonism by embarking on a program of conquest.

The initial merchantmen that docked at Bangkok’s crude harbor were British, the dominant power at the time. It disgorged boisterous sailors and ravenous traders who swarmed unprepared for the ideosyncratic waterfront, a world of bewildering eccentricity with archi-
2

tecture so singularly strange as to appear unreal.

Steeples and ornate towers of temples and castles hovered over squalid unpainted wooden shacks, their long gilded Prachidees thrusting out of their tips like spears. Multi-hued
pantiles ornamented their sidings and curved Pagoda rooftops. Hand carved railing and bannisters bordered spacious halls, chambers, and altars. Guarding their entrances were glowering gargoyle-like Yaksas, armoured with ceramic tiles embedded with semiprecious gems on their veneer, their configurations inspired by Chinese or Indian myth.

Upon closer scrutiny, the stark wooden habitations beleaguering the tall eminent edifices can be noted to be well put together, though not up to western standards. They were unpainted to allow easy flux of spirits, malignant and benign, a superstition shared by many Asian countries. After investigating the neighborhood surrounding the wharf, the inquisitive newcomers discovered to their dismay, no lodging for them, an unpromising beginning. Their plaints reached the kings ears.

He wearily assigned an old palace to accomodate them. This was believed to be the original Oriental. In the tradition of Siamese hospitality, the appointments were undeniably opulent. After all, they were meant for nobility.

For nearly a decade, seafarers, deprived of comfort in cramped ocean vessels for extended periods, wallowed in luxury with sybaritic abandon, until an episode of carelessness torched the palace. In disgust, the king left later arrivals to fend for themselves, but by then, enterprising indigenous residents had converted their homes into guesthouses, and perhaps, a brothel or two. Lonely prurient bachelors were captivated by the exotic courtesans of Siam, delicate giggling creatures who were direct antitheses of the rising femenist movement in their own homelands.

3

However, not all visitors had concupiscence or money-grubbing as objectives. Colorful tales brought home by travelers lured families into Bangkok, intent on broadening their horizons. They would require more sedate quarters. Perceptive of this demand, Jarck and Salje, two Danish sea captains obtained a license to erect an inn on its present site. Completed in 1876, it provided Europeans not only with respectable digs, but a meeting place as well. While service and facilities then did not approach levels set by continental Europe, they were adequate, and best of all, familiar. Jarck and Salje would retain proprietorship of the thriving establishlment for eleven years before selling out their interests to H. V. Andersen, another Danish shipmaster. (He later found The East Asia Trading Company, active to this day.) Anticipating a need for expansion, he would commission Cordu and Rossi, an Italian architectural firm to design and construct a Mediterranean style building currently preserved as The Authors Residence.

This tradition originated with the visit of a young Polish maritime officer, Teodor Josef Konrad Korzeniowski, awaiting his first Captains berth. He would become famous as novelist, Joseph Conrad, creator of such classics as Nostromo, Lord Jim, and Heart of Darkness.
Other accomplished writers would follow in his wake, among them, W. Somerset Maugham, playright, Noel Coward, (Suites would be named after them.). More contemporary guests, spy novelist, John Le Carre, and journalist, Paul Theroux.. Meanwhile, returning to its earlier days, over a hundred miles of roads would be paved alongside the klongs and frequently, over them. King Maha Vajiravudh had correctly associated a network of good roads with development. Bangkok was well on its way to becoming a metropolitan center.

Andersen inaugurated the larger hotel with a champagne banquet for 120 guests in 1887. From then on, The Oriental became the nucleus of Bangkok social life. King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) was the first royal visitor, legitimizing its posture as the national host in 1890, although other hotels were springing up to meet the explosion of tourists debarking at its shores.

4

Aristrocrats, writers, and actors appear to have had a special affinity for The Oriental. Even rascals strayed in to hatch their confidence schemes from the privacy of their rooms. Teak Wallahs made fortunes exporting that fine timber, closing deals in the hotel lobby. It was earning the distinction as the place to be in Bangkok.

The introduction of electricity replaced the romantic lanterns of The Oriental with incandescent bulbs without distracting from its mysterious ambience. Andersen would move on to assume the post of Siamese Consul to his native Denmark.

Ownership of The Oriental would shift to Loiuis Thomas Leonowens, son of Anna of “Anna and The King of Siam.” He would cultivate his own refinements into the hotel. A menu that sufficed for their regular clientele left something to be desired for the new sophisticates that arrived. They wanted a wider selection, one that would remind them of home, or feeling adventurous, tamed interpretation of incendiary Siamese dishes. Famous chef, M. Brier would be recruited from France to upgrade the quality of the fare. Superb food would
enhance the enjolyment of dining on the terrace while contemplating the parade of friendly faces as they glided by on boats on The Chao Phya.

In 1910, French entrepreneur, Marie Maire assumed control and would personally manage the hotel for twenty years. The Oriental would change hands several times without denigrating its reputation. Achievers continued to grace its halls. Peter Carl Faberge, internationally famous jeweler (Faberge Eggs for the Russian Czar, for one) would exhlibit his finest pieces in the hotel lobby. Vaslav Nijinski, Russian ballet dancer, whose name became a synonym for excellence in dance, stayed for several days, to view performances of Siamese classical dances, kept The Oriental on the front pages of newspapers for days.

By 1931, regular flights between Bangkoik and London would commence, accen-tuating the city’s importance as a trading hub. Even those whose primary destinations were
5

Singapore, Hongkong, or Tokyo made a point to stopping over. Its pivotal position in the
East West Trade did not escape the Japanese, then in a campaign of territorial expansion.
In 1941, they would seize Siam under the pretext of protecting it from the western powers.
An infamous milestone from that period was the construction of The Death Railway of Kanchanaburi, the basis for Pierre Boulles “Bridge Of The River Kwai.” The Japanese requisitioned The Oriental as a military garrison, and spitefully allowed it to fall apart from neglect. For a while, it appeared to confront oblivion.

A brief occupation by the liberating American Army would retard its deterioration, but its restoration would be left to Jim Thompson, later to be known as The Silk King because of his success marketing Thai Silk internationally. He is credited for reviving an industry laid moribund by the war. Thompson was an enigmatic figure attachled to the OSS (Office of Strategic Services), forerunner to the CIA, scheduled to be parachuted behind enemy lines
for a mission of sabotage and harassment, the war ended while he was still enroute. He was so taken by Siam when he emerged from the plane, he decided to settle in Bangkok upon his military discharge.

Although his initial business ventures failed, he retained a high degree of credibility among Thais ( By this time, Siam was now designated as Thailand in world maps.). A member of a prominent Delaware family, he was an architect by training, which influenced his systematic approach to problems. Learning about the plight of The Oriental Hotel, he would persuade a consortium of local businessmen to invest in refurbishing the hotel along its original concept. Within a short time, it would resume its forward momentum as tourists trickled into Bangkok. Jim Thompson would disappear on a hike at Cameron Highlands in Malalysia in 1967. To deepen the mystery, his body was never found. But he lives on in The Jim Thompson Suite, one of the most elegant units of The Oriental.

With its ascendancy over newer hotels that cropped up during Thailands postwar boom, undisputed, the new owners felt secure enough to amplify the room capacity by the
6

addition of The Tower Wing in 1958. Ten years later, Swiss hotelierl, Kurt Wachtveitl, took
over as General Manager, a position he still holds today. The River Wing would be dedicated in 1976, with a Buddhist geomancy ritual to insure its continued prosperity. The highrise appendage has a magnificent overview of The Chao Phya.

As the venue for assemblies of consequence, its hotel ledger perpetuates its accumulation of cameos of celebrities, an attestation to its significance to the country. In 1979, Queen Sirikit would preside over The SEA WRITE AWARDS, bestowing recognition upon the regions literary talent. Similar gatherings in other fiields are now routine. 1984 saw the joint meeting of EEC and ASEAN Prime Ministers and Foreign Secretaries who convened to attempt to solve mutual problems between their states. Wedged within the cavalcade of statesmen, industrialists, traders, and other nostalgic visitors returning to reexperience Thailand, Charles and Di, Prince and Princess of Wales made a brief pause in their extended tour of The Pacific Rim to pay a courtesy call on the Thai Royal Family.

Regularly harvesting laurels from prestigious institutional magazines, it was judged the best hotel in the world for ten years in succession. While relatively small in comparson to other 5star branches of major hotel chains that sprouted all over Thailand (362 Double Rooms and 31 Suites.), it is this very compact size that sustains a certain intimacy.

Eight restaurants, each with individual culinary specialties, provide gourmet cuisine to gratify the most critical tastes, most notable, The Normandie Grill for French, Lord Jim for sea food, The Veranda, for modified Thai, and China House, for Cantonese. Cultural shows are regular components of dining at The Veranda, and the others, on special occasions, while
international entertainers periodically perform at The Bamboo Bar. The Authors Lounge serves tiffin and spirits in a restful Victorian surrounding with cakes and pastry baked in The Orientals own ovens by continentally trained pastry chefs.

7

As hotel patrons demand for inhouse services increased, The Oriental broadened its amenities. High speed internet access was added to its Business Center, which also has a full complement of secretarial, stenographic, and translator services.

The Oriental Spa, Thai Health and Beauty Center, and Sports facilities, situated directly across the main complex crossing The Chao Phya. The hotel shuttle barge with an ornate pagoda rooftop navigates through river traffic to deliver guests to a building of modest size, and traditional Siamese architecture. The auxiliary facilities were periodically enhanced in the well equipped gymnasium. Guests now can play in tennis and squash courts, golfing range, and excercize on a jogging track. Their exertions can be concluded in a sauna, where they can relax in the spa. This visit could be a reward or self-indulgence. Aside from a spa cuisine meal with champagne, the services could gratify the most wanton hedonist. The dishes concocted by nutritionists are low in cholesterol, sodium, and sugar, but hligh in herbs and spices. Herbed mango and shrimp salad would be followed by charcoal grilled lobster, with a tomato basil, climaxed with an eclectic array of desserts prepared in an adjacent kitchenl. Fruits and herbs are also components of massage as well as moisturizing oils. A papaya body polish nourishes the skin to a youthful texture. A herbal wrap from herbs grown especially for the spa by Northern Hill Tribes invigorates a fatigued body. Part of the spas regimen are yoga, stress management, meditation, and behavior modification. An Ayurvedic element has been introduced into its program, contributing a feeling of wellbeing to habitues.

Celebrating its 130th anniversary in 2006, following an extensive renovation of all of its suites and rooms three years before. The legendary Authors’ Lounge, Authors’ Suites,
Regency Rooms, and Garden Wing Rooms were given a detailed facelift. Hotel staff go through a rigorous training and orientation before being permitted contact with guests Ser-vice is still an axiom of the hotel. The Oriental has consistently been listed among the best hotels in the world for four decades. Kurt Wachtveitl is still general manager, monitoring
8

jealously that distinction. Affectonately regarded by hotel staff, he has become an institution.

He is quoted as saying, “It is difficult to earn a reputation for excellence, and even more difficult to maintain it.” The easy relations he has with hotel employees insures an affirmative attitude, which is transmitted to guests. The Oriental weathered unstable economic times as well as political turbulence, when the number of guests to Thailand plunged. He laments other 4 or 5Star hotels, which decided to compromise quality to reduce expenses, action he vowed never to commit. A visit to the hotel is still a unique memorable experience. Here one can savor the flavor of Siam without sacrificing comfort.

An appropriate conclusion to a visit to Bangkok is a four hour river cruise to Ayudhya from The Oriental Dock on The Oriental Queen, a 45 meter luxury yacht that departs every morning at 8:00 A. M., except on Mondays and Fridays. Taking the 72 kilometer trip to the ancient capital at a pace so leisurely, it permits timeless glimpses into day to day life along the banks of The Chao Phya that has remained immutable despite persistent exposure to the west. One regretfully reaches the end of this journey to alight at Ayudhyas jetty. Now sparsely populated, it is difficult to imagine a million people once lived here.

A short hop takes us to Bang-Pa-In, King Presit’s summer palance. Built in 1632, it was abandoned a few decades later when The Ayudhya Dynasty was deposed and peo-ple migrated to the new seat of power. Reclaimed by t he jungle, King Chulalongkorn rediscovered it, and had it restored to its former splendor, more as a memorial to be shared by his people, and a reminder to foreigners that Thailand was an ancient civilization, and despite its thrust to modernization, she has not disowned her heritage. The same can be said of The Oriental, an emblem of congeniality that remains constant in a galvancally chan-ging world. Many of the great writers that passed here have long since departed to another life. But one can sense their presence and what inspired them in The Authors Lounge, where a gallery of their photographs still graces the entrance.