Kru Kung Museum: A Treasure Trove in Rayong, Thailand

What if I say, you can time travel at Kru Kung museum in Rayong. On entering the museum, one realizes that time has frozen there.

An art teacher by profession, Mr. Kung started collecting antiques in 1974 purely as a hobby. It is his passion for antiques that has made him collect more than 25,000 antiques of daily Thai life in all these years. In the year 2016, his home was turned into a museum and he opened the doors for public viewing.

Mr. Kung 

It was for the first time I had visited a personal museum. The very first impression was overwhelming. I can’t imagine someone who is so passionate and has such perseverance to collect each antique. The very humble, ordinarily dressed Mr. Kung welcomed us with a smile to his treasure trove. When he was asked about the museum, his response was rather simple and impressive.  He said, “I just wanted to share my collection with the people. I am not much interested in the business. I had started collecting antiques from the age of 18”. It clearly shows that the museum is nothing but a labour of his undying passion for antiques.

The museum has more than 20 small rooms where different antiques are kept carefully. The ground floor makes you appreciate the Barber Shop, Ladies Tailor shop, Theater, Cafes, Grocery store, Photo Studio, Kitchen, Classrooms, Traditional Thai Bedroom, Toys, etc. The barber shop drew my attention where you can see Combs and Scissors kept the same way it used to be kept in the earlier days.


The photo studio is another interesting place to get a glimpse of a variety of cameras and lights that are used in films and old studios in Thailand.

The tea-stall reminds you of the good old days where people used to sit and actually indulge in conversations rather than using mobile phones in today’s world.

The tailor shop is another interesting corner.

What I liked most in the ground floor was the grocery shop. I was absolutely speechless seeing those old shampoo pouches, detergent pouches, bottles and boxes in different shapes and sizes, wooden shoes, school uniforms, soft drinks bottles, stationery, candy, soap, flour, eggs, Tiffin boxes, canned equipment  and what not.







The toy section is another interesting corner where you will see a variety of toys collected from different eras. The private theater room left me awestruck with the Broken wooden chairs and projector, that must have been there from many ages.


The classroom set-up with wooden desk scribbled with many large and small letters reminds you that time of your childhood when innocence ruled over intelligence.


The Thai household replica is also an introduction to the traditional Thai lifestyle.


As I was strolling around, I noticed the good old wall clocks and motionless pendulums which were just apt to remind me that I was on a time machine.

The first floor of the Kru Kung museum is all about gadgets, various currencies, old modelled telephones, weighing machines, variety of Thermo steel flux bottles from different eras, kitchen appliances, measuring cans, different variety of irons, cash boxes, table fans, hanging lamps, home décor, etc.




Among all these collectibles, what really impressed me was the wide variety of irons and telephones. I haven’t seen such a huge collection of things of daily life anywhere else.


The Museum is a reminder of the time that passes by so quickly that we hardly pay attention to the tiniest things that play such an important role in our daily life. We are moving so fast that the simplest things are getting blurred in the journey of life. The Kru Kung museum just takes you back to the time when life used to be simple and people used to appreciate the simple pleasures of life. It also reminds us as to how far and fast we have moved on life. It’s always great to take a pause and appreciate life a bit. Because, you never know whether you will get this opportunity again.

My visit to the Kru Kung Museum was nothing less than an emotional roller-coaster ride that brought back my treasured nostalgia.


More Details

Timing: 9:00 am to 16:00 pm

Admission fee: 80 Baht per adult / 30 Baht per child/ 150 Baht for foreigners

Address:

Number 162/6 Moo 5. KramKram district in Rayong province 21190

Telephone: 087-129 9405


Disclaimer :

The Watermarked photographs are owned by the writer and are copyright protected. Reproduction of any of the contents, including the photographs without prior consent/permission of the writer, is strictly prohibited and a violation of the same will attract legal action.

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8 Comments

  1. Lisa

    I love this post it’s so great that Mr Krung turned his personal collection into a museum and its a nice story as well. I would love to visit as its a personal museum,

    Reply
  2. Shaily

    Wow! Kru Kung Museum is such an interesting and fascinating place. I’ve never seen so much antique stuff in one place – definitely a time machine. I loved looking at every nook and corner of the photographs to find little treasures of a bygone era. Mr Kung’s passion for collecting antiques is really commendable. I mean more than 25,000 antiques – it’s just wow!! Thanks for sharing this lovely piece of history. Loved it and shared on twitter. 🙂

    Reply
  3. Paula

    Wow, looks like such an interesting place. Sometimes the best museums are actually these unofficial collections of local people that they decide to show. This one definitely seems to be a treasure for sure! I hope I get to visit someday.

    Reply
  4. Deeptha

    Wow! Hats off to Mr. Kung for his dedication and passion. This is the kind of place I love to visit. It is filled with so much charm and reflects the owner’s passion for what he loves. Like you mention, the grocery shop is fabulous. I think his family especially his grandchildren and great-grandchildren would love this treasure trove.

    Reply
  5. Hetal Kamdar

    This is indeed a treasure trove and you took us back in time. Very well said that time is passing by quickly and at times we need to pause and appreciate the simplest things around us. The museum has some of the amazing and antique kinds of stuff that would be difficult to see otherwise. Thanks for giving such a lovely virtual tour of the museum.

    Reply
  6. Chloe

    I love that he turned his personal collection into a museum. I can’t imagine how hard it would be for him to collect all of these in the first place. I would love to go visit- it seems so eclectic. And he seems like such a joyful man!

    Reply
  7. Lisa

    What an impressive museum! It really looks like a shop where you can buy so many different things. I’ve never heard of the Kru Kung museum, but I won’t be forgetting it anytime soon. Thanks for sharing this place with us!

    Reply
  8. Heidi

    Personal museums always have a certain charm to them since they are collected by a true enthusiast. The Kru Kung museum looks like a fun time and to see all the old food items and toys must have been quite interesting. And everything is so colorful. How fun!

    Reply

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