The turtle house where the writer Tiziano Terzani lived from 1990 to 1994 in bangkok

By Alessandro Carosi

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Mr Kamsing

When I arrived in Bangkok there was only one thought in my mind and it was going to visit Tiziano Terzani’s house where he lived from 1990 to 1994, Thailand was where he wrote one of his most famous books ”A fortune teller told me”

After recovered from the jet lag and settle in my new accommodation I began to do researches regarding the location of the Turtle house that is the name that Tiziano Terzani gave to the house after finding out there was a huge Turtle inside the lake in the garden, what is amazing about this house isn’t only the fact that was the accomodation of this famous writer that inspired so many people around the world but also because this old Thai traditional wooden house with a lake, tall palm trees, a thick vegetation that make you feel you are living in the jungle was in the middle of the busiest part of Bangkok surrounded by an other jungle but made of concrete and condominiums.

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Finding the house was harder then I thought and what I thought was the right address turn out it wasn’t, I went to the wrong address twice and even wrote an article where I said the house was gone, unfortunately the house will be gone on sunday 19\8\2018, have been purchased by a Thai building company and they gonna turn it in a condominium, life can be sadly sarcastic sometime thinking that one of the thing Tiziano Terzani hated most was this chasing the profit at any cost in the name of money and all of this hidden under the name of …… modernization, we are ruining our beautiful planet destroying the nature and part of the history that sometime would be wonderful to preserve.

As I said I went to the wrong address twice but at the same time through my researches I find out that an Italian association named “Dante Alighieri” is trying to stop the sale of the house to preserve the memory of Tiziano Terzani and created ”An oasis of culture, Italian library dedicated to Tiziano Terzani” the office is at the International campus of the University of Rangsit

40/4 Rama IV Road

Klong Toei

Bangkok 10110

02 350 3635

02 240 1516, 02 240 1819

From Siam BTS Skytrain Station:

Distance: 6.4km

Direction: South East

Taxi Fare: 115 bath

Nearest Public Transport: more

Skytrain: Ekkamai (0.9km)

Subway: Queen Sirikit National Center

Bangkok University (City Campus) is included in one category and has one related listing.

On Wednesday I planned to visit the library and checking on Internet more info happened to find an interesting blog dedicated to the Turtle house, I don’t know why I decided to read it I already knew about the house but at the end something caught my attention the address was different then the one I went, A thought in my mind became louder and louder, maybe I made a mistake, maybe this one is the right address, I done some more researches and found an old review of a Thai restaurant that years ago rented out the turtle house and the address was the same, I had to check it out.

I got ready took the bus and then the train and arrived at Phrom Phong the nearest station to the house, I typed the new address on my Apple maps and excited I followed the new route when arrived disappointment took place instead, what I had in front of me was a condominium so even if the address was right the house was actually gone, from the road I could see a big garden near the main entry and an old wooden gazebo drawn my attention, it looked like the one in the turtle house garden that many bloggers chose to take a picture, I thought that maybe was what left of the house and I wanted to see more and walked inside the garden, the building security stopped me straight away so I tried to explain why I was there but he didn’t speak English, fortunately he took me to the building receptionist that could speak a perfect English and I explained why I was there and ………. God bless her she told me that what I was looking for was just next door, I thanked her with a huge smile and moved excited to the next building that after so many researches, 2 times I have been wondering around the wrong locations, at finally I was in front of the famous Turtle house, the gate was open and as soon I stepped in a lovely Thai man welcomed me, was him the famous Kamsing the old House’s guardian that lived and worked there for 42 years, he understood straight away why I was there he told me many people especially Italians comes to visit the house, I didn’t want to ask him about Terzani cause I’m sure everybody does and I was worry I might annoying him but instead I told him how famous he was, all the articles about the house would talk about him too and many bloggers took a pic of him made me really wanted to know him, he smiled and looked really happy and guided me around explaining what will happen to the house, unfortunately I already knew but he told me something more I didn’t know that probably the house will be rebuild and relocated in an other suburb to preserve a part of Thai history and probably thanks to Dante Alighieri association that fought to save the house it might become a museum dedicated to Tiziano Terzani, I really hope so, the house is amazing and I understood why he liked it so much, in the middle of the busiest part of the city and surrounded by condominiums the old wooden house protected by tall Palm trees the thick vegetation and the beautiful lake makes you feel to be in the jungle and teleport you back to a time that is gone a time where people even if poorer probably was happier, I can’t believe will be demolished to build an other boring, soulless concrete building in the name of profit, I understand Tiziano Terzani, I understand things those businessmen can’t understand yet, I lost my father in the name of profit and in the name of someone else profit that left my father to pay a debt he never made and left him to die after few years and left my family to pay a debt we never made, so I understand Tiziano Terzani when he talk disappointed about our society driven by money, a society that forgot why we are here on this planet, a society that forgot about our fellow human beings feelings and replaced the word Love for the word money, I hope we will learn before is too late.

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I left and said goodbye to Kamsing but after few hours wondering around the city I felt like I should have spend more time observing and exploring the house that the importance of that house required from me more attention, I mean, Terzani is the main reason for me to coming to Bangkok to open a cafe’ and follow my dreams for new adventures and the main reason to start this blog, I thought about to go back but then I told myself, I chose to leave earlier I made a choice and I need to learn that when I make a choice I have to stick with it but Universe\God had other plans, a friend, a special friend called me and sharing the same passion for Terzani’s books I told her about my visit at the turtle house, surprised that I was there she asked me to go back and take a video to then send to her so happily I headed back asked Kamsing if I could make a video of the house and spend a great time recording and enjoying that magical place.

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