One of my favorite things to do when visiting a new city or town is to check out any of the museums that seem interesting. Museums are like meditation for me. I can enjoy them perfectly fine by myself and I exit the building fulfilled. There are a select few that have really made an impression on me and even changed the way I think.
War Remnants Museum
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
I was blown away by the raw and human perspective given by this museum. Detailing the atrocities of the Vietnam War, the immense reality of death and destruction are right in your face. Seeing all the photos of the victims of Agent Orange, and learning how even future children of the victims are susceptible to symptoms of the barbaric chemical weapon, really struck me. Towards the end of my visit, I saw the affects live, watching a young boy playing piano who had no eyes. At that moment I felt the devastation of war. The photojournalism here is worth the visit in itself, but the museum also does an excellent job at showcasing the global opposition to the Vietnam War by protesters from around the globe. From the reconstructed prison cells, to the military equipment, the War Remnants Museum will always be etched in my memory. Most of us just see stuff like that on TV, but to witness it in person is enlightening.
Botero Museum
Bogotá, Colombia
Fernando Botero is one of my favorite artists of all time. The guy is a genius and true machine. It is said that he has created of 3,000 paintings and 300 sculptures. That’s insane. Famous for his distinct style, exaggerating the volume of characters and objects, he is Colombia’s most prolific artist. Museo Botero (Botero Museum) blew my mind as I realized the level of difficulty that comes with developing your own style as an artist, combined with translating it across different mediums. I really was able to grasp what artistry really means. To have an entire museum dedicated to you is an unimaginable feat. Rooms upon rooms of your work being displayed for FREE to the public is legendary. I was first introduced to Botero’s sculptures in Medellin at the popular Plaza Botero. There I became a big fan. When I witnessed the paintings at Museo Botero, I became mesmerized. The galleries seem to be grouped together by subject matter, which I liked. There are even works by Picasso, Money, and Dali, which were donated to the Colombian state from Botero’s personal collection.
The National Museum of Anthropology
Mexico City, Mexico
This place is absolutely enormous. You can easily spend several hours here if you want to tour the entire museum. If I were to detail the amount of information and artifacts on display, this blog would be 30 pages long. The sheer volume of content impacted me very strongly, and I left with a new appreciation for human history in general. To summarize, there is an Aztec hall, a Maya hall, Gulf Coast and Teotihuacan rooms, and a Oaxaca hall. In these massive exhibits, you will come across monumental stone sculptures including the infamous Sun Stone, artifacts, tomb replicas, 3D diagrams, explorations of several empires and civilizations, art, weaponry, wardrobe, the evolution of man, etc. I would honestly say that if you want to visit, take your time and don’t rush. Sometimes in a place with so much stimuli, you can become desensitized after a while. I would recommend just hanging out in the plaza if you need a break and making a real attempt to see every exhibit. The cultural significance of what is there is immense. It’s probably the most “important” museum I’ve ever visited if I’m being completely honest.
Art in Paradise
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Art in Paradise is an interactive 3D art museum that allows visitors to put themselves into optical illusion paintings, and pose in different positions to become part of the fantastically surreal scenes. It’s super fun and creative having the opportunity to enter magical landscapes, underwater worlds, dangerous predicaments, and become a character in the art. It’s crazy to think that these pieces of work were created with the idea that an impermanent person would enter the painting to give it another dimension of personality. What a cool concept. For a guy like me that appreciates art, I was really impressed here. I was also able to have photos taken of me without feeling like I was doing it for attention, but rather as a piece of creativity. For any introvert or non-selfie person, it’s a cool place to enjoy a photoshoot.
La Chascona
Santiago, Chile
The former home of poet and political activist Pablo Neruda is now a popular museum and piece of history. The dining room is shaped like a ship’s cabin, the living room evokes a lighthouse, a bar, a winding staircase that leads to a study area, there’s a “France Room”, hidden passages, outdoor terraces and gardens. The home is not just like one building, but more of like 3 sections separated by terraces and a lot of stairs in a steep neighborhood of Santiago. The colorful and stylish home was beautifully retro, eclectic, and comfortable. I wish it was my house that’s how good it’s taste was. That’s kind of how I felt being there. This guy was like a rock star. I was inspired. The tour of the museum includes an audio guide of about 10 areas or so. It goes through historical context, personal anecdotes, and symbolic objects and their meanings, giving the feeling like you’re navigating a dream. I enjoy going to places and feeling like I’m walking through a movie scene. Pablo Neruda lived an incredible life and he left us with the perfect memorabilia.
Memory House Museum
Medellin, Colombia
The second Colombian museum on the list. One thing about Colombian culture that I’ve noticed during my time spent there is it’s commitment to quality. The Museo Casa de la Memoria (Memory House Museum) in Medellín is a deeply grave, reflective institution dedicated to confronting and preserving the painfully violent past of Medellín, Antioquia. This exhibit uses many modes: testimonies from survivors, voices and photographs of kidnapping and murder victims, as well as narratives from perpetrators or witnesses; documents; audiovisual media; newspaper articles; and objects. The murder statistics alone are just outrageous. What stood out to me even more and kind of hit me like a ton of bricks were the amount of kidnappings that occurred. There was this dark room here with a bunch of small screens on which photos of people would appear, including their names and date of disappearance. I thought about their families never seeing them again, wondering where they might be. I left the museum just pondering in a way, but also happy to see how far the city of Medellin has come from the dark days of old.
