ONE MORE THAN OFF TO LAOS

Friday, August 02, 2013
Bangkok, Bangkok, Thailand
August 2

Friday, we went back into town, once again, to visit the Jim Thompson House and Museum .

As we were walking to the site, I was, once again, struck by the love the people have for their King and Queen, illustrated by huge photos of them all over the city.

Jim Thompson was an American architect who was sent to Bangkok as a military officer in World War II and fell in love with Thailand. After leaving the service he decided to return and live there permanently.

The hand weaving of silk, a long-neglected cottage industry, captured his attention, and he devoted himself to reviving the craft. He was highly gifted as a designer and textile colorist and contributed substantially to the industry's growth and to the worldwide recognition of Thai silk.

In addition to the museum and the demonstration by beautiful Thaii women of how the silk strands are spun, which were both fascinating, Jim Thompson’s home was fabulous in its simplicity and the lush grounds and numerous ponds. He had combined six teak buildings, which represented the best in traditional Thai architecture, with most of the houses being at least two centuries old. They had been dismantled and brought to the present site from as far away as the old capital. In 1959, he moved in and, soon, the house and the magnificent art collection became such a point of interest that Thompson decided to open his home to the public with proceeds donated to Thai charities and to projects directed at the preservation of Thailand’s rich cultural heritage . Unfortunately, we couldn’t take pictures of the interior and most of the art.

Then, On March 26th, 1967, Jim Thompson disappeared while on a visit to the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia. Not a single valid clue has turned up to this day as to what might have happened to him. All that remained was his famous Thai house as a lasting reminder of his creative ability and his deep love of Thailand.

After our tour of the Jim Thompson House we hopped on one the creaky river ferries and went back over to the Siam Destiny as we had only spent a few minutes there before and wanted to check everything out. En route, I continued to be amazed by the contrast of the shacks and graffiti and garbage on the banks of the canal and, then, just a few blocks away, the ultra modern, posh, structure and interior of the Siam Destiny Mall.The stores were quite upscale and beautifully displayed and the top level had a number of great restaurants. We had dinner at a very good Japanese restaurant and then……..we found the food court. What a scene! Neither of us had ever seen anything like it….it was mobbed with people and there must have been 100 restaurants that were all bright and glitzy and begging you to come in and try their fare. Too bad we had just eaten as we were captivated by a Japanese all you can eat with the dishes rotating throughout the restaurant that you could cook on your own hot pot at the table. We decided that we would definitely return to eat there before we caught the overnight train to Laos.
Other Entries

Comments

Vidabeth Bensen
2013-08-25

When we lived on Okinawa in the 60's i had the most beautiful clothes made of Thai silk and sewn by my fabulous Okinawan "sew girl." She copied outfits from Vogue for me. My girls still have some of the dresses.

Your trip is fabulous. i vividly remember visiting Jim Thompson's house.

We'll miss you in November but I love hearing about your travels.

2025-02-16

Comment code: Ask author if the code is blank