We heard the first time about Jim Thompson during our second visit to Thailand.
We were intrigued from the beginning about his mysterious vanishing and have read a few books about it.
Finally we found the time to visit the Jim Thompson House Museum.
We took a taxi from our hotel, the Four Seasons (Please see also review.) to the museum.
Entrance was 100 THB per person or ca. 2.35 Euro (ca. 3.15 USD).
The house and garden were an oasis of peace and quiet in the heart of Bangkok.
Near the entrance were the cashier, the restaurant and the shop.
There were also ponds with two turtles and kois. The gardens were surprisingly large and can be explored alone, but there is a compulsory guided tour, if you want to see the inside of the house.
Meeting point for the tours was the central square. There are different languages on offer including English and French.
Before our tour started we went through the garden. It was peaceful and romantic, until one of the groups disturbed us and we were in the way.
Jim Thompson was more Thai than the Thai themselves, so he was fascinated with everything the country had to offer. Besides single handed saving the Thai silk industry, he also amassed a large collection of Thai Buddhist art, but after a run in with the government, he gave it up and started instead to collect Buddha statues from Cambodia and Burma - according to the author William Warren. There are some of the oldest and rarest in the collection.
The house is made up of six traditional Thai buildings - they are from the 19th century -, which interconnect. There are some differences though, for example the external walls and decorations are inside as is the stair case. In a classic Thai house it would be the opposite.
Upstairs are the infamous dining room, the living room and two bed rooms. One was Jim Thompson's. Even the mattress, where he slept on, is still there. Touching is not allowed, though.
There was security as well, so there is no chance to wander off and search the house for clues what really happened.
We enjoyed our visit and indulged in some retail therapy after the tour.
©2014
We were intrigued from the beginning about his mysterious vanishing and have read a few books about it.
Finally we found the time to visit the Jim Thompson House Museum.
We took a taxi from our hotel, the Four Seasons (Please see also review.) to the museum.
Entrance was 100 THB per person or ca. 2.35 Euro (ca. 3.15 USD).
The house and garden were an oasis of peace and quiet in the heart of Bangkok.
Near the entrance were the cashier, the restaurant and the shop.
There were also ponds with two turtles and kois. The gardens were surprisingly large and can be explored alone, but there is a compulsory guided tour, if you want to see the inside of the house.
Meeting point for the tours was the central square. There are different languages on offer including English and French.
Before our tour started we went through the garden. It was peaceful and romantic, until one of the groups disturbed us and we were in the way.
Jim Thompson was more Thai than the Thai themselves, so he was fascinated with everything the country had to offer. Besides single handed saving the Thai silk industry, he also amassed a large collection of Thai Buddhist art, but after a run in with the government, he gave it up and started instead to collect Buddha statues from Cambodia and Burma - according to the author William Warren. There are some of the oldest and rarest in the collection.
The house is made up of six traditional Thai buildings - they are from the 19th century -, which interconnect. There are some differences though, for example the external walls and decorations are inside as is the stair case. In a classic Thai house it would be the opposite.
Upstairs are the infamous dining room, the living room and two bed rooms. One was Jim Thompson's. Even the mattress, where he slept on, is still there. Touching is not allowed, though.
There was security as well, so there is no chance to wander off and search the house for clues what really happened.
We enjoyed our visit and indulged in some retail therapy after the tour.
©2014
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