Best Of Bangkok : Jim Thompson House & Museum

October 23, 2013

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Most of us in Malaysia have probably heard of Jim Thompson, the renowned Thai silk king who revived the Thai silk industry. The Malaysian connection is that he vanished without a trace on 26th March 1967 while on a visit to Cameron Highlands. No one has been able to conclusively solve how and where exactly he disappeared despite the many conspiracy theories.

For a long time now, I’ve wanted to visit Jim Thompson’s house in downtown Bangkok. It’s very conveniently located as it’s just a short stroll from the National Stadium Skytrain Station and you don’t even have to walk there from the station if you don’t want to as they have a buggy that’ll seat four that will transport you right to the doorstep of Jim Thompson’s House.

As you enter, the first part of the house you will see is the souvenir shop but it’s more appropriate to call it a retail shop as it sells a lot more than key chains and postcards. In fact, I didn’t see any key chains or postcards. There’s a lot of textile, bags, shirts, scarves, all of which don’t come cheap. After all, it’s silk and we all know silk isn’t exactly affordable.

Before Jim Thompson came on to the scene, silk weaving was just a cottage industry but Jim Thompson single handedly revived the industry. He was a highly gifted designer and textile colorist. It was because of him that the Thai silk industry gained international recognition.

There’s abundant foliage on the grounds, it’s all very peaceful and tranquil There is a semi alfresco dining area which would be the perfect location for a product launch. Fish swim merrily in the large ponds and you can watch squirrels scurrying up the many branches as you wait for your guided tour to start.

Entrance fee to the house is 100 baht per person and by guided tour only. There are tours in 4 languages – English, Thai, French and Japanese but I am sure that when I arrived, I heard one of the tour guides speaking German but I believe that could be a pre-arranged tour as that tour guide wasn’t in the same uniform as the rest of the Jim Thompson staff.

Foliage is very, very dense and lush but it’s cool and airy as you wander around the grounds waiting for the tour to commence. I arrived at 9.10 am and the English tour started at 9.30 am. I presume they were waiting for more visitors to arrive. The tour guide in my group spoke fluent English.

Jim Thompson chose this particular site to build the house as it is next to the canal and in those days and I suppose even today, one of the fastest ways to get anywhere in Bangkok is by boat. Another reason is because the site is opposite the Muslim community village and they were mostly involved in silk weaving.

After the garden tour, our guide showed us a print template (image above) which is the same image as the huge vase below the template. Jim Thompson was very inspired by Thai and Chinese artifacts. There are many antiquities around the house and I was told there are a lot more, displayed on rotation. Not everything in the house is Oriental, there are chandeliers in the small dining room. No photo taking is allowed inside the house and we had to take off our shoes before entering the house proper so as not to damage the marble floor. Bags have to be left in the lockers which is just as well as you wouldn’t want to risk knocking over anything!

The house is actually made up of 6 teak buildings, some of which were originally Thai palaces. Most of the houses were at least two centuries old and transported from as far away as Ayudhya. The red paint on the outside walls os a preservative often found in many old Thai buildings. It took just 6 months to assemble the 6 teak buildings as they were mostly joined together. However, it’s sad to note that Jim Thompson only lived there for 8 years before he disappeared. The house is elevated a full story above ground to avoid flooding during the rainy season.

We were shown his astrological chart and it was predicted that he would experience some misfortune in his 61st year. Sure enough, he disappeared when he was 61 years old so that prediction was definitely accurate. I don’t think I’d like to know my future with such certainty. It’s better to remain in the dark when it comes to fate.

Jim Thompson’s House & Museum is just a stone’s throw from the shopping paradise that is MBK. It’s well worth a visit and I am impressed with how well maintained everything is, including the toilets which look like hotel toilets. Visiting Jim Thompson’s House & Museum is a welcome respite from the never-ending hustle and bustle of busy Bangkok which can get too much even if you are the type who can shop till you drop!