Jim Thompson House, Phaya Thai Khwaeng

Amongst the rush and roar of the traffic of Bangkok Jim Thompsons home provides something of a 'Wat' ( temple) like experience. Myself and my daughter jumped off the sky train and saw signs to the silk entrepreneurs home. With great ease we came to the entrance in only a matter of minutes which can be a welcome relief when one has so oft to get lost down a few 'soi's (Thai neighbourhoods) An instant calm decends over you whilst paying your entrance fee which is nominal and children are free. Once assigned to your tour group you have around 20 mins or so before your tour starts. This is ample time to wander around the small and beautiful tropical garden, admire the pristine upkeep of the plants and flowers and soak up the tranquility and release the rush of the city. The tour guide is informative and full of genuine smiles. The house is an architectural marvel for its time and the detail that Thompson applied inside and out is understated contemporary chic. Every room is a pandoras box of ancient ecelctic antiquities. The various statues of Buddah around the home compound the humble and compelling atmosphere. The highlight was the Master bedroom complete with a set of photographs of the man himself only months before his disappearance in Malaysia in 1967. You leave feeling priviliged to have had the insight into a remarkable man and inspiring home. When he disappeared the house was left to his nephew who donated it to a private government trust which is why we can see it today, a real gem, a total must see in Bangkok.