Jim Thompson’s House

Took the Skytrain today to the National Stadium stop to see Jim Thompson’s House. Jim Thompson was an American who came to Bangkok in the 1940s and became very successful in the Thai silk industry. His house is famous for its historical value. It’s actually a series of six traditional Thai houses that Jim bought in other parts of Thailand and had moved here. He then linked them into one impressive home. The scale is relatively standard and you can actually see it as having been a real home. But the design and the finishings and the artifacts are stunning. The house is almost entirely made of teak. The floors are Italian marble. Lots of Chinese artifacts from the 16th and 17th centuries. You can’t take pictures inside the house and you can only see the houses via a guided tour, so I learned a few interesting things –

• Traditional Thai houses are often on stilts to protect the house from flooding. Jim Thompson’s House is on stilts but Jim filled the first floor with statues and paintings.




• You often have to step up and over a low wooden barrier – maybe 8 or 10 inches high. These barriers are meant to keep bad spirits out of the room, since bad sprits are believed to travel along the floor.
  

Like so many things in Bangkok, the house is packed in pretty tightly, so it’s hard to get good photos. Here are a few of the house and the surrounding gardens.

Jim Thompson’s House is on the Klong Saen Saeb – “klong” means canal in Thai. Bangkok once had lots of canals, but many of them were paved over as the city grew. However, in a few places they still exist and people use them as a convenient way to get around. There are canal boats which travel back and forth all day long – as commuter boats for people in the neighborhood.

The boat pulls into a landing. You jump on – and quickly. No dilly-dallying. Then, the boat takes off. There are blue plastic tarps on the sides and the passengers pull them up to protect themselves from the spray. These boats really move! Girls – they look like they are maybe 16 or 17 years old – walk along the outside of the boat and make sure that everyone pays. You tell them where you’re going, they tell you the price, money gets passed back and forth, and you get a ticket with your change. All while the boat is rolling and flying along down the canal. Definitely a fun way to get across town.