Jim Thompson House

(Katherine) We started the day with our 4th trip to the hospital to check on my infected eye. Another new doctor, but this one was very nice and was happy to report that the size of my abrasion had reduced - hurray! He set up yet another appointment for tomorrow with a cornea specialist (sigh) but at least I’m making positive progress. Another positive note from this trip downtown came in the form of a wonderful new restaurant discovery just around the corner. It was called Derby King, and the only patrons were locals (a.k.a. we were the only white people there). The food was delicious and prices were the cheapest we have seen in a real sit-down restaurant. We stuffed ourselves silly for less than $8.

Our next mission was have a “cultural experience”, and unfortunately our map provided some misleading information which lead to a 45 minute walk in blazing sun and humidity - yuck. After making several wrong turns, we finally made our way to the Jim Thompson House. Jim was an American who fell in love with Bangkok during the war and decided to live here permanently and revive the art of hand weaving silk. His prints became famous after they were featured in the movie “The King and I” and also featured in Vogue Magazine. To create his famous home, he took 6 individual teak buildings and assembled them in into one large house in which he both resided and offered tours which benefited Thai charities. In 1967, Jim went for a walk in the woods in Malaysia and was never seen or heard from again.

It’s a sad story, but what he left behind is truly magnificent - a gorgeous red structure filled with rare Buddha statues, exclusive porcelain dishes, handcrafted furniture, and tapestries which are several centuries old. We also learned that when you evaluate a tapestry, you should not only be trying to depict the story it tells; you should also look for the one small unfinished detail. Buddhist believe that you should never truly complete a work of art, because the act of completion is symbolic to the end of life. Therefore, they would always leave an unfinished face, eye, or perhaps a missing finger.

Once we left the house, we decided to indulge in a traditional Thai mode of transportation, a tuk-tuk. These are basically scooters which pull a wagon with seats, and the entire structure is covered by a roof. You see them all over town and they really try to prey on tourists and charge ridiculous prices. However, since we now know the proper taxi rates we were able to negotiate a fair deal before we got in the vehicle. I have to admit, they are quite delightful! They zip through traffic with their horns blazing, so it’s definitely not a means of transportation for the faint of heart. We found it quite exhilarating and will probably be taking a couple more during our stay.

Once back in our neighborhood we enjoyed a dip in our rooftop pool, and then ventured out for some dinner. We attempted a new roadside “shack” but the food just didn’t compare to our favorite place, so we returned to our place for a second meal. It was then time for a little pampering - I finally got a much needed pedicure for about $7, and Robert indulged in a foot massage. We ended the evening at one of our favorite bars, Sawasdee House, where we enjoyed some great Deep House music in the background. Robert also gave into something that has been tempting him since we arrived. Little old ladies walk around with wooden frogs which sound like they are “ribbeting” when you run a wooden mallet down their back. Robert has been obsessed with them since he first heard one, so when he was approached by a particularly adorable lady he had to give in and purchase one. I am proud to say that his negotiating skills earned him a very fair price for his beloved frog!