the best for last

Tucked away at the end of a side street, away from the maddening noise of the traffic and the bustle of commerce you'll find an oasis called the Jim Thompson House. The house is actually a collection of several teak houses which were relocated to Bangkok in 1959 by the American architect Jim Thompson. Intelligence work brought Thompson to Asia in WWII and he returned to make his home in Thailand after the war. Working closely with local silk weavers he revitalized the Thai silk trade. An avid collector of Asian arts and crafts, he filled his glorious teak house with his finds. His own story is mysterious. He disappeared without a trace while in Malaysia and his remains were never discovered. The house is now a museum and even though I have visited it a few times, it's always on my list of must-sees.








The house backs on the khlong or canal and Thompson's place is covered by the large Flamboyant Tree on the right side of this photo. His weavers lived on the left side and he would have gone across the khlong by boat to see his weavers.

There were many canals until the 1960s but they have gradually been filled in and roads take their place. This khlong is very extensive and is part of the Saen Saep ferry system and it wasn't long before one of the boats came blasting up the khlong sending a large wake slapping up the canal side walls.

The ticket takers are wearing brimmed hard hats. Probably to protect their noggins from over hanging tree branches.