Jim Thompson's House
Kanchanaburi -> Bangkok, 3rd April 2002
Beep-beep-beep-beep! My watch alarm rudely awoke me at 5:30am so I
could get up to catch the train. I rolled over, thought about it,
decided I could do it another day, and went back to sleep. I'd had a
late night, so I didn't want to get up early.
By about 10am I was all packed, and ready to go back to Bangkok. I
can take the train directly from Bangkok to Nam Tok at a later date.
It's very cheap, and it can be done in a single day, but for now,
I've got to head north via Bangkok.
As the trains only leave twice a day, it's more convenient to take
an air-con bus from Kanchanaburi to Bangkok. After a quick hunt to
find a samlor driver, I was on my way to the bus station. 2 minutes
down the road, who did I pass? My friend from last night, the guy I
had some drinks & eats with! He's a samlor driver by trade, and he
had another backpacker in his samlor. We chatted for a bit while the
2 vehicles sat at a red light, then we went off in different
directions.
After a 2 hours journey by coach, then another short coach journey,
I was back in Banglamphu, Bangkok. I've decided to stay at the same
place as last time. I must be getting used to Bangkok, because I
found the road pretty quickly & easily.
I spent most of today just walking around a few of the huge shopping
centres in Bangkok. I couldn't buy anything (I'm a budget
traveller!) but it was fun just to do a bit of window shopping.
There are dozens of shopping centres in Bangkok, and I walked
between a few of them.
I also visited 'Jim Thompson's House', a famous tourist attraction
in Bangkok. In a nutshell, Jim Thompson was a New York architect who
ended up in Thailand, due to the War. Jim Thompson discovered the
struggling silk-weavers in Bangkok, who's products were unknown in
the West. He went on to support the Thai silk industry and bring it
the West, with enormous success. He was also very fond of Thai
culture and he built an amazing, traditional Thai style house in
Bangkok. Unfortunately, a few years after it was built, he
disappeared without trace on a jungle walk. His house has been
restored and kept like it was when he was alive, it's a memorial to
him and the great things he did for the Thai people and the silk
industry.
The house is really impressive, it's actually made up of 6 smaller
house and the decor and contents are amazing. Due to his
architectural skills, he did some brilliant, stylish modifications
to his home. I'd love to have a house like that!
Click here
to visit the website for 'Jim Thompson's House'
After that, I went to the cinema to watch the new movie 'In The
Bedroom'. It was a brilliant film, very powerful and moving with
some great acting. I really enjoyed it. As this was my first time in
a Thai cinema, I almost forgot to stand for their National Anthem.
In Thailand, they always play the National Anthem, along with
showing a photo montage of the King before the film starts. You've
got to remember that in Thailand, the Monarchy is highly respected &
loved by the Thai people. Everywhere you go, there are paintings,
pictures and statues of him. Every home, hotel and restaurant seems
to have at least half-a-dozen. Interestingly, there is also a
special form of Thai that is only used when speaking to the King,
not that many people will ever use it!
After the film, because of the really poor & annoying public
transport in Bangkok, I decided to take the long walk back to my
guest-house. I got back at about 10:30pm, then hit the sack.
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