Jim Thompson House, Bangkok

One of the best museums in Bangkok for sure. We arrived, paid for our tickets and were promptly guided to get our tour information (we weren’t aware that this was included!). We strolled around the beautiful area for about half an hour before our tour started. Our guide was great and informative, the tour lasted about 35 minutes. The houses and gardens are gorgeous, really well taken care of. I think it’s clear how much Jim Thompson meant to Thailand, just being here you really gain a feel of the intense respect and appreciation fostered between him and this country. We spent a relaxed 2.5 hours here, including drinks at the Bar which were fantastic! Especially the mojito :)

My wife and I lived with our daughters in Malaysia for many years. We visited Cameron Highlands a few times and stayed twice in the area where Thompson disappeared. On this trip to Bangkok from Hanoi (where we live now), we decided to see the house he designed and assembled as well as his art collection. Having researched the man's colorful life, I thoroughly enjoyed the 35-min tour. The guide, Mary, was knowledgeable and spoke perfect English. My wife, less the history enthusiast, was also pleased. She was enamored at seeing the actual extraction of silk threads from the moth pupae. We waited about 30 minutes for our turn to tour with Mary. Then post-tour, we had a nice lunch at the restaurant: pomelo salad with prawns, mushroom soup, and Thai iced milk tea. Tasty! As we left, a brief visit to the store convinced us we did not really need any of the silk ties, shirts, dresses, etc. -- a bit pricey. Worth it for some shoppers, but definitely not outlet store bargains.