Into the outskirts

My second day out and about, I went to Jim Thompson's house.

Jim Thompson was an American architect and agent for the CIA that came over to Thailand in the 50's. He fell in love with the people and the culture, so he stayed. He discovered the cottage industry of silk weaving, which was a struggling business and didn't have any global exposure. He began to develop and promote it, even taking samples of silk fabrics to the editors of Vogue magazine. 

On the wall is a plate that they used to make patterned sarongs. The vase in the middle is flanked by two Chinese garden stools. They are hollow and have vents cut in to the sides. In the winter, people would place coals inside the stool to warm the seat and thus their bums

He founded a silk company and his products were ordered by designers all over the world. They also used his silk in the stage and screen productions of The King and I and Ben-Hur. So, needless to say, he did a great deal for promoting the silk industry and creating a prosperous export for the Thai people. They seem to have a lot of love and appreciation for him. 

Unfortunately, he disappeared without a trace during an afternoon stroll while on holiday in Malaysia in 1967. An extensive search was mounted, but no clue was ever found as to what happened. 

His property and business were left to his nephew. His nephew donated his house to the people of Thailand as a museum and it has been beautifully preserved. 

This is the center section of the house. He took five traditional huts and joined them together to create a building with three separate living spaces, connected by indoor hallways. This was unusual for Thai culture, as sections of houses were traditionally connected by outdoor walkways. 

He began to collect antiques from all over Thailand as well as surrounding countries in an effort to preserve them and protect them from destruction. His house is filled with his impressive collection. 

The inside of the center section, his living room. Most of the furniture in the house is antique. He used the two far windows in this section to create panels to display 12th century statues of hindu gods.

(I didn't take this photo) He also spent a lot of time at local markets, buying interesting pieces. He purchased the doors seen here at a local market. They originally belonged to a Chinese pawn shop. 

This is a spirit house. Pretty much every Thai building, be it business or residence, has one on its property. Thai people believe that spirits inhabit pieces of land. Therefore, if you build on that land, you have to provide a house for the spirit. And then you make offerings of flowers, food, incense or small trinkets to the spirit. 

It is a lovely museum with breath-taking art and furniture. I fell in love with the house, I wish that I could have lived there. Maybe some day I can build one  using his as an inspiration. 

The original boat landing for the house. There is a canal
on the other side of the iron fence

After leaving the JT house, I decided to make my way to the outlet store run by JT's company. I read a tip somewhere that the outlet had more reasonable prices and I thought I'd see what I could find.

I had to walk back to the Skytrain station and then ride the train out to the outskirts of Bangkok. Here are a few snaps from my walk to the train...

Below is the Erwan Shrine.  It houses Phra Phrom, the Thai representation of the Hindu creation god Brahma. It is located in front of the Erwan Grand Hyatt, close to our hotel. When they were building the Grand Hyatt, they were plagued with problems: construction workers dying, budget issues, delays etc. A Thai astrologer told the developers that they needed to build this shrine if they wanted their troubles to stop. So they did. After they did, no more workers died and the hotel became prosperous. 

In the top, left corner, you can see traditional Thai dancers. Some people, after their wish has been granted, hire traditional dancers to entertain the deity as a way of giving thanks.

Since then, people have been coming to the shrine and offering gifts to Phra Phrom in hopes that he will grant their wish. A famous actress from Hong Kong, who was having trouble conceiving, traveled to the shrine in order to ask for a child. Her wish was apparently granted as she became pregnant soon after her return to Hong Kong.

In 2006, a mentally disturbed man smashed the statue of Phra Phrom with a hammer. The witnesses then beat him to death for defacing the shrine. 

Vendors show up early in the morning and spend the whole day selling flower garlands, incense and trinkets to use as offerings. Every time I pass the shrine, it is full of people, all bowing and offering their gifts and wishes. 

Bradley Cooper loves Haagen Dazs

The view as I walked down the stairs from the Skytrain

I finally reached the outlet and made some purchases for friends and family, plus a pretty silk scarf for myself as a souvenir. As I made my way back to the train station, I noticed a particularly bustling side street and decided to explore. 

It was around dinner time and all of the street vendors were preparing the evening meal.

As I walked, I saw this little girl toddle out of a store, towards the street, with her grandmother in hot pursuit. The grandmother picked the little girl up and smiled at me, encouraging the little girl to say hi to me as I smiled and waved at her. The little girl looked at me and shyly pressed her hands together in front of her face and bowed her little head slightly. My heart melted and I pressed my hand to my heart, smiled broadly and returned the gesture. I pointed to my camera and asked the grandmother if it was ok and she said yes, so I snapped a quick shot of them.

This pot of soup smelled delicious

A peek inside an abandoned building

I rode the Skytrain back in to town, feeling hot and sweaty but exhilarated by my encounter with the lovely people and amazing food. As I stepped out of the station, it started to shower and I walked back to the hotel smiling, relishing the glorious rain.

Here's my dad in a shirt that I got him at the outlet.