Jim Thompson House in Bangkok

Thailand is renowned for many things. It is considered one of the most popular tourism destinations in the world by both backpackers and luxury travellers, featuring both budget-lodges and luxurious choices such as a Bangkok apartment hotel with examples such as the Chatrium Residence Sathon Bangkok. The country has a captivating history that spans back millennia. One thing the nation is currently most famous for is its silk trade, which would have been non-existent if not for the actions of Jim Thompson, whose house remains as an international attraction.
After becoming one of the most famous men in Asia after revitalising the Thai silk economy, Jim Thompson famous disappeared while taking a walk from the Moonlight Bungalow to the All Souls’ Church. This sparked one of the biggest searches in history, featuring policemen, trackers, mystics, reward hunters and missions, yet his disappearance remains unsolved to this day.
His beautiful house has since become a famed attraction and was converted into a museum to showcase his personal collection of various forms of art. The house is a testament to his love for South-Asian architecture and was built out of the dismantled parts of various vintage up-country houses. Some of these houses were more than a hundred years old. His final masterpiece consists of three separate dwellings that were pieced together to form what is now referred to as the Jim Thompson House.
Once his house was complete, he began to decorate it with the wondrous works of priceless art that he had collected over 30 years, such as blue-and-white Chinese Ming pieces, statues from Burma and a table that once belonged to the legendary King Rama V of Thailand.
The magnificent house and the unique artefacts within make this one of the most essential attractions to experience if you ever find yourself in Thailand.

Roland Lefevre is a travel writer who specializes in creating features on leisure as well as business travel destinations across the globe. Google+