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Saturday, 18 February 2023 This morning we headed to Jim Thompson's House - which we thought strange in Bangkok after all the temples we visited yesterday. It turned out to be a real treat.

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A spirit house is a shrine to the protective spirit of the house.
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At the back of the spirit house are the statues of the protective spirits.
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The Jim Thompson House is a museum housing the art collection of American businessman and architect Jim Thompson, the museum designer and former owner. Built in 1959, the home is on a half an acre.
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Following his relocation to Bangkok and the establishment of the Thai Silk Company Ltd. in 1948, Thompson also became a major collector of Southeast Asian art, which was not well known among Westerners at the time.
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Attracted by the subtlety of Southeast Asia craftsmanship and expression, Thompson built a large collection of historical Buddhist statues and traditional Thai paintings made of wood, cloth, and paper that depicted the life of Buddha.
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Jim Thompson was an officer at the OSS, a pre-cursor to the CIA, stationed in Thailand during World War II. After the conflict ended, he stayed in the country to work on a new business plan.

In 1947, he sent bolts of vibrant, hand-woven Thai silks to fashion heavyweights in New York City, including then-editor of Vogue, Edna Woolman Chase. Orders from notable houses flooded in, revitalizing the near-dead Thai silk industry and making Thompson quite a wealthy man.
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He was granted the Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant from the royal family which is the only exalted order granted to foreigners who helped Thailand.
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There is much mystery on the disappearance of Jim Thompson. Thompson disappeared from Malaysia's Cameron Highlands while going for a walk on Sunday, 26 March 1967.

No evidence on his whereabouts has been discovered. His connections to the CIA and the ongoing conflict in Vietnam fuel many conspiracy theories.
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We then went to the Chatuchak Weekend Market for lunch and shopping. A very large - over 15,000 stalls. And crowded with an average of 200,000 visitors every weekend.
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Honey combs for sale.
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A hallway in the stall area focused on flowers.
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Virginia Ann enjoying shopping in the Chatuchak Weekend Market.
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Lamps for sale.
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Just outside the market was a common site - electric wire nests.
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Virginia Ann and Cal at dinner.

We enjoyed the Shangri La hotel in Bangkok - we ate at the Thai restaurant on the banks of the Chao Phraya River.
Every night during dinner there was a different show of Thai dancers.
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Cal and Virginia Ann with a rare selfie at the hotel.
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The view from our room of the lights on Chao Phraya River.
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