Thai Silk King

Former OSS (forerunner to the CIA) agent Jim Thompson came to Thailand after WWII and single-handedly set up the Thai silk industry--still arguably Thailand's most important industry. He loved Thai art and built a magnificent traditional Thai style home in Bangkok and furnished it with many precious Southeast Asian historical art pieces. His home today is a museum. Jim Thompson silk is Thailand's best silk and his name is a household word in Thailand. We visited the Jim Thompson museum. Here we are sitting on his doorstep.


Here Kyoko stands in the main entrance way to Thompson's home.



Here I am standing next to a huge (and valuable) jade statue of the Chinese god Guan Gong, carved by hand. We visited the Museum of Jade, which was actually a very high-end store to sell jade jewelry. I was impressed with the size and quality of this piece.

Later.