Bangkok, City Safari

Today was ‘city safari’ day and our last day in Bangkok. Mr. Ed and a new driver gathered us up from the Ariyasom for the drive into the center of Bangkok and the Jim Thompson House.

Jim Thompson was an important character in Bangkok and Thai history. An American, he revitalized and commercialized the Thai silk design industry. He fell in love with Thai culture and art while posted to the country during WWII as an officer in the OSS, the precursor to the CIA. His life is the stuff of legend partly due to his mysterious disappearance while hiking in Malaysia in 1967. Theories included losing his way in the jungle, a ‘CIA kill’, communist guerilla abduction, jealous lover, and even an alien abduction.

The Jim Thompson House is a museum and cultural center in Bangkok. The house sits amidst beautiful gardens and is of traditional Thai architecture. It is filled with Thompson’s extensive collection of art, carvings and silk displays.

After leaving the Thompson House, we took a narrow boat on one of the canals to the Grand Palace. These canal boats are great as they bypass the city’s clogged roads. Cheap too!

The Grand Palace is a complex of buildings which has been the official residence of the Kings of Siam (now Thailand) since 1782. Royal ceremonies & state functions are still held there. It is divided into several quarters including the Temple of Emerald Buddha. The Buddha wears different clothing based on the season. It was clothed in ‘rainy season’ garb during our visit. The King is the one who changes the seasonal garb.

Nearby the Grand Palace is Wat Pho, also known as the ‘Temple of the Reclining Buddha’. Wat Pho was built in the 16^th century by King Rama I and is the oldest & largest of the Bangkok temples.

The ‘Reclining Buddha’ is one big Buddha! It’s some 46 meters long and 15 meters high and is the largest reclining Buddha image in Bangkok. Gold leaf covers the image, and the soles of the Buddha are inlaid with mother-of-pearl. The entire temple complex was incredible.