Two Bangkok Museums: The Royal Thai Navy Museum and the Jim Thompsom HousePrepared by Harold Stephens
Travel Correspondent for Thai Airways International
On the way to Muang Boran (the ancient city) at Samut Prakan you could be forgiven for passing The Royal Thai Navy Museum without noticing that it’s there. The only thing that may catch your attention as you speed past in a taxi is the large twin-engine amphibious aircraft that is on display outside the museum. If you do manage to get your taxi driver to stop in time so that you can visit the naval museum you will find a few hidden treasures to delight you.
Before I continue telling readers about the Navy Museum, and one other, let me mention that Bangkok is filled with many such tiny museums, each one interesting in its own right. There are currency museums, gun museums, banking museums, hospital museums, wax museums, folk museums and so many more, some of which I have covered in this column. To find them is usually hit and miss. Many are not listed in guidebooks and government pamphlets. Take for example the Philatelic Museum, for stamp enthusiasts. If you are aboard the Sky Train heading towards Mo Chit, at the Saphan Khwai stop, out of the left window, you will see the name high up on the side of a building. At ground level you might even miss it.
Now, getting back to the Royal Thai Navy Museum, I didn’t expect to find what I did. It proved to be quite interesting, especially for some one like me who fancies ships and sailing.
On entering the museum you will need to get a visitors pass from the marine on guard duty at the gate. When I visited the museum recently it was immediately apparent that they do not get many visitors except perhaps the odd school trip. I was with a friend and we were, in fact, the only visitors. The attendants had to turn on the lights especially for us.
After pausing to admire the amphibious aircraft on display outside we entered the ground floor. This display area housed a variety of miscellaneous items including old bits off ships such as bells, binnacles, compasses, steering wheels, and would you believe, even an old rickshaw. There was a nice display of paintings showing the history of the Thai navy and a small collection of antique pole arms. The main problem here was that there were no signs in English to explain the various items and pictures on display. But some of the attendants did speak English and they were helpful.
In the next room there was an excellent collection of small arms, cannon and assorted weaponry. This was exactly the sort of thing that my friend who was with me enjoyed, his profession being fencing master and teacher. I couldn't get Tony away from his swords; and then he found a machinegun and for ten minutes played soldier. The last area of the ground floor houses, amongst other items, a couple of very attractive antique royal barges that are beautifully and intricately carved.
Moving upstairs there is a large-scale model display of the Royal Barge procession. There are also a number of large-scale models of various historic Thai ships that show the different styles right back to the age of sail. People who enjoy making models may find inspiration here.
On display in this section are some traditional Thai navy uniforms that obviously date back to the turn of the century. They are brightly colored with the traditional seamen trousers, vests and waistcoats. There is also a small display of carved wooden figureheads that were actually used by ships in the past. There is a fine display of the modern Thai navy vessels with some of the battles that they have fought down through the years.
For people who are interested in scuba diving there is also a small display of old diving equipment and diving helmets.
For me the charm of this museum is the fact that it is so quiet. This means that one can get close to the displays unlike in many other museums where you have to fight your way through hosts of screaming kids and teachers shouting warnings.
Then we come to a museum that just about every visitor who comes to Bangkok is told he must see. It’s the Jim Thompson House, often called The House on the Klong. It is one of Bangkok’s most famous private residences, turned museum and open to the pubic. The interest in the house is much more than its architectural design and traditional Thai construction; it’s much about the man who created it and who has become a legend in Thailand. But first, let me tell you something about the man, the legend and the myth. It involves one of the great mysteries of Asia.
James H.W. Thompson, an OSS officer, came to Thailand with the US forces during World War ll. The OSS was the forerunner of the CIA, and Captain Thompson was an agent. All would have been well, and ended well, had he not fallen in love with Thailand and everything Thai, the culture, the architecture, the art, the customs, the easy way of life, the people. He travelled widely up country to the borders of Laos and Burma. Sometimes, he was away from Bangkok for weeks. He made many friends, some of whom were in influential positions.
While still in the service, Thompson began to make plans to return to Thailand. After his discharge he did just that. He returned to Thailand determined to begin a new life. He was an architect before the war and, seeing possibilities in restoring the old run-down Oriental Hotel, he bought a quarter share in the hotel and moved in. But his expectations of making his mark in the hotel business were short lived. He had been married when he went off to war but now, when he returned home and told his wife about his plans for a hotel in Bangkok, she wanted no part of it. They divorced and Thompson returned, alone, to Bangkok. But all did not go well. He had a disagreement with one of the partners, Madam Kruel, a French lady, and resigned from the partnership; however, he continued to live at the Oriental for the following year.
But now what was he to do?
Thompson hit upon an idea. When he was travelling around Thailand, he became deeply intrigued by the bright colours of local-made odd bits and pieces of Thai silk* and by the methods by which the weavers produced the cloth. It was an ancient industry in Thailand but one which had almost died by competition from cheap fabrics imported from Europe and Japan. There were only a mere handful of weavers left in Thailand so perhaps he could market Thai silk!
He invested $100 and bought up enough samples to fill a suitcase. In 1947 he took the suitcase with him to New York where he was introduced to the editor of Vogue, Mrs. Chase. When she saw the samples she was so impressed that she asked Thompson to leave the suitcase with her for a few weeks. She then persuaded a top New York designer to make a Thai silk dress which was photographed and appeared in Vogue, giving credit to Jim Thompson’s silk of Thailand. The success of Thai silk was immediate.
Thompson liked to explore the villages in northern Thailand and on such trips he began to take a collector’s interest in Thai art, mostly old temple paintings on silk, word carvings and Buddhist sculpture. He bought up pieces; and when his collection grew, he no longer had room to house them all. So, he built a house which has become one of Bangkok’s famous residences to this day.
Jim Thompson’s museum-like home became the showpiece of the Thai capital. What he did was buy three old Thai houses upcountry and reassemble them on a piece of property he purchased along a small klong in the heart of the city. He used traditional Siamese architectural forms which had not been used for years. The houses were constructed of carved teak. The changes he incorporated into these 19th century buildings were interior corridors, a staircase, and modern bathrooms, but they retained the high ceilings for the free flow of air. He had open, screened porches, spreading verandahs with flowers and Chinese porcelains and lush green gardens. In the gardens were henna trees, hibiscus and gardenias. Brilliant lorikeets and a white cockatoos gave magnificent colour to the place.
Not all the art collection was Thai. There were Burmese lacquer, Cambodian bronzes, Ming pottery, Belgian glass and Victorian crystal chandeliers, set off against warm teak walls and red painted ceilings.
At the height of his career and fame, in 1967, he went with a friend to spend the Easter holiday weekend with their mutual friends at their home in the Malaysian highland. Here he mysteriously disappeared, never to be seen or heard from again. He simply vanished and left no trace.
The Jim Thompson silk business grew, and with each passing year his house became more and more popular, and the legend continues to perpetuate itself. The house is open for all who want to see it. The speculation as to what happened to him is anyone’s guess.
Apart from Thompson's splendid art collection and personal belongings exhibited here at the Thompson House, the rooms were arranged to reflect the life of Thai people in former times. The garden, featuring various native Thai flowers, is maintained in a natural way to reflect Thai art and living culture.
Jim Thompson built another Thai teak house in Bangkok for his friend Connie Mangskau, the lady who was with him when he disappeared in the Malaysian jungle. In time, Connie’s house became famous, almost as famous as Thomson’s house. When Connie passed away a few years back, the house was sold, dismantled and sold, and had become another mystery. That will be another story for another time. However, Connie’s granddaughter MaryAnne Stanislaw is soon to publish a book about her great grandmother. Also, in my latest book, “The Strange Disappearance of Jim Thompson, and Other Stories of Expats in Southeast Asia,” I have written about Thompson in more detail. Although I had only met him once, I did get to know many of the people involved in his strange disappearance, and I have written about them and other events that have taken place since then.
The Jim Thompson House is located at 6 Kasemsan, 2 Lane Rama I Road in Bangkok. It is open daily 9 am to 4:30 pm, and has tours in English, French and Japanese.
Next week I will take readers to a Khmer ruin called Preah Vihear. For those who would like to visit Angkor Wat in Cambodia but don’t have the time, this might be the solution. It’s an easy access from Bangkok. QUESTIONS & ANSWERSQ. Dear Mr. Stephens, I enjoyed very much your article last week on the SEA Write Awards and found it very informative. You rightfully gave credit to the two major sponsors, Thai Airways International and The Oriental Hotel. But I think to be fair, there are other sponsors that should be mentioned, aside from THAI and The Oriental: The current Organising Committee is chaired by M.R. Sukhumbhand Paribatra. Committee members include Presidents the PEN Club of Thailand, and the Writers’ Association of Thailand; Bangkok Bank; American Express; Sangsom Group; The Rex Morgan Foundation; Heritage International Limited; Chumbhot-Pantip Foundation; Bank of Thailand; Toshiba Thailand; Export-Import Bank of Thailand; British Gas Asia Pacific; Srithai Superware; and World Travel Service. —Anonymous
A. Dear Ananymous, Thank you very much for pointing out that the S..A.W. Awards are sponsored by several other companies aside from Thai Airway and The Oriental Hotel. I am printing you letter as received. —HS
Harold Stephens
Bangkok
E-mail: ROH Weekly Travel (booking@inet.co.th)
Note: The article is the personal view of the writer and does not necessarily reflect the view of Thai Airways International Public Company Limited. | 
