National Museum and Jim Thompson House #24

I purchased a two-day post-extension, and on the first day, I decided to take a taxi to the National Museum. This is Thailand’s premier museum and offers a great introduction to Thai history, ranging from pre-history to the modern era.  It includes some priceless objects such as the Ramkhamhaeng Stone inscribed with the earliest extant example of the Thai script. Their collection of Buddhist art from different periods is impressive. 

For dinner, I ate at the International restaurant again. I had a curried beef stew with steamed rice and pickled cucumber (I think).   I have never been too fond of curry dishes, but I had curry several times on this trip, and liked them. 

The next day, Viking was nice enough to drive me at no cost to Jim Thompson’s House, which is the last site that I visited on this trip.   This was an easy and relaxing thing to do on the last day, and  DK Travel Guides list Jim Thompson’s House as one of the top ten sites in Bangkok.  Jim Thompson, an American who came to Bangkok in 1945, is credited with having revived the Thai art of silk weaving.

The branch of Jim Thompson Silk that is located on the grounds of the house sells many small items, such as ties and purses.  Live silk worms in a basket.......

For dinner on the last night, I went to the Italian restaurant and had a pizza and a few beers; the thin-crust pizza with ham, artichokes, onions, and black olives was very good.   Maybe I am getting homesick, but I was in the mood for a pizza.

We departed the Shangri-La Hotel at 3:00 a.m.  I had previously arranged for a taxi service on Amelia Island (where I live) to pick me up at the home airport.   By the time I arrived home, it was about 5 minutes before midnight; this is about half an hour later than originally scheduled.

We hope that you have enjoyed this blog.  Follow us in mid-November, 2015, for a Christmas cruise down the Danube River. 



Photos belong to Phil Bianco