Tourist attractions of Bangkok

The Jim Thompson House is the home of James H.W. Thompson, a self-made American entrepreneur who was the founder of the world renowned Jim Thompson Thai Silk Company. Thompson's achievements during his 25 year stay in the Kingdom of Thailand have won him much fame as the "Legendary American of Thailand".

Jim Thompson in his house, with Cocky, his pet white cockatoo.
For his contribution to the development of the Thai Silk industry, Jim Thompson was awarded the Order of the White Elephant, a decoration bestowed upon foreigners for having rendered exceptional service to Thailand. Thompson's success story in Thailand has become one of the most popular postwar legends of Asia.

In 1967, Jim Thompson went on holiday with friends to the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia. There he set out for a walk in the surrounding jungle but never returned. Thus began the Jim Thompson legend.

Since his disappearance in 1967, little has changed in the home that was the 'talk of the town' and the 'city's most celebrated social center'. Even today, the charming Thai style house continues to be a key stop for visitors to Bangkok.

Both the supporting columns and consequently, the walls of the house lean slightly inward adding to the illusion of height and grace. The curved roof ends, characteristic of traditional Thai houses, are probably adaptations of naga (serpent) motifs.



The house consists of a complex of six traditional Thai-style houses, teak structures that were purchased from several owners and brought to the present location from various parts of Thailand. Construction of the Thai house was completed in 1959.



Original architectural drawings for the house, prepared by Thompson and his Thai architect.
During construction, carpenters were brought from Ayutthaya to assemble the old structures.

The Erawan Shrine is a Hindu shrine in Bangkok, Thailand that houses a statue of Phra Phrom, the Thai representation of the Hindu creation god Brahma. A popular tourist attraction, it often features performances by resident Thai dance troupes, who are hired by worshippers in return for seeing their prayers at the shrine answered. On March 21, 2006, a man vandalised the shrine and was subsequently killed by bystanders.

The shrine is located by the Grand Hyatt Erawan hotel, at the Ratchaprasong intersection of Ratchadamri Road and in Pathum Wan district, Bangkok, Thailand. It is near the Bangkok Skytrain's Chitlom Station, which has an elevated walkway overlooking the shrine. The area has many shopping malls nearby, including Gaysorn, CentralWorld and Amarin Plaza.

The Erawan Shrine was built in 1956 as part of the government-owned Erawan Hotel to correct bad omens believed to be caused by laying the foundations on the wrong date.

Construction of the hotel was delayed by a series of mishaps, including cost overruns, injured laborers and the loss of a shipload of Italian marble intended for the building. In addition, the Ratchaprasong Intersection had been used in years past to put criminals on display.

An astrologer was brought in to provide solution to the bad luck, hence the shrine. The Brahma statue was designed and built by the Department of Fine Arts and enshrined on 9 November 1956.

The hotel construction then proceeded without problem. In 1987, the hotel was demolished and the site used for the Grand Hyatt Erawan Hotel.