Spy or silk tycoon

Last stop for the day is the Jim Thompson house.

When I first heard that we are coming here I was not really that excited to see some western dudes house. But it was pretty cool, Mr. Jim Thompson, as the guide calls him, was an architect who basically revolutionized the silk industry for Thailand.

He moved here shortly after the second world war after doing his duty for the US army in the war. He then saw the potential of silk and was the first person to market silk from Thailand in the US. This not only made him a very wealthy man in Thailand but also did wonders for the Thai economy.

He designed a house thats a hybrid between western and thai building styles and he collected all sorts buddha art.

Here is the kicker, he mysteriously disappeared about 50 years ago somewhere in Malaysia whilst on holiday with friends. There are several theories about his disappearance, the one I think is most plausible is that he was a US spy and his time in Thailand was over.

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