Meet Mr. Thompson

While in Thailand you might see the name Jim Thompson gracing shops, restaurants, hotels and even museums.  He seems to be everywhere!  So who is this man?

A sign outside one of Mr. Thompson's restaurants in Bangkok.

Jim Thompson, born James Harrison Wilson Thompson, was a U.S. citizen who travelled the world because of his work with the C.I.A.  Spending time in Bangkok, Mr. Thompson fell in love with the city and the potential that he saw around him.

Mr. Thompson's garden in Bangkok.  Look at all that beauty.

Around this time Thai Silk was a dying art.  Not many people wanted silk.  It was hand-woven, which made it more expensive than machine-made fabrics.  Jim Thompson was a risk taker and he knew that the natural beauty and brilliance of Thai Silk would attract buyers around the world if he got the colours and patterns right.  People went crazy for his brightly coloured silks and his weaving company took off.

Colourful silk banners hanging all around Jim Thompson's garden.

A closer look at one of the silk banners.

Photo: Laura Muir

Living in Thailand, Jim Thompson, who was also an architect, built many homes across the country.  One of these homes is the famous Jim Thompson House in Bangkok.  This residence is made up of five different houses that were brought in from around the country and put together like a giant puzzle to make up one large home.  Jim Thompson only lived in this house for a few years, but the building remains furnished with all its original pieces.  It is now considered a museum and people from all over the world come to see the house and the art collection inside.

Admiring Jim Thompson's House in Bangkok.  Can you see the different houses stuck together?

Photo: Laura Muir

A great deal of mystery surrounds Jim Thompson and how he spent his final years.  When he was 61 he went to Malaysia to visit some friends, and one day decided to go on a hike in the jungle on his own.  He was never seen again.  Even with him gone, his company lives on and continues to bring Thai Silk to people around the world.

Have you ever felt silk?  Take a look around your house and see if you can find anything that is made out of silk.  Run your hand over it.  What does it feel like?

Sharing Ideas Around the Globe

Dear Boys and Girls,

In all my travelling around I have had a chance to see what happens when people from different cultures come together with open minds and share ideas with each other in a positive and friendly way.  The result is beautiful!

 

A European mansion in Phuket Town.

In Old Town Phuket, a good example of this sharing can be seen in historical houses that line the streets.  Built in a Sino-Portuguese style, these houses are a mix of Chinese (the Sino part) and Portuguese architecture.  A long time ago, Chinese citizens worked in Phuket in the tin mining industry and the Portuguese came as visitors interested in the work that they were doing.  During these visits, ideas were exchanged and one of the things the Portuguese showed the Chinese workers was how they liked to build their homes back in Portugal.  The Chinese liked what they were shown and they started to build their houses in Phuket just like them, but still with a Chinese touch.

The buildings along Thalang, Krabi and Debouk Road are all excellent examples of the
sharing that happened between the Chinese and the Portuguese.

These Sino-Portuguese buildings were built so that residents could both work and live in the same structure.  Your shop would be downstairs, and the rest of the building would be your home. 

You can find this kind of fusion (when two cultures come together and share ideas) in cooking, language, music, and just about anything else you can think of.  Can you remember a time when you shared an idea with a friend and worked together to produce some "fusion" of your own?

Can't wait to hear all about your sharing,
Mr. P

The White and Blue Cyclades

All the white and blue buildings overlooking the water.

The first thing you will notice when you see pictures of the Greek islands is that all the buildings look similar, they are all painted white with blue details (doors, shutters and sometimes roofs).  On some islands it was the law to paint your house white and blue, there was no other choice.  Why is this so?  Well there are a few stories about why all the houses are white and blue, the first one is a romantic story.  Some people say that these are the colours Greeks paint their houses on the islands because they are the two colours in the Greek flag.  Everyone is so proud of being Greek, they use the colours as symbols of their pride and unity. 

Here is a little path lined with restaurants.  Even the tables and chairs are white or blue.

There is a more scientific explanation about the paint choices.  The Cyclades get very hot in the summer, and in Science we learned that dark colours absorb heat and light colours reflect it.  So knowing this it would make sense to paint your house white if you wanted to keep it cool during the hot summer months. 

Schools, hotels, shops and churches (all buildings) are painted in the same way.

The last story is a pratical one.  The houses are painted white and blue because it makes them easier to clean.  A whitewash is used on the main building, and a lavender wash (producing a blueish colour) is used on the trim.  Which one is the true reason, we might never know.  I personally think the people of Greece paint their houses white and blue because it looks beautiful.  Isn't that a good enough reason?



You can see how the buildings look under their water paint.  Don't they look nicer all white?