While I was in Cameron Highlands with the family a few months ago, the story of Jim Thompson cropped up.
Since the kids are older now, they tend to be more fascinated with stories, histories and folklore instead of just having fun while on trips. It gives me a good opportunity to also get to know more about a place. It is fun to investigate and research as a family.
Jim Thompson, born March 21, 1906 in Greenville, Delaware, was an American architect who helped revitalize Thailand's silk and textile industry in the 1950s and 1960s. Thompson, previously a member of the CIA, disappeared mysteriously after going for an afternoon walk on Easter Sunday in Cameron Highlands on March 26th, 1967.
Jim Thompson was on a quiet trip to the highlands to visit some friends and the fact that he left his cigarettes and a small silver 'jungle box' on the chair outside Moonlight Cottage where he was staying suggests that he had not planned to be gone for long. Thompson was never seen again, and the theories for his disappearance are many. Many believe that he was kidnapped for his previous involvement in spying activities. However it is more likely that he was eaten by a tiger, murdered in a botched robbery or fell into an animal trap. What happened to him still remains one of the unsolved mysteries of Southeast Asia.
So, as a family we decided to retrace his trail in the jungle.
Due to the location of where he was on that day plus the fact that he didn't plan to go for a long trek as he left his cigarettes, it is generally accepted that he most probably took the No. 3 trail. Here are some photos.
