Round The World in 777 Days: 3/2/08

Friday, March 07, 2008

Day 1003 – Bangkok, Thailand

Day 1003 – 6th March 2008 +7:00 GMT

Had a long lie in and headed out just before lunch. We first headed to the Paragon Siam shopping mall and got some lunch then went to the snake farm.

Snake Farm

This is actually a hospital for Venom and toxicology. They create all the snake anti-venoms for Thailand and also send them all over the world. We first had a look around the exhibition and then there was a live show on.

World Health Organistion Snake Research Centre

Python Skeleton

We sat on the tiered seats and the staff told us what they did here and then brought out a 10ft long king cobra. Which is deadly and they just let it go, then spent the next 10 minutes trying to catch it with their hands without getting bitten.

King Cobra

A King Cobra

Spitting Cobra

Cobra

They brought out 5 or 6 different types of snakes all which were deadly and then finally a Burmese python which they let us hang around our necks. We then went and looked at the rest of the snakes in the centre.

At The Snake Farm

Me With A Burmese Python

Water Snakes

At The Snake Farm

We then did some shopping for mosquito repellent and we needed some more Larium (anti-malaria tablets) which our doctor in Australia said we could buy over the counter here. Unfortunately this was wrong and after several trips to different Pharmacies we found out we could only buy it from a hospital. We went to the hospital but we needed a prescription so had to register and have a check up (which I passed with flying colours) and then see a doctor. The doctor prescribed me 16 more weeks of malaria tablets (half for Jill) and we paid which was a quarter of the price we paid in Australia including he cost fo the check-up. We now did a bit of shopping and maybe got a little carried away, with new trainers each and 3 pairs of trousers etc.

A Typical Bangkok Street

Jill At The Night Market

The Night Market

Me At The Night Market

We had some dinner at the night market and then headed back to the hotel for an early night.

Thursday, March 06, 2008

Day 1002 – Bangkok, Thailand

Day 1002 – 5th March 2008 +7:00 GMT

Got the now usual pastries and fruit from the hotel bakery and then made our way to the end of the sky train line and caught a boat up the river to The GrandPalace.

Shrine At Our Hotel

Wiring ?

No Safety Harness

Riverside Apartments

Outside is full of people who say they are volunteers for the palace and tell you it is closed due to a service and to come back after 2:30pm. Then try and get you to take a tuk tuk for 20 baht to allt he temples, which ends up costing several hundred baht and they take you to Gem warehouses etc and try to get you to buy stuff you don’t want. Anyway since reading about these guys we turned them down and headed into the palace. You have to wear long trousers and you should have upto your elbows covered. The palace cost 250 baht each and is amazing to see it a massive area filled with various buildings mostly painted or covered in gold with many mosaic patterns on the walls. In the centre is a temple where you must take off your shoes and when you enter there is an altar and it is full of gold with a Buddha sitting on the top.

Me Outside The Grand Palace

The Grand Palace

Flowers At The Grand Palace

The Grand Palace

The Grand Palace

We spent a couple of hours wandering around the palace and just as we were leaving a load of guards marched in.

Guards At The Grand Palace

Guards At The Grand Palace

We then went back to the docks and had some food then headed back to the hotel for a siesta. We headed out again around 6:30pm and went to the night market. This is an area which from around 7pm has hundreds of market stalls selling clothes, Pirated DVD’s and Thai crafts. The area is famous for the Thai Ladyboys which line the streets and had many popular bars. We had a few drinks and wandered the market for a few hours and then returned to the hotel to watch a movie.

Jill At The Mango Tree

Night In Bangkok

Wednesday, March 05, 2008

Day 1001 – Bangkok, Thailand

Day 1001 – 4th March 2008 +7:00 GMT

Well we started the day off with a pastry from the hotel bakery and then walked to the canal Khlong San Sap and found Jim Thompsons house.

Run Down Building In Centre Of Bangkok

Buildings By Canal

Shrine In Bangkok

Jim Thompson was an American who came to Thailand and started the Thai Silk trade industry. He liked Thailand so much he built a house in Bangkok which comprised of 6 houses all made in a traditional Thai style with Thai materials. Jim Thompson went missing ona trip to Cambodia in 1967 and was never seen again. His house is now open as a museum and all proceeds go to local Thai charities. So we paid 100 baht entry and were immediately put on an English guided tour of the house.

Jim Thompsons House

Shrine At Jim Thompsons House

The tour lasted abut 30 minutes and afterwards we sat in the cafe and had a drink to cool down.

Jill Having a Drink At Jim Thompsons House

We then spent the next few hours wandering the side streets and browsing in several shops and malls. We headed back to the Vietnamese Embassy at 3:30pm and collected out passports and Visa’s with no problems. We then got the skytrain to the end of the line which is next to the river and took the long boat up the river Chao Phraya to the North end of the city.

Docks In Bangkok

Boats On River

Riverside Apartment In Bangkok

Bridge Painters - Note The Lack Of Safety Harnesses/Life Jacket etc..

Our Long Boat

We then walked to the Khaosan Road which is probably the most famous street in Bangkok. The Road is packed full off street traders and stalls selling, clothes, pirated DVD’s, computer games and anything else that can possible be copied. We found a bar and had a beer, within ten minutes you get harassed by half a dozen people trying to sell sunglasses, cigarette lighters and croaking frogs. We walked up and down the street looking at all the stalls and stopping for several beers and cocktails.