Chao Phraya

After checking in to the Ibis Siam, a small group of the students boarded a bus at 2pm bound for River City; the starting point for our cruise down the Chao Phraya river.

The Chao Phraya is the major river in Thailand, flowing south for 372km, through Bangkok and into the Gulf of Thailand. It is a major transportation route for a network of river buses, ferries and water taxis, and many people rely on the canal to transport merchandise and rice.

The view from River City

Enjoying a quick drink

Boarding the rice barge

To sum it up, the cruise was incredible. What's more incredible is the fact that a lot of the locals that live by the river are of a low socioeconomic status, yet they all stand at their doorways waving and smiling as rice barges power through the waterways. Most of the cruise, the contrast between the rich and poor was very much apparent; tall buildings loomed in the distance, whilst shacks on stilts remained above extremely dirty water nestled between floating food markets and large temple complexes. I even saw a construction worker pour a bucket of rubble into the river, adding to the existing pollution of tree branches, rubbish, and dead fish. 

A typical river shack

Happy locals

Floating markets

Wat Arun

We had the pleasure of meeting two lovely ladies, who I believe are sisters, in their little boats selling drinks and trinkets. They were all too happy to show of their goods and greeted us all with big beautiful smiles. I purchased a fan and a buddha figure for only 250 THB.

For a short time of our ride back to River City we were aboard a different, bigger boat. Set up was a banquet of fresh Thai fruit, and drinks were offered, including Thai whiskey.

A Thai fruit drink

Fresh fruit

Dinner tonight night marked the official start of the Experiential Program. The bus delivered us in front of some markets, through which we walked to make our way to Chang Pier to be ferried. Across the river was Supatra Riverhouse where we enjoyed a delicious set-menu dinner of traditional Thai food. I love Thai food!

Supatra River House: 266 Soi Wat Rakhang, Bangkok

Saturday, smells and Siam

Just going to make this blog post as short and sweet as I can, just highlighting the really fun things from today.

Following another late rise, Kate and I decided that today was the day for relaxing! We headed downstairs to the Bakery Cafe and treated ourselves a breakfast or croissants and coffee. DELICIOUS!

The day was already warm, and we agreed to quickly visit the gym before finally visiting the rooftop pool.

Siam Square by day - Markets open at 6pm

We departed the hotel around 3:30pm and were approached by a gentleman offering a taxi ride. "Where you going?" he asked. We explained that today we were catching the train, and will maybe take him up on his offer "tomorrow!". I do not doubt that he will be waiting for us again on the same corner, expecting us to pay his suggested 150 THB for a ride to the Ibis. Will not be happening! Not for that much anyway.

Lunch was around 4pm - and we headed straight for the Food Republic again. This time I tried Hokkien noodles but ordered my Coke without ice, just to be on the safe side. Lunch total: 95 THB ($3.35 AUD).

Now for a massage that we both had been absolutely killing for.. We were instructed to walk through the Siam Centre into Siam Discovery, and make our way to the 3rd floor. "Sawadee ka. Full body thai massage please." We were taken inside a large room filled with red leather recliners, given blue silk pants to slip on underneath our skirts, and sat back with our feet up. I have NO words to describe how amazing this massage was. I usually cannot stand my feet being touched, but for 40 minutes I relaxed while a friendly Thai lady kneaded my feet. I believe it is a practice of reflexology, but I had no idea that feet could be massaged in such a way. I was sore in places I didn't know possible, and Kate giggled as the massage proceeded to our lower legs! The last 20 minutes involved an interesting back and shoulder massage, with my arms being lifted above my head and my head being manoeuvred in various directions. I felt like jelly, with every muscle in my body not wanting to tense or allow my body to stand up. 400 THB was handed over and we ventured back into the shopping centre. 

The ground floor entrance of Siam Paragon

Kate and I weren't too fussed for shopping, but I have to admit that I am excited to have purchased a pair of Converse All Stars for 1050 THB (almost $37 AUD!). We ventured through Siam Discovery back to the Siam Centre, and quickly popped into Siam Paragon. Definitely not my style, being filled with designer brands and items that I would not justify spending money on. Back to the markets it was…

Walking through the street markets is a different experience. Firstly, it is BUSY. There are people everywhere pushing their way through the crowd. It was probably even busier being a Saturday night. Secondly, it is HOT. Not only is the weather warm, but heat radiates from the stoves atop many street food stands. My clothes were stuck to my body! Thirdly, it SMELLS. Some pleasant smells… only some. I found that by the end of the night I was pretty used to the sometimes repulsive aromas. Fourthly, it was a great chance to practice greetings! I feel much more confident saying hello in Thai now, and the people are mostly friendly, even when you are not purchasing their goods. Lastly, DOGS. It is a remarkable sight to see dogs trotting around and dogs just lying by the gutter.

We made our way back to a stand that caught our eye on our first night, displaying cute cropped t-shirts. Our haggling skills are still developing, but we walked away with 4 shirts, originally 200 THB each, for a grand total of 550 THB! Very happy customers!

Our adventure then took us beyond the main street and down alley ways, into narrow indoor markets. Clothes appear to be the main market commodity. For as far as we could see, there were markets and more shops. I loved that most markets were playing music: Maroon 5, Pitbull, Kelly Clarkson… and I often found myself singing along. Even though we did not intend on spending anymore money, we both enjoyed just walking around and seeing what was on offer. We eventually found ourselves across the road from MBK and could see our next hotel close by. Excellent - we know where to head tomorrow.

By now, 9:30pm was approaching and we weaved through smelly back streets and alleyways (finding the Bangkok Hard Rock Cafe) back to Siam BTS station. We walked up to the platform and instantly boarded a train. The trains run very frequently here! Feeling extremely exhausted and without thinking twice, we headed straight towards the bar back at our hotel. Immediately we were greeted in Thai (I am getting good at returning the greeting!) by a lady wearing a beautiful, floor length, cobalt blue dress. "2 singhas please". They promptly arrived alongside a bowl of nuts and fried onion. Kate and I contently sat, chatted, drunk, reminisced, and sung along to the 3-piece band that was playing until just before midnight. We have been very spoilt here! The perfect end to another great day, and I can't wait to see what comes next!

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Travel tip 7: The street markets do not begin trading until around 6pm. Many begin to start packing up just after 9pm. Allow plenty of time to check everything out.

Fryday

The alarm sounded at 7:30am this morning. We had every intention of getting to the gym (on the 6th floor) buuuuuut it didn't happen! Kate prepared our instant coffees and we got stuck into our fruit platter. 

Departing our hotel room just before 11am, we headed for the hotel lobby and a representative was sent outside to patiently wait on the street to hail a taxi for us. We flashed a map to the driver as we slid into the air conditioned cab, crossing our fingers that he understood where we wanted to go! The drive took us west along Si Ayutthaya Road underneath the Express Way and over train tracks, passing Chitralada Palace on the right, turning left after passing Anantasamakhom Palace, and Wisut Kasat Road leading us over the gold Rama 8 Bridge. The traffic this time did not shock me, despite again seeing numerous unprotected riders and men being transported in ute trays.

2 Chang Wat, Bangkok, Thailand

Kate and I stared at each other as our taxi took a left turn off Arun Amarin Road and delivered us at the top of a random driveway. Turning around, it appeared that we had arrived at the Siriraj Hospital Emergency Room! We started walking towards the reception desk, and saw a huge open room (that had no door) that contained hospital beds, with people patiently waiting as massive fans continuously hummed. "Museum?" Kate asked, and quickly the receptionist unfolded a campus map and circled the building that we needed to find. 

Siriraj Hospital (and the driveway to the Emergency Room)

Well, it was an absolute mission to find. Not only was the heat and pollution intense, there was a moment where I was a little overwhelmed: staring down at this map that was not making sense; people rushing past us; taxis and scooters flying down the small alley ways; and to top it off, a man casually wheeling a bed with a covered deceased person. WAY out of my comfort zone right now, and that is something that you would never experience at an Australian Hospital!

Following 10-15 minutes of exploration of the campus trying to find building numbers, and having security officials and kind students try to help us (that unfortunately could not understand English), we found it. Map said building 16, but it turned out to be building 20-something, with a tiny sign marking the museum's location. 40THB handed over and we were in!

The hospital campus

*warning: if you are easily grossed out or aren't interested in medical/pathological/forensic stuff, do not read the following dot points*

The first part of the museum contained babies with birth anomalies, most of which I'm sure I will never encounter in my nursing career in Australia. Anomalies on display included: thoraco-omphalopagus, gastroschisis, sirenomelia, thoracopagus conjoined twins, anencephaly, Harlequin type ichthyosis, Cyclopia with proboscis, Arnold-Chiari malformation with hydrocephalus, and dicephalus dibrachius dips.

The next section had a lot of pathological organs on display which was interesting considering most of these I had learnt about. The displays here included:

- Hearts (left ventricle and atrium, acute myocardial infarction cross section, mural thrombus, tilting disc and caged-ball valves, ventricular septal defect, and Tetralogy of Fallot)

- Lots of brains, skulls, hearts, GIT, kidneys, spleens, etc. that had been riddled with various diseases

- Cancers (cervical, breast, prostate, liver, lung, thyroid/oesophageal, and a cerebellum medulloblastoma)

Thirdly, we moved on to the Forensic Exhibition. To say it was shocking would be an understatement. What made me feel a little more uncomfortable was the number of students walking past, laughing as they browsed the cabinets containing very gory displays. Here we saw:

- Forensic photos of crush injuries, motorcycle and train accidents, suicides and homocides, gun shot wounds and blast injuries

- More body parts and organs displaying the effects of fun shot wounds and stabbings

- 6 preserved bodies of serial rape murderers, including Thailand's first serial killer

And to finish up, the last two sections contained information about the 2004 tsuanmi, and parisitology. I found this extremely cringe-worthy and started worrying about what I should and shouldn't be eating when it Thailand!

Without a doubt, I found it incredibly eye-opening and it put a lot of my theory into context, especially when seeing real-life organs. However at the same time, a part of me walked out feeling uncomfortable and deeply moved by what I had seen.

Noteworthy: Siriraj Hospital is the oldest hospital in Thailand, founded in 1888. It has a 3,000 bed capacity and has more than one million outpatient visits per year, making it one of the largest and busiest medical centres in Thailand. It is also a primary teaching hospital of the Faculty of Medicine at Mahidol University.

Reflective Video: Siriraj Hospital Forensic Museum

I found Leo

After signing out of the building on level 1, we found our way back to the main road and jumped in a cab. The card containing directions back to our hotel proved to be invaluable. It took a little longer to get back as the traffic was quite congested. Still only 105 THB ($3.69 AUD) so I definitely cannot complain. We got back to the hotel at around 3:45pm.

As 5pm rolled around it was time to get out and continue exploring. Another train ride to Siam and we arrived at Ocean World on the basement level of Siam Paragon. 900 THB for entry. Dinner followed at the food court which also required a cash card for the purchase of meals. Seafood Tom Yum (which almost melted my face off due to the spice!) and a crispy egg omelette with shrimp on rice, 100 THB ($3.50 AUD)!

A quick walk through the street markets resulted in a purchase of matching bracelets for 150 THB each. I found it funny that from inside the markets, Kate and I had caught a driver's eye, who sat inside his tuk-tuk smiling and revving at us as if trying to entice us.

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Travel tip 4: Act confident and determined when making your way around. Australians must stand out, and these vendors know who to approach.

Travel tip 5: Hello and thank you in Thai if you are female: 'sa-waa-dii-ka' and 'khop-khun-ka', respectively.

Travel tip 6: What people wear in Bangkok is very different to what you read on some blogs and in some travel books. In the city it really is whatever goes. Young locals sport singlet tops and short shorts and this is typical of what you will find displayed at the markets. However, it is customary (especially for females) to cover up the shoulders and legs when visiting formal and sacred places, such as business meetings and temples.

There's a first time for everything

Today involved many firsts in my life today.. Waking up at 4:30am was not one of them, but boarding an international flight bound for Thailand most certainly was!


After an extremely rushed goodbye at the departure gate, Kate and I were off (for my FIRST TIME overseas)! Despite a long queue, we moved quite quickly through Customs and Security without a hitch. Can you believe that both our bags weighed exactly 11.1kg each?! It still hadn't really hit me that we were heading overseas. We both felt a sense of disbelief; an almost out of body state of being as we stared at each other with funny grins on our faces. With 45 minutes until departure, we decided to sit down with a beer and croissant at some attempt at easing our nerves. It didn't work.


9:45am and it was time to get going. We were greeted in Thai upon boarding the plane. *Note to self: HAVE to learn this!* I was amazed at the cabin crews' outfit: so neat and polished. 57A and 57B were our positions, and a window seat. BRILLIANT! Then the sound of the engine fired up and Kate and I really were struggling to contain ourselves. The giggling started as the plane taxied down the tarmac, and we clutched each other as the plane started to gain momentum. Lift off.


The first thing I noticed was that all the screens were able to display the flight path and information. This kinda stuff fascinates me. Having only traveled 133km, the distance to destination equalled 7571km, and we were traveling at a ground speed of 874km. Nek minnit, we are over the desert of the Northern Territory. Pretty much what I had imagined it would look like - red. First course consisted of potato salad with shaved turkey, chicken red curry with bamboo, steamed rice and stir-fried mixed vegetables, cheese and crackers, and a bread roll. If the food served on the flight was anything to go by, then Kate and I were in for a treat! After realising that all food and drinks were included (no prices on the menu!), we treated ourselves to a glass of wine each. Non-alcoholic beverages were also offered quite regularly during the flight, which was fantastic considering we were both suffering from killer headaches. Thank you Thai Airways!

The NT desert

Flying over the coast of Vietnam

Cambodia

Rice fields of Thailand

Descending into BKK

We both tried to have a snooze as we continued over Darwin, the Timor Sea and Singapore. With 2956km to our destination, second course was served. Stir-fried prawns and rice noodles in black bean sauce, fresh fruit and Anzac cookies, followed by a vodka or two. Slowly we passed over Indonesia, Malaysia, and we watched out the window as we flew over the coast of Vietnam. There was a lot of cloud and a massive river (which I do intend on identifying), then a bit more cloud and we were flying over Thailand! We had the most incredible view of the flooded rice fields along the coast, then the view got greener and greener as we descended. "Weeeeeeeeeeee," Kate squealed as the landing gear contacted the tarmac and I gripped her arm with excitement.


Navigating our way through the airport was easier than expected. All of the signs were in both Thai and English. However, getting through Immigration was not so easy. The lines were huge, with anxious foreign travellers clutching their passports and Immigration cards. I thankfully was not asked any questions at the desk, and after handing over my passport for a stamp and a few awkward nods and "thank-yous", it was onwards to collect our baggage. The sign above the carousel read "Sydney: Last bags", and we found ours sitting on the floor for anyone's picking! Now, to find our private driver…


We found him (I feel terrible that I cannot remember his name!) waiting in a small sectioned-off area outside Gate 5 of arrivals wearing a beautiful grey suit. Thankfully he was still there, considering it took us well over half an hour to disembark the plane and make it out of the airport. Insisting on carrying our bags, he led us out of the airport to a black Toyota Camry. It was at this stage that my body registered the heat and the choking humidity, and I lost count of how many times Kate and I commented on the heat. At least it wasn’t raining! It was a relief to slip inside the luxurious, leather-interior, air conditioned car that had 2 bottles of water waiting for us.

Then the fun really began.. With a driver that spoke no English, we weaved in and out of traffic down the highway that was, at some points, 5 lanes wide. Chaotic is an understatement. We were in awe with our mouths hanging open, hanging on to the door of the car. Indicating is optional as vehicles change lanes, sometimes occupying two lanes, and pull out with no one appearing to flinch - Shock factor one. Motorbikes and scooters zoomed in between vehicles with no regard for any road rule (or anyone's life!) with most of the passengers without helmets and protective clothing. Most passengers are usually clutching groceries, baggage and/or babies and seem completely unaware of their potential dangers - Shock factor two. Construction workers working on top of high rise buildings in the hot sun, crawling over infrastructure with no sign of any safety equipment or harnesses - Shock factor three. The mind-blowing contrast of rich and poor, with run-down apartments nestled amongst tall commercial towers, well-kept homes and temples - Shock factor four. A ute with a cage surrounding its tray traveling at over 80kph with two men sitting in the back - Shock factor five. The massive bundles of electrical overhead wiring that would make any Australian electrician cry - Shock factor six.

Tangled chaos (Photography courtesy of Kate)

We were delivered to the door of the Sukosol hotel just after 6pm, with hotel representatives opening the taxi door and greeting us. We were to not worry about our bags as we entered through the grand doors of the hotel and were greeted again (at this stage I was feeling extremely awkward just nodding and saying thank-you!). Harry met us at the reception desk and collected our necessary details before handing over our hotel keys: Room 1769. That is, on the 17th floor (of 21 floors). Kate and I made our way up, opened the door, dropped our bags and were drawn to the window. The view consisting of high rise buildings, roads and alley ways, and the amazing rooftop pool on the 6^th floor. Within 5 minutes, our bags had been delivered to our room and we discovered the free Wi-Fi. Talk about service!

The Sukosol Bangkok - 477 Si Ayunthaya Road, Phaya Thai, Bangkok 10400


I think it was around this point that it hit me that yes, Karina, seriously, really, truly, AMAZINGLY, you are in a different country. No turning around or heading back home. I felt exhausted and extremely overwhelmed – a new city, unknown faces, a entirely different language, an exciting culture, and fading daylight. Like we were sharing a brain, Kate and I at the same time exclaimed that we were too scared to venture outside! "I feel so sick, I'm petrified," the wuss inside of me spoke as Kate confirmed that we just need to get out and go exploring. We asked at the reception for a city map, and Harry kindly advised us of popular shopping, sight seeing and night life spots. He asked if we had seen the Hangover II, and as we laughed he circled a street on the map. "The street where they are walking with the monkey," he said. He also handed the both of us a card with directions back to the Sukosol in Thai language, and told us to be careful so we "don't wake up with a monkey in our hotel room". So armed with a map and 2000 baht (THB) (approx. $70AUD) I withdrew from an ATM outside our hotel, we made our way to the train station. Not only was the heat overwhelming, but also the smells (that I had been warned about) and the amount of people around. Men approached us attempting to entice us to a tuk-tuk ride. "Tomorrow!" we politely said as we confidently walked on.


Somehow we missed the closest station, Phaya Thai, and walked to The Victory Monument (N3). No biggie, not too far. Bravely we approached the ticket counter asking for a ticket to Siam. No ticket was given, but change that was needed to use a ticket machine behind us. Only 25 THB (approx. $.87AUD) for a distance of 3 stations. Easy enough to figure out how it works by the sign on the wall near the ticket machine. A train arrived minutes later, and I cannot describe the looks that Kate and I received standing inside the train! "We did it! We are on a train in Bangkok!".

Stepping out of the air conditioned train felt surreal, pushing onto a congested platform and finding our way to the exit. Straight away we found ourselves standing in the street markets that occupy the space underneath the BTS train tracks. The sticky heat at this stage was suffocating and I felt every part of my body becoming more and more clammy. After having a quick look at a few markets that are filled with clothing, Thai jewellery, street food and pirated DVDs, we crossed back over the train tracks through the station and walked right into the colourful Siam Square – the shopping district. 

In front of us was Siam Paragon, to the left Siam Centre, and to the right past some beautifully lit up palm trees was Ocean World. The atmosphere was buzzing. Massive screens hung between the two shopping centres casting colours upon a water feature. The traffic beneath was insane, with a traffic controller doing his best with many blows of a whistle whilst gesturing to vehicles.

Siam Paragon (Photo courtesy of Kate)

Siam Paragon

By this stage the stomachs were grumbling and we thought we would try our luck inside the Siam Centre. The food court, named Food Republic, was still well alive at this time of the night. To purchase food, it was necessary to obtain a prepaid cash card. Loaded with 190 THB, we wandered the food court taking in the many choices we had. Too many choices! I decided on vermicelli noodles with mimosa, only 75 THB ($2.63 AUD!). Absolutely delicious but resulted in my entire mouth and tongue tingling from the intense spice. A bottle of water and cup of coke was only 35 TBH (approx. $1.25 AUD), and it wasn't until Kate took a sip of the coke before we realised it contained ice. Oops. We had been warned against ice, but we shared the coke regardless. It tasted so good to our dry throats and numb mouths. The cash cards were refundable which was perfect, as we needed more change to purchase our return train tickets.

The BTS network

It was nearing 10pm as we made our way back through the Siam Centre and landed on the platform. A train bound for Mo Chit arrived only moments later, and we knew this time to hop off at Phaya Thai (N2), which is located basically across the road from our hotel! Getting back to the hotel involved 3 road crossings - no where near as easy as it is in Australia. Pedestrian crossings exist, but it appears that the striped lines across the lane mean nothing, and many motorbike and scooter riders do not obey traffic lights.

To finish off our amazing and fulfilling day, we treated ourselves to a drink at the hotel Sapphire Bar. We took our seat, ordered our drinks (a white wine, Sav Blanc, please), and sat back with a bowl of nuts and fried onion, laughing at each other and how we had so easily survived our first day and loved every second of what we had experienced!

Bangkok - thank you for an amazing day and a remarkable introduction to your city! I cannot wait to see what we get up to from here!

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Travel tip 1: Drivers are ruthless. To cross the road, wait for a break in traffic, then run, or sometimes you are lucky and a traffic controller will help you out. Do not assume that vehicles will stop at 'pedestrian crossings'.

Travel tip 2: Keep to the right when walking, whether it be paths or stairs. I learnt this from the back of my train ticket ;) No real big deal when it isn't busy, but it definitely makes navigating crowds easier.

Travel tip 3: Thai food is eaten with a spoon. The fork is held in the left hand and is used to move food onto the spoon.

The Long Haul

This sums up my existence for the past 5 weeks. I have only one week of clinical placement left, and I am (just quietly) very excited to see the end of this stressful, unpaid, emotional and tiring period of time. I have been at two different hospitals gaining experience in the areas of paediatrics, medical-surgical and mental health. 

I'd hoped to have had time to blog about my experiences whilst on clinical, but evidently have not. I won't bore you with detail now, but between waking up at 4:30am and coming home to work on written assignments, I have not had time for life; let alone even begin to consider locations for my New Graduate application or think about my upcoming Thailand trip. I can reveal that I do plan on blogging about the phenomenon of 'nurses eating their young' - feel free to contact me if you have details or experiences you would like to share!

Only 11 days now until I will be aboard a plane bound for Thailand - I can almost count down the days on two hands! During this time, I will be finishing my last week in mental health, applying for a New Graduate program, buying last minute travel items/clothing, studying for an exam, packing, and finding time for sleep! Everything important for Thailand is sorted (I think!). Flights- check. Accommodation- check. Travel insurance- check. Travel details registered- check. Cultural tours- check. Sitting down with a book and a cocktail following a swim and a massage, then getting stuck into Thailand's health care system- pending...