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.
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| 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.
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| 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!
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| 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 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.
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.
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| 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.
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.
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