Bangkok Bizarre: The Best Of The Weird And The Wonderful In Thailand''s Capital City

By Author: Bonny Kominek
Total Articles: 96
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Captivating, charismatic and ever-unpredictable, Thailand''s capital, Bangkok, is a city that never ceases to astound. From its lively floating-markets and snaking side-streets filled with aromatic goods, to gleaming new luxury hotels and designer shopping malls, it is an animated and relentless assault on the senses that disobey all regularity. For this reason, visitors to Bangkok do best to leave their expectations at home, and immerse themselves in the very best of the weird and the wonderful that the city has to offer.

An exploration of the extraordinary character of Thailand''s most renowned city begins just a short distance from Bangkok itself, at The Ancient City of Samut Prankan. This brainchild of Khun Lek is like a large open air museum, featuring scaled-down reproductions of traditional monuments, temples and houses, as well as some conscientious restoration projects. Both an elaborate display of the wealth of national design, and a meticulous attempt to preserve Thai heritage, the park is one of the best introductions you will find to Thailand''s architectural history.

For those with an appetite for ...
... the gruesome, a museum of quite a different sort is the Bangkok Corrections Museum. Formerly the Bangkok Remand Prison, this converted penal facility, complete with a ghastly array of punishment tools, is an intriguing, if not shocking insight into a history of sadistic corporal prison punishment . In true Chamber-of-Horrors-style, the museum features life-like wax figures and reconstructions of previous torture methods.

Similarly macabre is the Forensic Medicine Museum; a gut-churning exhibition of formaldehyded bodies, crime-scene memorabilia and before-and-after photography that is designed to be ''medically informative''. The ''main attraction'', if it is at all possible to use such a phrase, is the complete cadaver of Si Ouey, one of Thailand''s most notorious child-murderers, whose name still rings in the nation''s collective memory to this day.

For some human retribution in far more agreeable surroundings, head out of the city towards Bangsaen Beach to the statue garden of Wang Saen Suk. Adjacent to a temple, the garden houses a bizarre reconstruction of ''Buddhist hell'' which depicts the varying possibilities that may happen to those who sin in the Buddhist religion. Yes, it''s more gore, but the garden is actually pleasant and attracts both adults and children inquisitive to know what may happen in the afterlife.

Visitors looking to escape the bustle of Bangkok and experience something a little different should make for teh fascinating Queen Soavabha Snake Farm. Named originally after the wife of Rama V, the farm is one of the leading institutes in the world in studies of anti-venom. Highlights include the snake feeding and milking shows, so be sure to check times as the attraction is very popular.

At the opposite end, one place that certainly doesn''t attract the hoards of travellers, is the temple at Wat Pho Bang Khla. Found in the Chachoengsao Province around and hour and a half outside of Bangkok city, this off-the-beaten track site is home to thousands of fruit bats who come to gorge on the surrounding trees and leaves. There are many fascinating stories about the spiritual effects the temple has had on the bats, and the site and sound of them on mass hanging from the branches is definitely worth a visit.

Finally, no trip to Bangkok would be complete without giving respect and dues to one of the many spirit houses scattered throughout the city. These poignant places of worship, found outside almost all buildings, provide a stop-off for tthe weary spirits as they move from place to place. Thais still believe in their spiritual significance and it''s not unusual to see people stop to offer prayers or a gift. Bonny Kominek is a freelance writer with an interest in South East Asia. She recommends DAF, who currently offer some great deals on Bangkok flight.