Khlong Wat Yan Nawa

After trying to get around in Bangkok, we’ve decided that this is the first & last time we will visit here. We don’t enjoy trying to navigate in Toronto, but when you multiply the population by 3, mix in more tourists, especially on the waterfront, where we are, & motorists general neglect for rules of the road, you get the idea. The best way to get to & from our hotel is by shuttle boat, then skytrain, or city boat. The river is incredibly polluted, with lots of trash floating, to be expected in a city of 10 million I suppose. Our neighbours suggested that we had to go to a restaurant called Cabbages & Condoms, which isn’t exactly as it seems. It directly promotes contraception in rural communities in Thailand with some of its profits & patrons’ donations. The decor is what’s the most interesting as it has many signs, etc promoting safe sex/family planning, and various mannequins dressed in clothing made of condoms. It advertised a traditional Thai dance show that was underwhelming to be kind. Dinner was good, and our bill was about what we’d pay back home, for a similar meal. The trains both too & from were jammed. Today, we set out to find the Siriraj Medical Museum that came highly recommended through Trip Advisor. We took the hotel shuttle boat to a main hub, then the local ferry boat to the museum which was within a regular hospital & not well signed. We walked past it, & had to ask several people how to find the entrance. It was, as advertised. It was divided into several sections. The most disturbing was the Pathological section which housed a number of fetuses in formaldehyde in glass cases. There were conjoined twins, and fetuses with a variety of deformities meant to teach medical students about these conditions. The Forensic section housed human organs & skulls that had gun shot & stab wounds. There was a section devoted to educating about the aftermath of Tsunamis. The Parasitology section had examples of poisonous creatures in South East Asia & showed human organs infected with parasites, & poisons. It was an interesting place to visit. We visited the Siam Niramit Cultural Show. It was a theatrical production showcasing the ancient past of Thailand. The props, lighting & synchronicity of the performers were truly professional. The first scene depicted the distinct cultures of ancient Siam. Act 2 illustrated the Thia belief in the Law of Karma where the way you behave in one life determines how you’ll spend the afterlife. They showed scenes of Hell, Heaven, & Himapaan, which, they believe, is the realm between the human worlds & the heavens. The final act was a journey through the joyous Thai festivals. We took a taxi back to our hotel. The driver misunderstood our hotel name, so we took a little longer to get back, but it was all good in the end.Read more