More Bangkok
My last three days in Bangkok have been an interesting mix of close animal encounters and high fashion. I found a tailor on the street near the apartment where I am staying. It is run (or staffed anyway) by a group of Burmese men. I spent an hour or so with them picking out fabrics and suit styles. I decided on getting two suits. I picked one to be a very traditional business suit. The other is a more casual suit one can wear to a day function. I also picked some fabric for two shirts. My total bill was 15,000 baht (33 baht = US$1). I was measured from just about every angle and then told to return at 8:00 pm for the first fitting.
After I left the tailor shop, I opened my guidebook to see if there was something interesting to do in Bangkok that didn’t involve temples or palaces. I am going to be in Buddhist countries for the next three months or so and didn’t want to get worn out on monuments my first week. I found that a nearby hospital had a snake farm where they kept poisonous snakes. The snakes are milked to make antivenom. The recipe is something like this:
1. Take one poisonous snake and place its fangs on a petri dish.
2. Squeeze the snake behind the eyes to make it release venom onto the plate.
3. Inject the venom into a horse that is immune to the venom.
4. Play cards, watch television, dance around or whatever floats your boat while you wait for the horse’s body to produce antibodies against the venom.
5. Remove antibody-filled blood from the horse. Not too much as the horses are reusable (as are the snakes)
6. Isolate antibodies.
7. Inject into snakebitten person.
8. Bill snake bitten person who is hopefully now better.
At the farm there was a daily demonstration of the milking. I headed to the snake farm via the skytrain. I made it about 0.5 hours before the show. I puttered around looking at all the venomous snakes and some nonvenomous ones. I also attended a slide show presentation about the snake farm and antivenom presentation. The snake farm is the second oldest in the world and was started by a French doctor. At 2:30, we piled into the stands for the demonstration. As it turned out the show was much more than just a milking demonstration. Various snakes were brought out to the scream of Thai schoolgirls who arrived late and were standing near the stairs. The snakes had to pass close to them. The most interesting were a pair of king cobras that the handler kept provoking to make them strike out at him (again to the chorus of screaming Thai schoolgirls). I must admit this was very brave of him as they move quite fast. They finally brought out the snake to be milked. As I described earlier, his fangs were placed on the dish and he was squeezed behind the eyes. A few milliliters of clear venom came out on the plate. The snake was then fed chicken as they get very hungry after this procedure. This snake was fed with the use of large tweezers. The handlers shoved the food down its throat and then massaged its body. You could see the lump the chicken made in its body. A Burmese python was then brought out, and we were given the opportunity to hold it and take pictures with it.
I then went to the Jim Thompson house. Jim Thompson is a well known Thai silk exporter who disappeared while on vacation in Burma a few decades ago. His house was built by taking six traditional Thai houses and combining them. Traditional Thai houses are built off the ground to improve air circulation and are made of wood painted red. The doorways and walls are a bit off the vertical to give strength to the walls. They use wooden pegs instead of nails. The home was full of traditional Thai art and sculptures that Jim had collected. The highlight for me was actually not the house but what I saw when I was leaving. One of the fish ponds was being cleaned and the water level was very low. In the pond, much to my surprise, was a large stingray. The top of its body was out of the water due to the water level. I was able to lay on my stomach and pet it. It felt odd and a little rubbery. I returned to the tailor that night for my first fitting. The pants were ready as was one shirt. The pants were a little long and needed to be hemmed. I was to return the next day to try the jackets and remaining items. Robert and I went out that night for dinner and also walked through a nearby red light district. There were many bars with scantly clad Thai girls being pawned over by older men. Many touts were out and about trying to get people to come to one sex show or another. We also walked through the ladyboy district which was very similar except replace Thai women with transvestites or feminine men. Thai society is much more accepting of ladyboys (their word) than we are in the West. They are almost considered a third sex.
The next morning Robert and I set off early to go to a floating market about 100 km from Bangkok. In a floating market, the stalls are on the canal front or in boats. We rented a boat and were paddled around the market. The market was very touristy and, as is usual in Asia, most stalls sold exactly the same things. The concept of differentiation really hasn’t caught on here yet. There was some interesting food on sale though. On my return from the market, I went back to the tailor and tried on the remaining items. In the store I was satisfied with what I saw so I paid the remaining balance and took all of my suits with me. They also gave me three ties to go with the suits. One of the ties was a bright salmon color which I am not too sure about. It is to go with the casual suit as it is somewhat dark. They assured me it looked fine. I took their word for it as they liked it so much that they gave it to me extra. I was originally only supposed to get two ties but on seeing me turn down the salmon tie, they insisted that I just take it. I spent the evening swimming in the pool at the apartment complex and reading. That night I decided to try on the suits again to make sure I was happy, and I had more time. I noticed that the suit jackets were a bit tight across the back and really needed to be let out some as the fabric was bunching up. Also both of my shirts had defects. I decided to return to the tailors the next day to get them fixed. This is really not all that uncommon as tailor made suits can require three to five fittings anyway (or so says Lonely Planet). I have never had suits tailor made before, but I do know how one should fit.
Today I went to a huge weekend market here in Bangkok. Before setting off I stopped by the tailor shop which was closed. The hairdresser next door informed me that they would open at 1:00 pm. I set off for the market. To get there I had to take the Skytrain to its very last stop. I could see the market from the window of the train, and it appeared to be tremendous. I believe there are more than 500 stalls. On entering the market I was given a map which was only semi-useful. More useful was the big clocktower in the middle of the park which one can use to keep your bearings. I plunged into the narrow pathways between the stalls to try to find the pet section. I had read that you could find many interesting animals for sale. I found it and wasn’t disappointed. There were booths overflowing with puppies, cats, fish, birds, and assorted small rodents. I don’t believe I have ever seen such a variety of squirrels in all my life. One stall had adult male and female peacocks in large cages. I am sure they were priced to move. Leaving the animal section, I browsed around the clothing stalls. I was looking for some long shorts. It’s very hot here but the Thai are in general a bit more conservative with their dress. Shorts that go to the knee seem to be acceptable. The shorts length on my zip off pants would be a bit scandolous, and I wouldn’t want people to faint in horror as I walk down the street. I found one stall with some shorts I liked and got the 399 asking price down to 280. Bargaining in Thailand is a bit different than India. It tends to be less agressive. They are not as interested in a sale and if they find you too demanding, they won’t budge on the price. Of course, as always happens, I saw similar shorts going for 100 at a stall a little while later. I felt them and they didn’t feel as nice or well made, or so I tell myself to feel better.
Leaving the market, I returned to the tailor shop at 1:00. I showed them what I wanted done with the suit jackets and also the shirt defects. They said they would fix them. The only problem is that I am leaving tomorrow and the tailor himself is off for New Years. They are supposed to return the suits to Robert by January 4. I am going to hold off giving them a good recommendation until I see if this happens. There are many ripoff tailors in Bangkok and finding a good one can be a bit tricky. So far I have been pleased with most of their work and response to my concerns. I will have to try on the suits again when I come back this way in about three months, making this a very long drawn out process.
Tomorrow I am taking a train to Aranya Prathet. From here I will cross the Cambodian border to Poipet and then take a taxi or bus to Siem Reap. This crossing is one of the most used in Thailand and as a result is full of scam artists. I have eliminated many of the possibilites by already having my visa in hand. What remains is to get a decent price on a taxi. A local mafia has formed driving up the price.
Tags: Bangkok, Thailand, Travel
cjun
December 30th, 2007 at 8:00 am
Barry – Happy New Year!
December 31st, 2007 at 8:01 am
WISHING YOU ALL THE BEST FOR THE NEW YEAR!!! 🙂
LOVE,
DAD AND MOM
December 31st, 2007 at 9:39 am
Happy New Year!!!
Love,
Jon, Kellie & Eva
December 31st, 2007 at 12:48 pm
Barry,
Snakes??? I stopped walking around the lake near Oschner Clinic on Oneal Lane because I saw a snake walk across the jogging path. My fears are heights and snakes.
Happy New Year.
Mike
January 1st, 2008 at 7:36 pm
Barry,
What a wonderful way to start a new year by having the adventure of a lifetime. Stay careful and safe. I can’t wait to see how you’ve changed. Everyone is fine. Love Rosemary
January 3rd, 2008 at 1:54 am
Happy New Year everyone.