Joanna James
Apart from the popular attractions in Bangkok such as ancient temples, the food scene, eclectic markets and the sophisticated ambience, there is a number of unusual places that an interested visitor can explore.
The Phallic Shrine is exactly what the name indicates, a place where hundreds of phalluses in various sizes ranging from miniature wooden ones to massive stone one's reign. The shrine is dedicated to the female spirit of fertility, Chao Mae Tubtim. Each phallus at the shrine is adorned with ribbons and many women who are trying to conceive place garlands of sweet-smelling jasmine, lotuses and sticks of incense to Chao Mae Tubtim. Women whose wishes at the shrine come true return to the site to place another phallus at the shrine in a show of gratitude. The Phallic Shrine is an example of the Hindu influence in the region.
If you decide to board a riverside cruise in Bangkok and visit interesting places in the city, the Forensic Museum is one of the places you can visit. Most of the cruise services such as Manohra Cruises will provide you with a detailed leaflet to locate the places you can visit. Use this guide to disembark near the Siriraj Hospital on the bank of Chao Phraya River and witness the somewhat sinister yet interesting sight of the anatomic forensic and the pathology museums. The pathology room houses a series of babies who had suffered from genetic disorders, now preserved in formaldehyde. In the next room, you can find a number of parasites and displays indicating how those affect organs in the human body. The anatomical museum in the next building looks like something from an old horror movie that Alfred Hitchcock never made. The building itself contains a creaky staircase that will lead you to cabinets full of skeletons.
Resembling a temple from the Monkey King series, Wat Samphran is a distinct 17-storey tower painted red. A coiled dragon envelops the building with its head unmistakably visible even from a distance. Most people fail to visit this temple as it located near the expressway however the intricate designs of animals and even more dragons are interesting to observe.
Located in Siam Square; the Human Body Museum exhibits dissected human bodies that are from Japan. The 14 bodies are not as disturbing as they sound as these serve an educational purpose with the Faculty of Dentistry building at the medical university of Chulalongkorn located near the building. The Human Body Museum is squeaky clean and modern. The two small rooms display 130 odd parts to display various levels of dissection. The displays reveal the nervous system, arteries, layers of muscles and the 206 bones of the human skeleton.
The Architect of the Robot building derived inspiration for the building from his son's toy robot. The 20- story building was first opened in the year 1986. The building interestingly contains 'eyes' as well as 'antennae'. These unique features of the building are not merely fluffed as they serve actual purposes. For an example, the bolts as well as the caterpillar wheels of the robot shape function as canopies to provide protection from the sun.
A true believer that the pen is a mighty weapon, ventures into reaching the minds of every reader with the earnest hope of leaving an indelible stream of thought.
A travel writer who has a passion for fashion and a deep interest in admiring new and exotic attractions around the world.
