Maggie Tulliver
As a popular tourist hub Bangkok is also home to some of the region's most outrageous highlights. From a David Beckham shrine to unusual structures the city's quirkiest attractions are as follows.
Located along Rama III Road on the Bangkok Riverside lies one of the Thai capital's most intriguing places of worship. Dedicated to legendary footballer David Beckham of Man United fame the venue also known as Wat Pariwat serves as one of Bangkok's quirkiest attractions to date. Massive in scale the temple which was once devoted to the worship of the mythical Garuda has now been transformed in to a shrine dedicated to the English athlete. A 30cm tall statue of the sportsman sanctioned by the abbot of the temple also sits at the altar.
Another curios shrine located in Bangkok is of course Phallic Shrine in Chidlom - Ploenchit. Also identified as the Goddess Tubtim Shrine this venue littered with phallic symbols large and small is frequented by many visitors, including those in hoping to sire children and strengthen their own fertility.
Often regarded as one of the most curiously shaped buildings in Bangkok the Elephant Building as it is widely known is somewhat of a landmark in the district of Chatuchak. Made up of three towers the country's national animal is the theme of this unusual structure which is visible even from the Bangkok expressway. Housing several offices, a language institution and condominiums this functional elephant shaped structure's right perimeter famously contains the tusk and eye of the creature.
Featuring the dissected remains of human bodies originating in Japan the Human Body Museum in Siam Square is not an attraction for the faint of heart. Housing 14 human forms in various stages of dissection the morbidly inclined museum is one of the most disturbing tourist attractions in otherwise trendy Siam Square. Situated within the Chulalongkorn Medical University's Dentistry faculty the museum serves as an educational exhibition space for both medical students as we well as tourists.
Housed within the confines of a former correctional facility or prison the Bangkok Correction Museum is another eerily outrageous point of interest in the Thai capital. Situated down Maha Chai Road the maximum security prison was constructed as early as 1890. Offering visitors a glimpse in to the difficult lives of inmates the venue serves as a cultural landmark cum educational showcase.
Often ranked among the city's creepiest highlights the Bangkok Forensic Museum stocks the stuff of nightmares in to one compact location. With exhibits ranging from deformed foetuses to the preserved corpses of serial killers and photographs of their brutal crimes this horrific space also serves as a social deterrent against criminalization. Visitors based in a centrally situated hotel such as the AVANI Atrium Bangkok will have easy access to the site and other excursions in Bangkok thanks to the hotel's strategic location.
Having opened its doors to the public back in 1986 this iconic structure situated in South Sathorn Road is a 20 storey architectural anomaly in Bangkok. Resembling a robot the venue's architect attributed the structure's design inspiration to a robot toy his son possessed. Bearing a striking resemblance to an antennae clad robot this oddly shaped building is one of the city's most photographed sites.
