Alternative things to do in Bangkok

If you have a strong stomach and want an interesting (but not particularly pleasant) activity, the Siriraj Medical Museum is worth a visit. The museum is open from 9am to 4pm, Monday to Saturday. Located on the other side of the river from the Grand Palace it is best reached by the river ferry. Get off at stop no.10, called Wang Lang (Siriraj), walk to Prannok Road, and the hospital is on your right. The museum itself is located on the second floor of the Adulyadejvikrom Building but can be a bit hard to find, so it is best to ask. The admission fee is 40 baht.

The museum consists of six parts but the most popular, and certainly the most gruesome, is the Songkran Niyomsane Forensic Medicine Museum. On entry you get an immediate taste of what to expect. On the right is a series of human skulls with graphic photos of the victims of such things as road accidents, bullet wounds, and knife wounds. On the left is a section dedicated to the tsunami, with a life sized diorama and recreations of infected wounds.

Once inside, things get worse. Probably the most famous exhibits are the mummified bodies of a couple of murderer-rapists, including the infamous Si Quey who was hanged for his crimes. There is also a series of pickled body parts with a brief explanation of how they came to be in the museum. There are tobacco filled lungs, hearts blocked by fat, alcohol swollen livers, and various brain traumas including a head that has been sawn vertically in half to show the damage caused by a bullet. Probably the most disturbing of all are the jars full of foetuses. Some of the babies show the effect of illegal abortions and others are miscarriages. There are also babies that had actually been born and had died from cruelty. Adding a certain poignancy to the tragedy of the latter, there are gifts of sweets and money scattered around the displays.

While the Forensic section seems to be the most popular, some of the other sections are worth a look around. That is, if you still have the stomach for it. There are still a few unpleasant sights to be had – in particular the gigantic preserved scrotum in the Parasitology museum, with accompanying pictures.