Travel / Thailand

Bangkok (Day 7) – Forensic Museum, Temple of Dawn & Chao Phraya River

By Veron Ang | Tags #Bangkok #museum

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We had planned the entire day’s activities down to a tee! In the day, we would explore the sights along the Chao Phraya River. At night, we would take a dinner cruise whilst admiring the city lights! Doesn’t that sound wonderful?

The bustling river runs through Bangkok and several other cities, with river taxis providing an important mode of transport for both locals and tourists alike. After traveling around on taxis and skytrains for the past days, it was refreshing to be commuting on boats for a change :)

A few types of boats ply the river. This “airy” and open kind is probably the cheapest. A boat ride from one bank of the river to the other costs just 3 baht!

River taxi at Chao Phraya, Bangkok

With very few seats on board, people usually end up standing around and holding on to the hand rails. It took us to our first destination of the day: Siriraj Hospital, the oldest hospital in Thailand.

Siriraj Hospital, Bangkok

If you’re wondering why the heck we’re visiting an old hospital on our vacation, this particular hospital houses six small museums. The one we’re looking for in particular is the forensic museum that showcases various states of human death with actual… Specimens. As far as curiosity goes, we were pretty psyched up about visiting the museum.

(For obvious reasons, photography isn’t allowed here. I did manage to sneak a few photos with the intention of displaying them on this blog. Ultimately, I’ve decided not to. It makes me feel too uncomfortable.)

The exhibition area wasn’t huge. Picture a large room with fluorescent lighting, row after row of glass cabinets with jars of preserved body parts and organs, and that very heavy and gloomy hospital atmosphere. The entrance corridor is lined with photos of people that died from hangings, being mashed in machinery, cut wrists, etc. It was all very depressing.

The saddest sight, though, has got to be the jars of dead babies and fetuses, including some very well-developed ones. One particular jar had an infant that died from drowning. We noticed that someone had left a couple of sweets by its side.

There is also an entire section dedicated to executed criminals (rapist murderers and the likes) with their mummified corpses.

Obviously, the experience wasn’t a pleasant one, but I can’t deny that it was an eyeopener. For those of you that are curious to see exactly what the exhibits look like, here’s a 360 degree view within the exhibition.

Forensic Museum
Siriraj Hospital
2 Prannok Road
Bangkoknoi
Bangkok 10700
Thailand

(66) 2419 7000 (ext. 6363/6440)
www.si.mahidol.ac.th

Nearest pier: Wang Lang

Opening hours: 9am – 4pm (Closed on Sundays)
Admission: 40 baht

Street hawker in Bangkok

You would think that a visit like that would take the appetite out of anyone. But my stomach was rumbling after that. Street hawkers like this were aplenty, but it was at a cosy little restaurant where we had our meal.

Chicken pasta

A colorful plate of chicken pasta!

Thai green curry

I’m a big fan of Thai green curry, although the only version I’ve had was from Lerk Thai. I thought the green curry in Thailand would probably taste different. It was actually very similar to Lerk Thai’s. I guess Lerk Thai does serve authentic Thai food!

Chao Phraya Express Boat, Bangkok

Our next destination was the beautiful temple of Wat Arun. This time round, we had to take a different type of river taxi, the Chao Phraya express boat.

Chao Phraya Express Boat, Bangkok

Look how crowded it is! The boat is much bigger than the one before and has more seats too.

Tickets for Chao Phraya Express Boat, Bangkok

Even on a boat with passengers almost smashed together, there was someone going around to inspect everyone’s ticket.

Silhouette of Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn, Bangkok

From the boat, we saw the silhouette of Wat Arun.

Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn, Bangkok

And finally, we arrived at the Temple of Dawn!

Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn, Bangkok

The prangs are decorated with thousands of multicolored porcelain pieces and must have looked magnificent in the temple’s heyday.

Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn, Bangkok

This was my second time to the temple. I made my first visit in 2005, though my memories of it are fuzzy at best.

Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn, Bangkok

What I do remember vividly are the very steep and scary steps leading up the 80-meter-tall main prang. Not only are the steps narrow, with a width of less than 20 centimeters, each one is easily a foot tall! Aren’t people shorter in the past? They must have had found those steps even more challenging!

Steep steps of Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn, Bangkok

Just watch these people struggling up the stairs! I, for one, was terrified! A very narrow landing separates the two flights of stairs. So if anyone was unfortunate enough to trip over, he would probably tumble all the way down!

View from Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn, Bangkok

After braving those killer steps, we reached the balcony where we got a panoramic view of the Chao Phraya River and the surrounding sights. Can you spot the Grand Palace in the distance?

Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn, Bangkok

Well, that’s it for the Temple of Dawn!

Wat Arun
34 Arun Amarin Road
Kwang Wat Arun, Khet
Bangkok Yai
Bangkok 10320
Thailand

www.watarun.org

Nearest pier: Tha Tien

Opening hours: 7:30am – 5:30pm daily
Admission: 50 baht

We made our way to the river once more to pamper ourselves with a sumptuous dinner on a cruise. That seems a perfect way to end the day, does it not?

Rama VIII Bridge, Bangkok

One advantage of cruising along the river is that you get to see many landmarks and bridges, such as the rama VIII bridge. This is a beautiful single tower asymmetrical cable-stayed bridge, easily my most favorite bridge at the Chao Phraya River.

Grand Palace, as seen from Chao Phraya, Bangkok

And that’s the Grand Palace.

Riverside Bangkok

Of the many dinner cruises available, most are buffets that typically cost a bomb. We picked riverside Bangkok as they offer Thai/chinese ala carte dishes at very reasonable prices.

Riverside dinner cruise at Chao Phraya, Bangkok

The cruise is a baby blue double-decker, possibly the biggest passenger boat on the river. It sails off at 8pm, making a trip up and down the river before disembarking at 10:30. That gives diners a nice 2.5 hours on board.

(and no, I did not digitally change the color. The sky was really that gorgeous shade of pink!)

Colorful balloon arch

A colorful balloon arch welcomes people on board. At times the staff would offer to take pictures of passengers standing underneath those balloons.

Riverside dinner cruise at Chao Phraya, Bangkok

Both indoor and alfresco dining are available. Seats for the alfresco area are the first to run out so it’s better to make your reservations fast! We neglected to make advance reservations and sat indoors instead.

Riverside dinner cruise at Chao Phraya, Bangkok

A live band entertains the diners on the stage, which transforms into a disco dance floor during the later part of the night.

Chang beer

Our first chang beer!

Thai satay

For starters, we ordered my favorite chicken satay. The gravy is quite similar to the satay peanut gravy in Singapore.

Bread served alongside satay

What’s different is that slices of toasted bread are served instead of the lontong (rice cakes) that we are familiar with.

Roasted duck in coffee sauce

A surprise find on the extensive menu was the roasted duck in coffee sauce. It reminds me of the delicious coffee pork ribs at Tung Lok zhou’s kitchen. Sure enough, there’s the same delicious coffee aroma, although I would have enjoyed it better if it was chicken.

Shrimp in coconut cream

I thought the shrimp in coconut cream would be something like the one at mustard, where the prawns are served in a whole coconut. (coconuts are all over Bangkok!) I felt a tinge of disappointment when it came in a small bowl. Still, the shrimp tasted great — sweet and creamy with a touch of spice. Yum.

Fried pork ribs

The fried pork ribs were dry and stiff — not good. It convinced me that ribs are never meant to be fried.

Night scenery along Chao Phraya, Bangkok

But anyhow, the main cool thing about being on a dinner cruise is that you get an ever-changing scenic view. You can stand by the railing and feel the breeze in your hair. You can even fly like jack and rose if you wish.

Night scenery along Chao Phraya, Bangkok

There are easily a dozen bridges stretching across the river banks, and each time the cruise passed underneath one, all on board would erupt in cheers just for the heck of it :)

Night scenery along Chao Phraya, Bangkok

Bangkok is not exactly a dense skyscraper city. You don’t really get to see the grandeur of a brightly lit skyline unlike other urban cities.

Sirocco, as seen from Chao Phraya, Bangkok

We did spot the golden dome of the state tower. It felt surreal to see it from so far away when we were just there the night before, having a couple of drinks at Sirocco the rooftop bar.

Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn, as seen from Chao Phraya, Bangkok

That’s the Temple of Dawn again. It looks magnificent even at night.

Riverside Bangkok
195 Ratchawithi Road
Bangkok 10700
Thailand

(66) 2883 1588

Nearest pier: Krung Thon Bridge

Dinner hours: 8pm – 10:30pm
Admission: 120 baht

Once again, this was a thoroughly enjoyable and rewarding day. All the places we visited are on the West bank of the river. There was a mild scare when none of the taxis we flagged down were willing to take us back to our hotel in the main land of Bangkok and it was getting pretty late by then. But eventually one did agree. Phew!

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About the Author

Veron Ang is the founder and chief editor of Sparklette. She lives in Singapore and has dined and traveled across the world. She also runs Sparklette Studio, a web design and WordPress development firm. If you'd like to connect with her, head on over to the contact page or follow her personal updates on Twitter: @VeronSG.

Bangkok (Day 6) – Muang Boran the Ancient City

Bangkok (Day 8) – Shop, Eat and Relax!

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25 responses

Leave your comment

vinsion
February 4, 2009

woah. its a very thrilling experience to visit the forensic museum. i cant imagine me seeing human organs and fetuses..

and i also didnt know that dinner cruises have ala carte type.

veron trip never fails to surprise me..
Reply
- Veron
  February 4, 2009
  
  Hehe did you get to visit the BodyWorlds exhibition when it came to Singapore some years back? It showcases human corpses too, albeit in a more artful way. The bodies have been plastinated and hardly look like corpses anymore. The forensic museum is quite different, in the sense that the bodies look more “real”.
  
  Yeah most of the dinner cruises were buffet style and this was the only one we found offering ala carte dishes. The waiters would go around taking orders and the cooks would prepare the food somewhere at the back of the ship.
  Reply
wei hua
February 4, 2009

gosh this is a great entry. makes me regret not thorougly planning my itinerary when i visited bangkok last year. Im coming back to check ur entries if i do make another trip to bangkok! thanks for the tips :P
Reply
- Veron
  February 4, 2009
  
  No worries. It took my fourth trip before I got to do some of the cool things mentioned. And I know I’m still missing out on many others!
  Reply
Scott at Realepicurean
February 5, 2009

Well it does both sound and look beautiful. Wish I was there!
Reply
- Veron
  February 5, 2009
  
  You must be referring to Wat Arun! Yes, it’s certainly one of the most beautiful temples I have seen in Thailand. Must have looked even more magnificent back in the 19th century when it was first built.
  Reply
Edmund Ng
February 5, 2009

whoa! Another culinary delightful adventure – Ijust spent 9 days in Thailand but still missed out on the Riverside dinner buffet. How did you manage to find out about it?
I was at this cool restaurant on the river near Rama V bridge called Pha Na Korn. It was still quite cold in Thailand as the locals were wrapped up in jackets and cardigans.

Respect to you for checking out the forensic museum, do they have one in Singapore? Veron the CSI..

I visit Wat Arun in 2004, and like your observations, it hasn’t changed much since. Its a historical temple, so common sense says they preserve it as much as possible. Yep, those river taxis at 3Baht can’t be beaten! The tourists “farang” usually get ripped off on the private long-tail boats that charge 500 Baht!
Reply
- Veron
  February 6, 2009
  
  We did some research before going on the trip. Only when we chanced upon some Thai website did we realise that there are dinner cruises on the Chao Phraya river! And I bet Riverside Bangkok is the cheapest deal you can get.
  
  Haha I doubt there would ever be a forensic museum in Singapore. Where would they get the bodies?
  Reply
  - Noir
    November 2, 2009
    
    Hi, nice site and tips u have shared. I am thinking about the river cruise. According to you. ala carte would be good but we do need to pay 120 baht for the admission. Do share with me more details on the river cruise dinner. thanks
    Reply
    - Veron
      November 3, 2009
      
      Unless things have changed, you would be asked to pay the admission fee.
      Reply
ck
February 18, 2009

hey,what is the name for the cruise? i would like to board it coz it’s not tat costly ! :D
so i just get to the riverside bangkok and i shud b able to see the blue double decker??

thanks !
Reply
Max
February 22, 2009

Wow…Lovely visit, indeed. Will gonna visit Bangkok end of this month ^^

Just would like to know, how much did it cost ya for the dinner during the cruise? Is it a one lump sum cost or according to what you’d ordered? If I choose not to have dinner, could I still enjoy the cruise?

Thanks.

Cheers,
Max
Reply
- Veron
  February 24, 2009
  
  The dinner is ala carte style so you pay only for what you order. We specifically chose this cruise because we wanted to avoid the expensive buffet. Though it’s not stated explicitly, I’m quite sure you can also enjoy the cruise without having the food, since they make you pay a fixed “admission” price to get on board. It’s pretty cheap.
  Reply
soo shing
February 24, 2009

Hi Veron,

Where does the Riverside night cruise stop cos I need to get back to Sukhumvit at night.
How much did you spent for the food ala carte? I have my parents & sis along.
Thanks for your guide in advance.
sooshing
I be there this 7-10 Mar and I hope no demonstration by the Red party !
Reply
- Veron
  February 24, 2009
  
  The cruise makes a round trip back to Riverside Bangkok, which is on the west bank of the Chao Phraya (further up north on the map of Bangkok). I can’t remember exactly how much we spent, but it was probably in the region of 1000 baht for two persons. What I do remember is that it was very affordable, considering the length of time you get to cruise along the river.
  Reply
madeline
February 26, 2009

great photos taken! :)
Reply
Nueng
May 13, 2009

for Bangkok skyline
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=18362
Reply
Nueng
May 13, 2009

This year 2009, Bangkok city

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=859602
Reply
- Veron
  May 18, 2009
  
  Those are some really *really* excellent photos. They give a far better depiction of Bangkok life than any of my blog posts ever could!
  Reply
Luvelle
June 7, 2009

i definitely love your days in Bangkok. I’m planning one for 2 weeks later, there are so many things to do & places to go but with so limited time.
Anyway your site really helps a lot ^_^
Reply
- Veron
  June 11, 2009
  
  Always happy to hear that :) Aside from blogging about the famous must-see sights, I do try to showcase the less-known places too, especially if they are those that people may not know about.
  
  Hope you enjoy your trip, as I’m sure you will :)
  Reply
gurly
July 31, 2009

hi there, your site is so nice to read, im browsing bangkok trips and stumbled on your blog.

would want to know if you happen to book tour package and thru which website,

would appreciate if you can let me know as im quite hesitant to just try booking online and not sure whether the site can be trusted or not

thanks
yna
Reply
- Veron
  August 1, 2009
  
  Hi Yna,
  
  Thanks for dropping by! I tend to book my air tickets and accommodation separately.
  
  For air tickets, I use Zuji. They have provided me with lower rates for non-budget airlines.
  
  As for accommodation in Bangkok, my favorite website to use is Agoda.
  
  So far, all the bookings I’ve made online are 100% successful. Of course, i only use the bigger and more popularly-used websites. Hope this helps!
  Reply
yna
August 4, 2009

what sites do you use to book the tour, i just called my hotel and they got an in house tour company, however, this company offers, high rates compared to market rates.

would you let me know the website you used in booking the tours. i want to book on line…

thanks again veron
Reply
Vidya
October 28, 2009

Hi there,
Your blog is so informative! We are planning on going to Bangkok this month end. I have been wanting to do the dinner cruise, but I am not sure if it is agood idea as I have 2 young children(ages 5 and 7). Also we are vegetarians, do you think the buffet will do justice to us? Kindly let me know what you think!
Reply