Just Snaking Around

Manda writes:

Chinatown, otherwise known as 'Yaowarat' in Thai, was our first stop today. As we arrived, we noticed the abundance of neon shop signs with Chinese characters on them. This looked similar to some of the streets in Hong Kong with large and colourful signs hanging on the side of buildings, all of them vying for attention. Slightly disorientated by our taxi journey in and the general hustle and bustle of the area we were dropped off at, we walked over to a small side street to try to find our bearings on a map. What we hadn't planned on finding was a market which grabbed our attention from that point onwards. So apart from seeing a few neon signs, we didn't get to see much of Chinatown in the end.

Chinatown, Bangkok.

The market was an interesting and vibrant place. A lot of bargains can be found in these narrow streets, especially if you happened to stumble into a wholesalers, of which there were many here. That's the souvenirs taken care of then! Family and friends be warned that you are all getting the same thing albeit in different colours!

Determined to do some sight-seeing and not spend another day milling around the shops, we went over to the Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute, better known as the Snake Farm. This Red Cross Research Institute regularly produces anti-venom from its resident snakes. This antidote is then distributed throughout the country. According to the slide show we watched, a lot of snakes are found in the rice paddies. Since Thailand is a major rice distributor, also known as the 'Rice bowl of Asia', the work that this institute carries out is invaluable. The quality of the slides was a bit ropey but the presentation was informative nevertheless.

After the slide show presentation, we all filtered out to the viewing auditorium for the snake show. A scruffily dressed, one-legged man, with a constant grin plastered on his face found a spot in amongst the audience. Much to the horror of a young lady that he chose to sit next to, this oddball was carrying a caged rat. She instantly swapped seats with her boyfriend. We thought he was part of the show but he wasn't, it later transpired.

The snake show itself was very good. The snake handlers brought out the various types of Vipers and Cobras. At the same time, provoking them in such a way that they would raise their heads up high and hiss. This was done mainly for the benefit of the audience, especially the photographers.

The King Cobra, giving the audience the evil eye.

After the model parade, it was time for the milking of the snake. The handler grabbed one of the snakes so that its mouth was wide open. He then squeezed the sides of its mouth a bit more and several drops of transparent venom oozed out onto a Petri dish. Having done its work for the day, the snake was rewarded with three dead white mice. After each mouse was rammed into its throat, the handler would squeeze the blob down, like moving toothpaste down a tube.

The audience got an opportunity to hold a different snake and pose for photos. We naturally gave it a go. This one was rather heavy and fortunately it didn't wriggle around too much.

Manda keeps a close eye on the python's movements.

After the show, we took a closer look at the snake pit to see them roaming around in their habitat. It was then that we spotted a rat in amongst the snake territory. He seemed oblivious to his surroundings and was sat in a corner happily pruning himself. The scruffy man that we'd spotted earlier in the audience had released the rat into the pit. A few seconds later, the snake was surveying the area where the rat was. The rat instinctively stayed very still but a few seconds later, the snake had struck him. After the attack, the rat fled to a higher location, leaving the snake circling the area looking for its prey. It wasn't initially apparent whether the snake had bitten the rat but as time went by, the poor rat gradually keeled over. It was not very nice to watch but it all happened so fast. The scruffy man could be seen with an intense grin plastered on his face. We left shortly after that.

We popped over to the nice air-con MBK shopping centre in Siam Square for a late lunch. Bangkok is definitely a must for shopaholics! Everywhere you turn there are shopping malls, indoor markets, outdoor markets and mobile street vendors making the most of the moment. It is easy to spend an entire day just snaking around the interconnected malls to take a break from the sun and humid heat, and we know all about snaking after today's adventures.