Bangkok Day 6: American Embassy Murals & Snake Farm

On Day 6 we had to switch rooms in the hotel because we extended our stay for another week. We now have two beds and more room for the same price. The Ian upgrade?

All the days start the same- wake up, eat breakfast at the Atlanta and hunt for coconuts on the way to our next adventure. We walked down Soi 4 to see if Porn was selling his nuts yet, and ventured into Nana Plaza- rumored to be the largest sex complex in the world. Being that it was about 11AM, there was not a lot going on so I snuck these pics:

It's crazy that one of the biggest red light districts in Thailand is one street over from where we are staying. Everything online and from our experience suggests that the debauchery of Soi 4 sticks strictly to that street. Where we're staying is residential and very quiet at night, but if we walk 30 feet East it's a whole new world.

Porn wasn't there so we grabbed coconuts and pineapple from another vendor. This vendor already had the coconut water poured into individual bags. Coconuts were 25 Baht (about 70 cents) and the pineapple was 15 (about 50 cents). One US dollar equals about 33 Baht. We did the math- two coconuts and half a pineapple at WholeFoods in NYC runs about $15. We spent about $2. #Winning!

"I don't want to smile in ALL the pictures," he said 

Newly refreshed from our $2 indulgence, we walked toward the American Embassy. The residence of the ambassador was ginormous and protected on all sides. The wall leading up to the embassy had murals from different Thai schools that commemorated the friendship between the United States and Thailand. Check out all the little details from the Golden Gate Bridge to Michael Jackson:

"Two Nations, One Friendship"

  

(My name is Roseann Marie so this one felt personal)

We had a lot of time before we needed to be at the Snake Farm (for a 2:30 show), so we walked through Lumpini Park on the way. Lumpini is Bangkok's Central Park. There are beautiful bike paths, free outdoor workout machines, a youth center, tennis courts, disabled persons playground, lakes full of turtles and much more. Smoking and dogs are banned and bird watching is encouraged. This, much like central park, is an escape from the city. 

Still looking to kill time, we went to a university and hospital nearby the Snake Farm and ate lunch in their cafeteria. Yes, we looked lost as Hell. Such a gem though- look at the Pad Thai I got for $1! Nom Nom Nom

Now, to the Snake Farm-

I found the Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute and Snake Farm using the Triposo app. It is the only snake farm in Asia and the second oldest in the world (Brazil has the 1st). The snake farm housed hundreds of snakes both venomous and non-venomous. There is an indoor and outdoor serpentarium, and a museum/exhibition floor with specimens and more information regarding snake evolution and lifecycles. You can even see a bunch of different snakes and their wieners:

Me with the infamous "fake wiener" pose, with four different snake wieners!

The Triposo App said there were two shows where the handlers milked the venom from the snakes in front of a crowd, one at 11AM and one at 2:30PM. When we arrived we were informed that only the 11AM show involved extraction,  so we were pretty bummed to have missed it. The disappointment didn't last long, however, because the 2:30 show was a snake-handling demonstration where we saw snake keepers poke and prod snakes that could kill 20 infants with one bite! One of the workers brought out a 4ft long snake that was said to be one of the deadliest they had- but we weren't to worry, it was nocturnal and only bit at night. Um... we were in the shade! Ballsy.

We learned a ton from the presenter, whose description of the animals and handlers was presented much like the Disneyland Jungle Tour. ("Why is the snake paying attention to the handler and not you or me? It is because he is so good looking he can CHARM the snake! Ha! Ha!") The presentation was full of facts about snake habitats and mythology. The most valuable thing I learned is that snakes don't see or hear very well but rely on sensing motion. If you come into contact with a snake in the wild, be still, slowly take a few steps away, then run.

The presentation finished with a photo opportunity, which I'm always a sucker for. This is a non-venomous Burmese Python and our newest friend:

If I were to go again I would head to the farm earlier to see the venom show. You have free re-entry on the same day, so I would come back for the handling show as well. Each adult ticket was 200 Baht or roughly $6. Worth it!

We hit up the malls again on the way home and ran into Tom Cruise: