Thailand (Lonely Planet, 13th Edition) - China Williams [86]
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OFFBEAT BANGKOK MUSEUMS
If looking at stuffed tigers and Buddha statues is not doing it for you, then consider a visit to one of these quirky institutions.
Ancient City (Muang Boran; Map; 0 2709 1644; www.ancientcity.com; 296/1 Th Sukhumvit, Samut Prakan; adult/child 300/150B; 8am-5pm) Claiming to be the largest open-air museum in the world, the site covers more than 80 hectares of peaceful countryside littered with 109 scaled-down facsimiles of many of the kingdom’s most famous monuments. It’s an excellent place to explore by bicycle (daily rental 50B), as it is usually quiet and never crowded. Ancient City lies outside Samut Prakan, which is accessible via air-con bus 511 from the east end of Th Sukhumvit. Upon reaching the bus terminal at Pak Nam, board minibus 36, which passes the entrance to Ancient City.
Bangkok Folk Museum (Map; 0 2233 7027; 273 Soi Saphan Yao/43, Th Charoen Krung; admission free; 10am-4pm Wed-Sun; river ferry Tha Si Phraya) Consisting of three wooden houses, this family-run museum is a window into Bangkok life during the 1950s and ’60s. Particularly interesting is the traditional Thai kitchen.
Corrections Museum (Map; 0 2226 1706; 436 Th Mahachai; admission free; 9.30am-4pm Mon-Fri; bus 508, klorng taxi to Tha Phan Fah) Learn about the painful world of Thai-style punishment at what’s left of this former jail. Life-sized models re-enact a variety of horrendous executions and punishments, encouraging most visitors to remain law-abiding citizens for the remainder of their stay.
Erawan Museum (Map; 0 2371 3135; www.erawan-museum.com; Soi 119, Th Sukhumvit; adult/child 150/50B; 8am-5pm) The centrepiece here is a five-storey sculpture of Erawan, Indra’s three-headed elephant mount from Hindu mythology, built by the same benefactor and cultural preserver who built the Ancient City (opposite). Inside the building is a collection of sacred antiques. The museum is 8km from Bangkok’s Ekamai bus station and any Samut Prakan–bound bus can drop you off; just tell the driver your destination (Chang Sam Sian).
Museum of Counterfeit Goods (Map; 0 2653 5555; www.tillekeandgibbins.com/museum/museum.htm; Tilleke & Gibbins, Supalai Grand Tower, 1011 Th Phra Ram III; admission free; 8am-5pm Mon-Fri by appointment only; access by taxi from Metro Khlong Toei) This private collection displays all the counterfeit booty that has been collected by the law firm Tilleke and Gibbins over the years. Many of the fake items are displayed alongside the genuine ones. Visits by appointment only.
Songkran Niyosane Forensic Medicine Museum & Parasite Museum (Map; 0 2419 7000; 2nd fl, Forensic Pathology Bldg, Siriraj Hospital, Th Phrannok, Thonburi; admission 40B; 8.30am-4.30pm Mon-Fri; river ferry Tha Wang Lang) This gory institution contains the various appendages and remnants of famous murders, including the bloodied T-shirt from a victim who was stabbed to death with a dildo. The adjacent Parasite Museum is also worth a visit, much for the same reasons as above. The easiest way to reach the museum is by taking the river-crossing ferry from Tha Chang or Tha Phra Chan. At the exit of the pier, turn right to enter Siriraj Hospital, and follow the signs to the museum.
Thai Human Imagery Museum (Map; 0 3433 2607; Nakhon Pathom; admission 250B; 9am-5.30pm Mon-Fri, 8.30am-6pm Sat & Sun) Contains an exhibition of 120 lifelike fibreglass sculptures. A group of Thai artists reportedly spent 10 years studying their subjects and creating the figures, which range from famous Buddhist monks of Thailand to Winston Churchill. The museum is outside town at the Km31 marker on Th Pinklao-Nakhon Chaisi. Any Nakhon