Bangkok, Thailand – 21 to 31 March, 2007
Our third trip to Bangkok, like the second visit, was for the purpose of a visit to Bangkok International Hospital. This time it was for follow-up on the ongoing pain in D’s shoulder as a result of the fracture which occurred in Cambodia. We flew from Chiang Mai on Air Asia and arrived in Bangkok early afternoon.
This trip we decided we would stay in a different area than Pratanum where we had stayed on our previous visits, so we booked a hotel in the Sukhumvit area which is one of the main shopping and business areas of town. It also had very close access to the SkyTrain, so we thought it would be easier access to other parts of the city. While we had splurged and it was a somewhat upscale suite hotel, it was a disappointment and we moved after three days there to a much better hotel only a couple of blocks away.
D had an appointment at the hospital the day after we arrived, so we headed there in the morning and spent most of the day there. The x-rays were redone because the originals done in Cambodia were poor quality, and they also did an MRI on D’s shoulder. About an hour after the MRI, we were called into the orthopedic specialist’s office where he showed us the results on the computer screen. It is amazing what they can do with the technology available today. The doctor could zoom in from all angles, rotate the image, etc., etc. At the end of the consultation the news was that the bone had healed properly and there was no other damage. It turns out the pain was a result of the arm and shoulder being immobilized for the time it took to heal, and D was now prescribed physical therapy for two to four weeks.
As we didn’t plan to be in Bangkok that long, we decided D would book one session the next day and J would attend to get some tips on how to help. That session involved just less than one hour of ultrasonic and heat treatment on the shoulder, then about one hour of stretching. D was also given a therapy routine to follow twice a day on her own. D then scheduled a second session for two days later and figured that would be the end of the formal therapy process at the hospital if she kept up her morning and afternoon routines.
In total we spent ten days in Bangkok on this trip, but do not really have much to tell for it. We visited most of the sights during the first two trips, so our time outside of the hospital visits was mostly spent trying to keep cool. The area we were in this visit did not seem to have the number of local markets and small food vendors as the Pratanum area, so we were somewhat disappointed in that regard. We did visit the huge Chatuchak weekend market on the Sunday, but the heat limited our time there. One day we took the SkyTrain to the river and caught the river taxi to the Chinatown area. The river ride is always interesting and the breeze cooling, but when we arrived in Chinatown and started to peruse the Thieves Market our wandering time was again limited by the searing heat. Once in the alleys of the market, the only relief is to stop in front of the occasional shop which had air conditioning blasting and the front door wide open.
We considered taking a trip to the Kanchanaburi for a couple of days to visit the bridge over the River Kwai, but in the end we opted for a day trip that left at 6:00 AM and returned around 8:00 PM. On that trip we visited the Death Railroad Museum, Cemetery, and Bridge Over the River Kwai in Kanchanaburi, then took a short ride on the train which still runs from Bangkok to the end of the line about 54 kilometers from Burma. This was a very informative but tiring day. The only regret with taking an organized day trip was the limited time we were able to spend at the Museum in Kanchanaburi. We had just over an hour to split between the museum and cemetery, but could easily have spent double in the museum alone.
When we arrived in Bangkok we were uncertain which direction we would head for next. After some discussion we decided to add Malaysia back on our agenda, so made some reservations for a flight and hotel in Penang, and hit the road again.
Next stop Penang, Malaysia
