Three museums and a walk along the new skytrain extension

I went exploring again this week. I had a morning off, so I set out around 9:00 am to follow on foot beneath the new Skytrain line (currently under construction).

heading out on Lat Prao Road

I wandered into a new part of the city that I hadn't been to before. It's not far away, but for years I haven't ventured very often beyond the train lines. I'm not sure why that is. Now, I'm determined to see the rest of Bangkok. My feet took me to the national headquarters of the Siam Commercial Bank.

the headquarters of Siam Commercial Bank

SCB is the bank that I have an account with in Thailand. It was the first bank in Thailand (established in 1907), and the only Thai bank established under a royal charter. As such, the bank has been granted a special royal Garuda seal signifying its unique history.

SCB

SCB Park Plaza is also home to the Thai Bank Museum. With no idea what exactly the free museum would be about, I decided to go inside.

the Thai Bank Museum at SCB HQ

After entering the museum lobby, I followed a spiral staircase past a giant peacock made of flowers to the second floor of the museum, which held the regular exhibits.

inside the Thai Bank Museum

Most exhibits were in Thai, although some were displayed in English as well, and all audio sections offered both languages.

old and commemorative Thai coins and banknotes

The first part of the exhibition was dedicated to the history of currency and coinage around Thailand.

Modern Siam (Thailand) wasn't truly unified until the 18th century. Before that, various states and kingdoms used their own currencies.

various historic and ancient currencies from around Thailand

In the past, the different regions of what is now Thailand used some very interesting currencies, including disks, oblong strips of metal, and "bullets", or little metal pellets.

Lan Chang money from the Northeast of Thailand (14th-16th century)

In the early 20th century, the first Thai bank, called the "Book Club" was established. This was a lending system devised by Chinese-Thai merchants and spearheaded by a Thai prince. At the time, it was unknown whether the bank would be successful, hence the cryptic name.

banking instruments

Eventually, the bank was given a royal charter, and officially named the Siam Commercial Bank.

Chinese, Thai, and English versions of the original SCB sign

Leaving the bank, I continued walking along the road alongside the under-construction Skytrain. Unexpectedly (but since it's the Rainy Season, I should have been more prepared), it began raining! The rain started getting heavier and heavier, and with nowhere to go, I was stuck out in it!

the Land Development Department

Then, I noticed that I was right next to the offices of the Land Development Department, and a very intriguing sign caught my eye...

Bangkok Soil Museum

It might sound like the most boring museum ever, but I needed to get out of the rain! In fact, the guards working at the office seemed confused to see me. They needed to send someone to unlock the museum and put the lights on. I don't think they get many visitors at the Soil Museum.

it was surprisingly interesting!

The museum actually surprised me. It turned out to be very interesting! It was all about the types of soil and geology in Thailand, as well as the royal conservation projects that were created by HM the late King Rama IX and HRH Princess Sirindhorn.

just a bunch of dirt

Erosion can be a big problem, but the king and princess led some research that introduced certain plants with very long roots into at-risk areas. The super long roots help hold the soil together and prevent erosion. My respect for the Thai Royal Family and their royal projects just goes up every time I learn more about them!

various types of Thai soil

As a matter of fact, due to the late king's research, the United Nations has declared King Rama IX's birthday (December 5th) to be World Soil Day.

an exhibit at the Soil Museum

At this point, the rain had stopped, and I continued on my way. In the end, I ended up walking about 4 miles all the way to Kasetsart University.

a lotus pond at Kasetsart University

There, I visited the Bangkok Aquarium. Now, I've been to an aquarium in Bangkok before. The Siam Ocean World at Siam Paragon Mall is the most famous aquarium in Thailand, and it's world-class. It's one of the coolest, biggest, most mindblowingly impressive aquariums that you can imagine! However, it's owned by the mall, and is actually a private aquarium. The actual Bangkok Aquarium is much smaller, and is located within the university campus.

Bangkok Aquarium

he Bangkok Aquarium may not be as big nor impressive as Ocean World, but it's only 20 baht ($0.60) to visit, the fish are cared for, the water is clean, and the collection is really quite good.

the aquarium is part of the university

I've always loved aquariums!

it's small, but well-maintained

By the time I got back home, I was soaking (it had started raining again) and tired. However, I was feeling really good! I've been loving my new explorations of the city I'm living in! It's been awesome to see Bangkok is a new light, and to explore new parts of the "Big Mango" that I have never seen before. I think I'll try to keep up with this! Every week or so, I'll try exploring a new part of town. There's so much to see! I shouldn't waste any free time that I have!