Thailand.......day 6

    First thing's first; I successfully navigated Bangkok today!!! I'm a big boy now.... So I decided to concur one of my biggest fears today. Ok, maybe concur is an overstatement, lets say stare down from behind the safety of glass and steel..........ok deep breath......

          Rewind to the building itself.....

           The brief version is:
 Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute has an interesting and unique history. The death of Momchaoying Banlusirisarn Diskul, caused by rabies in 1911, made one realize the danger of this incurable disease and the necessity of having vaccine against it in Thailand. Rabies Vaccine was not available in Thailand at that time. Her father, HRH Prince Damrong Rajanubharb, the Interior Minister, asked for permission from HM King Vajiravudh to establish a center of vaccine production and vaccination against rabies. Medical equipment and facilities needed were purchased by a fund initially donated by the King’ s mother, HM Queen Saovabha and Thai people. This center was officially opened on April 26, 1913 under the name “Pastura Sabha” which was later changed to “Sathan Pasteur” in recognition of Louis Pasteur, the pioneer in rabies vaccine production

     So that being said the building produced anti-venom for poisonous snakes. To accomplish this task, they need to have on hand, and thus breed, venomous snakes. The exhibition itself was quite small but very interesting. The had snakes in cages outside as well as in terrariums inside. It also had an educational 2nd floor full of displays and interactive multimedia items. Here are some of the highlights:

           So now to the highlights of the farm. Firstly in the morning a group of young employees put a demonstration on of how they actually extract the venom, or anti-venom if you will. They started off describing how the venom is produced and delivered by the snake, then the magic started......

 

 

           So these kids were handling venomous snakes with only rubber boots and a metal rod to protect them. Nerves of steel! The demo ended and I waited in exited anticipation of what was next; essentially the reason I went. This was the real draw for not only me, but the farm as a whole.....

 

 Wait for it...................................And......................


                                           
   B.................O..............O..............M........!!!!!!!!!!

 

The King Cobra!

 

Next was the Burmese Cobra; which I was astonished to learn is 5 times more venomous than the king cobra. I wish I had know that before I sat three feet away. Since this facility is for research and venom extraction, the snakes are fully intact; meaning they have their fangs and venom sacks still perfectly functional. They went so far as to say they don't even extract venom as shown earlier before the show. This means that at the time of the show, they are 100% killers! Good thing the ant-venom is about 50 yards away.....

          The final snake worth showing, was a Pit Viper. I always thought that that was a reference to their habitat; whereas in fact they have a glad between their nose and eyes called a pit. This allows them to detect body heat. They explained that in most cases it is best to stay still when you come across a snake, they will move on and you will remain unharmed. They followed this up with in the case of the pit viper it won't work; they can feel your body heat.....so be prepared to run, fight, or get to a hospital. I attached the following video to show just how aggressive it was. The handlers were obviously well trained and the snakes were likewise, but this one didn't seem like it wanted to play. In the video I posted on Facebook you can see how the handler taps his foot to get different reactions from the King Cobra, however this snake struck right at the handler's face and if it was part of the show, it was the most realistic part bar none.....



                  So I faced, but had not yet tackled my fear of snakes. Needless to say I will never handle or hang around a cobra or viper; but my fear must be faced. I have help a boa many moons ago; a little one. It was powerful for its size and I could feel it tighten around me for the brief time I held it. I didn't care for the experience and didn't care to relive it. But I did, and this guy was MUCH bigger...

      They said that this snake had been raised from infancy here at the farm, and it was used to human contact. To be honest, I just didn't care; but had to do it. In the first picture, they had just handed it to me, or rather draped it around me. I was shocked by the weight, and in awe of myself for doing this; ergo no smile. In the last picture, it was running its head down my arm and when it did, I guess, maybe, a little bit, I may have, jumped?.......well at least that what it must have seemed like to the rest of the onlookers; because I distinctly heard a mixture of gasps and laughter; so I laughed at myself. This was definitely a tame animal, it never constricted; not in the least. But no one ever expects when madness rears its ugly head. They have reality shows based on freak attacks; and I didn't care to be the next YouTube video. I will count this as a small victory.......mission accomplished.........
And the adventure continues. I will be moving to a different hotel tomorrow as I work my way across this massive city. New hotel, new things to see and do. Until then.........