Trip Report 5: A Detour Through BNH In Bangkok

Women buying food at a take-away cart on Naratiwat Road, by the Chong Nonsi BTS station

My second day in Bangkok was, thankfully, less hectic. Yesterday's arrival after 20+ hours of travel associated discomfort was enough, and I was ready to put foot to sidewalk and leisurely explore a different view of a familiar area. While I'd stayed a few times on the other side of Naratiwat Road at the Om Yim Lodge and the Sathorn Inn, this side of the road was virgin territory for me. I don't know why; it just was.

Clothes hung out to dry on the balcony - a very common sight.

Despite the jet lag and a roughly unsettled stomach my friend had been stubborn enough to be out on the town until the wee small hours of the morning, and paid the price for it our first morning in town. Sometimes a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do, I suppose, and I remember not wanting in the past to give in to anything I figured I could deal with, either.

He was truly in distress when I spoke with him around 11:00 in the morning, though, and since we were scheduled to go to Pattaya the following day I urged him to see a doctor here in Bangkok, get himself checked out and be back on track. He conceded defeat to whatever it was that was wrong and since he didn't have the strength to walk if we rode the BTS I took him by taxi to BNH  - Bangkok Nursing Hospital.

My friend in the ER of BNH

The main entrance was being remodeled, so we entered through the doors in the rear of the hospital, next to the Emergency area. Being off a bit ahead of me my friend simply went to the ER reception, related his complaint and was admitted there instead of into the hospital proper. After some quick but thorough care - including some intravenous fluid - he was ready to head back out in right about two hours, prescriptions in hand, to continue his trip.  To keep it as simple as possible, it was something he ate and a yelping case of dehydration. See "You’re A Couple Quarts Low There, Buddy". His bill was over $200USD - he had lab work and ER costs on it as well - but it paid off his wise investment in trip insurance - and then some.

After finding him a place to eat the bland food his doctor recommended he stay with for a couple of days we had lunch and then retired to our rooms to rest. By dinnertime that evening he was feeling well enough to again be bound and determined to not miss a night out, and this time I was feeling like tagging along, at least for a while.

Like the young man below, we began with a sensible dinner and then took on the night. More on that tomorrow.

Tasty take-away, and you may take that any way you want to.