It was Thailand on Thursday, and what an enjoyable day it was. Bill & I agree that we’d love to come back! They call Thailand the Land of 1000 Smiles and we can see why. The people seemed especially friendly and happy.
Our first stop was Wat Po, a temple containing hundreds of images of Buddha, including the remarkable giant Reclining Buddha which dates to the 17th century. This thing is HUGE – about the size of a 15 story building lying on its side! The temple became Thailand’s first university in 1832 and is the premier place for learning the ancient Thai medicinal art of massage.
Besides this one, there are hundreds of other images of Buddha at Wat Po. Our personal favorites were those in yoga poses!
There was a water festival taking place on the temple grounds to celebrate the upcoming New Year. The rainy season is about to begin, and the people recognize the importance water plays in their lives.
Water was poured over Buddha statues to cleanse . . .
Buddhist monks sprinkled water on passersby . . .
Just when we thought we could not possibly be impressed by yet ANOTHER Buddha, we were taken to the Temple of the Golden Buddha. Whereas the Reclining Buddha is covered in gold leaf, the golden Buddha is made of solid gold, 5.5 tons worth! There’s an interesting story behind it. In the 18th century the Buddha was covered in plaster to protect it from invading armies. It was then “rediscovered” in 1957 when the statue was being moved by a crane. The plaster-covered Buddha slipped and a workman noticed a sliver of gold through a crack in the plaster.
The Thai architecture is unlike anything we’ve seen anywhere else, and is a big reason we liked Bangkok so much. Here are just a few examples.
Even the phone booths are unique!
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