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Published: March 17th 2013
We were up bright and early this morning because we had to pack in as much as possible on Jana's last day here. We were on a mission!
So off on the Skytrain we were to find that darn Golden Mount ... we had to wait a few minutes at the train because everything stops at 8 am in Bangkok for the playing of the national anthem. It is piped out through loud speakers everywhere! We had the same thing at the train station yesterday.
We finally found the Golden Mount ... basically it is this hill with soft earth that they had to build around it so that it would actually hold up the chedi and temple that is high up there. There are 318 steps to climb. I had pictured it as being all cement and very plain and was really just going for the experience more than anything else. It turned out to be such a pleasant surprise. There were resting areas along the way with beautiful shrines, buddhas or these rows of ornate bells (being a child, I rang one and it had the most beautiful gong-like sound).
At the top, there is this beautiful gold chedi wrapped in a red cloth. There were people doing devotions and offerings. Jana and I brought the little jasmine wreath that we had gotten during our rice barge supper specifically to do an offering during the day. So it was layed by the foot of the chedi.
There were also these contraptions where people offered these small bells, with written messages on them mostly in thai. In the wind, they just made the most calming and hypnotic sound.
When we walked down, we found so many hidden buddhas and shrines all along the wooded areas around it. Parts of it looked like a mausoleum but the writings were all in Chinese (none of them were in thai). We also found a small temple and Jana and I lit a candle.
We then headed on a tuk-tuk (and yes dad ... they definitely could use your defensive driving classes ... ) to Wat Phra Kaew, home of the emerald buddha. I had read so many times to beware of touts who try to scam you into tours by telling you that the Grand Palace is closed. Of course, we get there and that's exactly what happens. Ten seconds later, a procession of cars drives into the Palace gate and all of the guards are saluting the cars as they drive by. It looked like very high standing officials. Being the sceptic that I am, I have to ask again and apparently it really was closed ... the Royal Consecration ceremony. I felt really bad for Jana that she did not get to see it but we managed to make up for it ... I will definitely fit it in later on in the journey.
So it was off to Wat Pho then ... home of the Reclining buddha and one of the oldest temples in Bangkok. We made a stop at Seven 11 for "lunch"..... mmmm shredded pork and bologna sandwiches! And they sell drinkable collagen!!!!
We made it to Wat Pho ... ornate and just incredible. The reclining buddha is mind blowing. It is 46 m long and 15 m high. I had seen so many pictures but they paled in comparison to what it is to seeing it in real life. And I had never really seen photos of his feet ... huge first of all and all mother of pearl inlay.
Jana and I both did the ritual of dropping satangs into 108 alms bowls for good luck and good karma. I was really looking forward to doing this and it was spoiled a little by the fact that I had a french couple who felt the need to have photos taken every three coins or so and I kept bumping into them ... I got to do again though at Wat Arun so it made up for it.
We then went into a temple with this beautiful buddha in this amazing temple and there was a monk giving a class. We sat down on the floor (after taking our shoes off for about the hundreth time that day!) and listened to him ... it was in thai but who really cared. I then realized that they had ceramic tiles where you could write a message and they were used to restore the roof of one of the temples. My tile was green and I wrote a little something ... so now I will be part of Wat Pho.
We then crossed the river and went to Wat Arun which is a little different in that it is not all gilded. The ornamentation on these temples are done with broken ceramics. We climbed the main chedi ... the steps were so tall and steep. The actual height of the step itself went almost to my knee. There were very young monks that were just running up and down like there was nothing to it and the rest of us were just holding on to dear life.
We then went to the tall standing buddha, all 32 meters of him. We again made an offering. I got the little package with a wreath, incense, a candle and gold leafing. So I laid the wreath and gilded his middle toe ... the gilding is for good fortune.
We made our way back ... after a suspect tuk-tuk experience ... to the hotel and went out for korean food. I thought that since Jana has lived in Korea for a while now that she should share part of what she has been experiencing with me. We did something that involved this BBQ type contraption in the middle of the table ... after the waitress almost set fire to the table, we were moved (and all of our side dishes ...) to the next table and we got free drinks.
So Jana has just left for the airport ... we had a great time together and it was great to see my beautiful friend again and catch up. So now the journey continues on my own ...
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