Bangkok temple hopping

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Wat Pho is the temple of the reclining Buddha. As on the photo it is gold and very big, but it still has a simple elegant design. The soles of the feet are decorated with mother of pearl. On the photo you can just see a little on the toes. In the corridor at the back of the Buddha are metal jars and people place a coin in each jar. The reclining Buddha is just one of the nine wonders of Wat Pho temple. The stucco chediand the satellite chedI make an impressive sight and there are Chinese style stone figures in the rockeries and guarding entrances. At the back of the temple there are massage parlours. These are a tradition connected with the massage school in the temple. I enjoyed a traditional Thai massage. There is a river ferry to cross from Wat Pho to Wat Arun (temple of dawn) on the opposite side of the Cho Praya river. In a minute or so you are across the river and it is not far to the temple. I was interested to see that the river is used for cargo as well as tourist craft. Four tug boats were needed to pull a heavy load. Wat Arun has a Kmer style shape. Theguidebooks described the stepsago the top as very steep. I thought this was one of those exaggerations for effect. In fact the top section of the stairs is steep like a ladder. Fortunately there is no restriction on climbing. The only restrictions are that you must wear appropriate temple dress. From the top there was a good view down to the river. I thought a round trip tour on the tourist boat would be relaxing. In fact the tourist boat isn't a circular trip so I got off after one stop and walked back. I got to see entirely different side of Bangkok, lots of stores selling everything everyusing you can think of and things that don't look sellable at all. It was busy and hot, but this is an important part of modern Bangkok.

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