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Published: August 13th 2013
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As seen from across the river
Best shot I've gotten in years. Wat Arun ranks highly on the "Must See!" lists of everything I read online. For the past few years, each time I took a boat upriver and passed it, I thought, "I
have to see that place!"
This week I finally did.
I got up early, hoping to beat the heat, crowds, and forecasted afternoon rain. I took the express boat up the river and then the ferry across, and arrived before 10am. Upon arrival, I realized there are two parts.
I visited the actual temple first. It's free and it's beautiful. I wandered through building after building, seeing monks, worshipers, and a special meal laid out. There's a celebration related to Buddhism and a special meal was prepared. Monks were laying it out in one of the buildings when I tip-toed through.
I decided to visit the main attraction, the
prang or Khmer style tower. It's actually one tall
prang surrounded by four smaller
prang. I had read that there were a lot of stairs, but I hadn't realized how many! It made me glad to be wearing a skirt I could move in easily and a t-shirt so that I didn't have to rent and
then mess with a long scarf or sarong while climbing about. However, I did notice they let women wear pants; some places don't allow that or shorts for either gender.
There are several levels to the
prang. The first two are easy to climb to, just a flight of stairs. You can walk all the way around and look at the detailed porcelain patterns and castings of various figures. The upper-most level, though, is not for the meek. The stairs go straight up and are quite narrow. It's almost like climbing a ladder on tip-toe. Luckily, there's railings on both sides and there's one staircase designated for "down" only. Either direction, just focus on your feet and the next step and you'll be fine.
The view from the top was amazing: panoramic views of the Chao Phraya River and its traffic, plus views of the shimmering wat roofs, and the city surrounding it. I circled around several times, just taking it in with wonder and amazement. I could see well over a kilometer in every direction! I was quite happy I'd come on such a clear day.
I slowly descended the
prang and stood looking back up.
It seems to reach the sky. I tried backing up to take a photo, but it didn't all fit. As I was re-evaluating my stance, a kind Japanese tourist offered to take my photo with the wat! I immediately agreed and dashed off. She knelt down low, but still only managed to get me and the base of the
prang in the photo. But that gives you an idea how tall it is!
As I sat waiting for my boat to go, I gazed back at Wat Arun, happy to have finally visited.
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