Thailand: Two Days in Bangkok: The Wats
You can't go very far in Bangkok without passing a wat, or temple. There are many (probably hundreds) in Bangkok, and given our limited time in the city, we only visited a few. They're the big ones, and worth visiting by anyone going to the city.
Wat Phra Keo, or the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, is the major temple in Bangkok, if not all Thailand. Home to a statue of the Buddha made of emerald and the site of some of the holiest Buddhist activities presided over by the Thai royal family, the wat itself is amazing. When you have a monarchy, and lots of natural resources, including lots of gold, this is what you get. It's packed and beautiful and detailed in the most impossible ways. A lot of the photos I took and posted show the details and beauty of this place. Golden and jeweled in a way that most Western castles and churches can only dream of, it's awe inspiring and a bit overwhelming. I'd go back again (and again), just to take in its dazzling detail and beauty.
Wat Po, or the Temple of the Reclining Buddha, is the home of perhaps the most famous image of the Buddha in the world: laying on his side and super huge. About 150 feet long and massive in every way, he's a very impressive guy. His feet are fabulously detailed on the bottom. Most people seemed to just visit him and move on, but the rest of the wat has some really nice shrines, including an image of the Buddha with seven snakes around his head. I don't know why so many people seem to just see the big sight and move on, but I guess that's the nature of tourism.
Wat Arun, or the Temple of the Rising Sun, is across the river from the other two wats, and is more run down than the others. It carries within it, however, a rich beauty, and has some of the most fantastic ceramic work I've ever seen. The exterior is made of ceramic pieces, and it has a lot of beautiful detail. It's extra beautiful as the sun begins to set, in spite of the grime and black mold that has taken over large portions of its exterior. It's also the only wat you can climb, and when you do, you get a really nice view of the Old City in Bangkok.
One thing I noticed: there were few, if any guards, at any of these wats. Theft didn't seem to be much of a concern, especially in the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. People were simply respectful and didn't touch what they weren't supposed to. Yes, there were a lot of people around and yes, there were guards (unarmed) nearby. But there was a respect and an understanding that these things were not for touching nor for taking, but simply holy. If these temples were in the United States, they'd be behind inches of glass and roped off and separated in every way from the visitors who came to see them.
