On our first day in Bangkok, we decided to visit two very popular sites in the old section of the city. The first was Wat Pho, one of the largest temple complexes in Thailand. It's been around since the late 1700's and has been added on to and redone countless times. It is also thought to be the original university in Thailand, as well as the birthplace of the famous Thai massage. For those of you who are unfamiliar, different countries have different versions of what they call a massage. Not everything is oil and relaxation. For those of you who've read my blog on my Chinese spa experience, that massage, focused on pressure points throughout the body, was so painful I almost cried, and it left me bruised for days. Thai massage, on the other hand, is like guided stretching and gentle pushing across areas of the body. You don't even get undressed, but instead wear these baggy pajamas, and there is no oil involved at all. For an expert opinion, ask Brian; he's tried everything under the sun.
Wat Pho is also known for housing a huge reclining Buddha. I'm not sure why, but they never seem to build these building large enough to hold the Buddha comfortably. It is impossible to get a full shot of this Buddha facing head on. This place was very sacred, as I, again, was required to wear borrowed pants to cover up my legs, and no shoes were allowed.
The building was covered floor to ceiling in gorgeous paintings. Some, as in the picture below, were being redone, which was cool to see.
During the Buddha's lifetime, he was thought to have left his footprint on whichever lands he thought would believe in his teachings. So, I think there is a tradition in Buddhist art to make the soles of the feet very distinct, so that one would recognize his footprint whenever you saw it.
There were lots of other halls throughout the temple complex with loads of more Buddha sculptures, each one different in its own way.
After Wat Pho, I went next door and checked out the Grand Palace, while the rest of the family took a break and people watched, a favorite pastime of theirs. It was amazing how many people were out to scam us in this area. Good thing we were prepared for this. Mostly the scams revolved around official looking people giving you wrong information to try to lead you somewhere where you needed to buy something. Scam #1: A guy told us we were walking in the wrong direction for the entrance to the Grand Palace. Wrong. Scam #2: A guy told us we wouldn't be allowed in the Palace, as we were dressed inappropriately. To fix this, we needed to buy a sarong from the lady over here. Wrong. While the Palace did require proper attire, they gave out clothes for free, as long as you left a deposit.
The Palace itself housed the royal family from 1782-1925. Now it is used for special events mainly. Once inside the Palace walls, the first area to visit is another Buddhist temple. This one was made up of three stupas, all built in different times and therefore with different architectural styles. Cool fact: the wings on the far right building are a very traditional Thai feature. They are meant to mirror birds' wings, flying to heaven.
The temples inside the Palace grounds were extraordinary in their ornateness. So much detail.
Most of the palace buildings we were only able to see from the outside. But there was still a interesting and varied range of styles to see.
This was a more modern looking mansion used to house important visitors.
This green roofed building was the main living area as well as the original throne room.
Eventually, a grander throne room and adjoining halls were built. This was my favorite building on the grounds. The base seemed colonial, while the roof was Thai. It was a very unique mix that was just stunning. Also in front of the building was a gorgeously manicured garden and lawn that also made the building feel very grand.
The two protectors of the building, the royal guard and the spirit of the elephant.
There were lots of smaller, inconspicuous, but still beautiful buildings on the grounds. Lovely. Maybe Drew and I need to move to Europe for awhile. Or Charleston.
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