Morning bloggers (well it is for me, not sure what time it is in good old Blighty). Now I am sorry if you have been waiting with baited breath for my latest post, all will be revealed.
So, where was I? Temples. Beautiful temples. Or 'Wat' as they are called here (see wat I did with the title...). After a great nights sleep it was time to explore these amazing creations that make Bangkok famous (among other things). And they are amazing, as hopefully my pictures will show.
It was up and out, just down the road to try a little bit of breakfast. The top lip sweat-o-meter was preparing me for the day ahead, it was gonna be a hot one. Little did it know. Plumped for pancakes and fruit with honey to eat, whilst watching the street sellers and food stalls set up for the day. This city is buzzing 24 hours a day, with different sounds and smells and people. This morning the ice man cometh with sacks and sack of the stuff piled onto a contraption made out of a bike and a garden chair with what looked like a shopping trolley on the front. Race against time to get all that delivered before it melts! Fish and chicken cooking on BBQ's, noodles sizzling in pans, fruit stalls the colours of rainbows offering their wares. Ok, hungry again.....
Now, one of the best (and cheapest ways) to get around this bit of Bangkok is via the river. very handy as my hotel is on it! And when I say cheap, I mean cheap. 15 baht per journey. Remember people, 50 baht to the pound so you do the maths. So armed with my ticket I jumped aboard, literally. They just pull the boat up to the floating pontoon (which is just metal with some tyres on it) and we all jump aboard. This is done expertly and very quickly by the captain and a lad standing on the back of the boat with a whistle, guiding him in. I had been hearing this whistle all yesterday and couldn't place it, but then it clicked. They really are clever here....
Thailand's temples are magnificent. You have no idea. Thais hold their religion in high esteem, it is a massive part of their lives. And I just hope my pictures do the few I saw justice. I say the few, there are temples everywhere, images of Buddha at every turn and it would take forever to see them all. So I plumped for the main 3.First stop on my tour was The Grand Palace and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha.
Because of the high regard they have for this sort of thing, there are strict rules as to your conduct at these places. Every guide book tells you. Every web site tells you. Common sense tells you. It's about respect for their culture and religion. So, with that in mind, it is polite to cover up. And if you don't, you are not getting in. But being the resourceful lot they are, you are taken to a room where they have a selection of typically Thai style clothing for you to cover up with. Hilarious. The amount of people you see wandering around wearing tie dye and elephant harem pants over their mini skirts and boob tubes is incredible. I had worn my own elephant pants and left the boob tube at home so I was in without a second glance.
Now I really could go on and on about how incredible and unreal these places are, but I wont because I have more to explore today and I value your sanity, I will just let you take in the pictures. But suffice to say, even 3rd time round, they do not fail to take my breath away.
So I wandered, amid the throngs of people from all around the world, careful to observe all the little things that can so easily cause offence (never point your feet at a Buddha, ladies must never touch a monk or give him anything, don't touch a Thais head as this is the noblest part of the body and causes great offence, the feet are the lowest of the low and should not be used to touch anything, point anything out or put on the table, just to name a few) and just soaked up the atmosphere. Stunning. They pay such great attention to these places of worship, and they deserve respect. They got it from me.
I mentioned before that the top lip sweat-o-meter was on high alert this morning, well it was not wrong. It was hot, but it was more than that. It was humid. I had sweat everywhere, running from every pore, into my eyes, down my back, dripping of my forehead, settling on the top lip, everywhere. And as I looked round I was heartened in the knowledge I was not alone. So despite my best efforts to conceal it, I just had to go with it.
After the Grand Palace came Wat Pho, the temple of the reclining Buddha. This statue is massive. 15 meters high and I have no idea how long, reclining on its left side. Magnificent. Again I hope my pictures do it the justice it deserves.
By this time, the sweat was getting the better of me, and I decided to take a little trip back to the hotel for the customary 20 mins in front of the air con. After suitably refreshing myself and re-applying the sun cream and mozzie spray that had been sweated off, speaking to a group of lovely middle aged ladies from Newcastle who were in the hotel about the virtues of Pat Pong as an evening out, I headed back out to see my final destination of the day, Wat Arun. Incredible. Like a massive mosaic towering into the sky. Awesome.
All the walking and climbing and heat was starting to take its toll on me, so I decided to head towards home and form a plan of action for the evening ahead. That didn't take long. Sit on the terrace and watch the sun setting over the river, eat pad Thai at my favourite little place, by McDonalds, you know the one, pancakes and banana from the woman with no teeth (it may have been her sister), sample some coconut ice cream and head home to, weary but happy. And as I slid into my huge bed, after a well needed shower I looked at the clock. 8.30pm For the love of God, what have I come to!? And whilst laying there I kept thinking my legs didn't feel my own and that I must do my blog or my followers will be so disappointed, it was only 8.30pm, maybe I could have a snooze and go back out, it was suddenly 6.30am and here I am!
So Wat a day it was indeed. I will attempt to pick the best of the pictures for you, some may be slightly out of focus and a wee bit wonky, I find it hard to take a good picture when my sight is impaired by sweat mixed with sun tan lotion.....bet you cant wait.
TTFN xx
Brilliant. It brightens up a wet and dreary day. Pop xx
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