Gym's Ramblings: Spring 2023 - Bangkok's Temples

Wat Traimit, a Buddha made of solid gold

Walk a block just about anywhere in Bangkok and you will see a small Buddhist Temple. They are everywhere. Then on about the frequency of churches in Europe, there will be a similar distribution of large temples. Each large temple has some kind of likeness of the Buddha usually in gold, gold leaf, bronze or some other metal that is painted gold. At the entrance to the temple there is a place to make donations to various Buddhist causes of that temple. Then in the main temple building there is usually a carpeted area for prayer and meditation.

On our travelers' third day in Bangkok, they signed up for a tour of three very significant temples in the city. In each case Wat Traimit, Wat Pho and Wat Arun are very worthwhile to visit. The Buddhas in each temple have different postures and the sizes and material used in the statues was also unique in each case. Wat Traimit was close to the hotel, whereas it was a 30-minute minivan ride to Wat Pho. After touring Wat Pho, a ferry transported Gym and Mrs. Gym across the river to Wat Arun. The whole tour lasted about 4 hours, with an hour at each temple and about an hour of travel time. The guide was very nice and our travelers would not have known where the highlights in each temple complex were without her guidance. Unfortunately, her english was a little sub-par. We booked online with Viator as we have many times in many cities around the world and we were satisfied with the temple tour despite the language barrier.

Gym and his dear bride had gotten close to Wat Traimit on one of their walkabouts, on the second day of the trip. It is located near the Chinatown Gate, not too far away from the Royal Orchid Hotel. The guide focused the visit on what was important to see at the site and pointed out some on the most interesting details. The thing that really makes this temple stand out is that this 'sitting buddha' is solid gold. And it is not a small chunk of gold either, it weighs 5.5 tons. It is so big, it can't be stolen. For over 200 years, the gold was hidden behind a layer of plaster and the buddha was thought to be of minor significance. Then in 1955, when they were moving it to its current site, they dropped it and some of the plaster broke away revealing the great value of this statue. It seems it had been covered up so invading Burmese armies would not loot it and the ploy worked but everyone forgot what had happened. Be prepared to climb a few stairs here. Gym thinks The Golden Buddha sits at about 3 stories off of the street level.

Wat Pho is a giant temple complex as opposed to just a simple temple and yard. Most large temples have schools associated with them, as well as barracks for monks and places where the faithful can bury the ashes of their deceased family members. Wat Pho has much more. It is spread out over 20 acres and includes a large school for children as well as the Watpo Traditional Thai Massage School. There are dozens of likenesses of Buddha on the grounds but the most spectacular are the 46-meter long 'reclining bubbha' and the Phra Ubosot, a 'sitting buddha' situated in a hall that is the main hall used for rituals and the one containing ashes of RAMA I, first ruler of Thailand. There are plenty of stairs here too because the temples are all raised off the ground.

A short ferry ride across the river, is Wat Arun, also known as the Temple of the Dawn. RAMA II's ashes are interred at this site. It is a very popular place for young teenage Thai women to get dressed in traditional garb and get their facebook pictures taken. Gym and Mrs. Gym saw dozens of these girls there. The most outstanding feature of this temple is the 86-meter tall, porcelain-encrusted prang or tower. It glows in the early morning sun and is lit up at night so party boat onlookers can check it out. Hot and tired after the temple tour, our travelers were happy to get back in the air-conditioned van and return to the hotel passing by the flower market in Chinatown

After 4 nights in Bangkok, it was time for our adventurers to move on. They were looking forward to the next phase of their trip on the tropical island of Koh Samui. A nice beach-side room awaited them at the Vana Belle Resort.