Yesterday we went to two temples: Wat Arun and Wat Pho. Both are temples by the Chao Praya river and both are popular destinations. The area by the river is my personal favorite area in Bangkok so far. The river offers a nice view of the Bangkok skyline and you can see numerous chedis (the name for the spiral towers that you'll see in lots of these pictures) from the river.
The steps up Wat Arun start steep and get steeper. We walked up only 3 flights of stairs, but on the last flight the steps were at almost knee level. (Walking down the stairs can give a serious feeling of vertigo.) I found myself wondering how something like this could have been constructed. Even now, it appears as though the top of the main tower is maintained by a single ladder draped over the top of the tower.
The top floor ot the tower offers an even wider view of Bangkok. The feature of the temple complex is a large tower that overlooks both sides of the river. To the East lies the Bangkok we're most familiar with--impressive skyskrapers strewn in no particular pattern. To the West, Bangkok is far less developed, you look out and see modest houses for miles and miles. I could see only one skyscraper on the West side of the river.
After Wat Arun, we crossed back to the other side of the river on a ferry (after paying 7 baht, or about 15 cents) and then went directly to Wat Pho. The reclining buddha is massive; I just happened to glance through one of side windows and saw these 40 foot high golden thighs. The building barely holds the figure but Jana thought this added to the presence of the figure, made it more Thai somehow. The effect is frustrating but rewarding (kind of like Bangkok sometimes). You can never see the whole statue at once--except at the very end by the feet--but because you're right up next to him the whole time you're forced to see the statue in ways you wouldn't otherwise, forced to appreciate its immensity from up close.
Hope this post finds everyone well and hoarding precious, precious gold.
