Rule of thumb: NEVER leave Bangkok without going on a temple tour!
Like seriously.This country is home to exquisite temples (or "Wat" in Thai) with fine Buddha images. In fact, they can be seen everywhere for Buddhism is their main religion. Likewise, do pay respect as these are their churches and not just ordinary monuments.
For starters, it's a must to check out the Grand Palace, Wat Phra Kaew, and Wat Pho.
Circa 2008 at The Grand Palace and here's what happens when you don't wear proper clothing:they'll made you wear a sarong!
On this trip, I visited Wat Arun and the city of Ayutthaya. :)
JULY 25:I went to Wat Arun ("Temple of Dawn") which took around 30minutes from our hotel via GRAB.Entrance fee costs ฿50. My first impression? It's quiet, peaceful and I like it.❤️
Wat Arun also has souvenir shops outside the temple and some offers a riverboat tour that can take tourists to the Grand Palace since it is only across the said river. And during that time as well, there was an ongoing campaign of prohibiting the use of Buddha images as a piece of decoration. So once again,please respect the Thai's sacred God.
I never thought that these 2 statues are said to be demons from a certain Thai folklore but ironically, they're guarding the entrance of an Ubosot (Ordination Hall). There was another celebration when I entered wherein the children were kind of having a procession with the monks. A short clip of this was in my Instagram and I didn't take a picture inside anymore as I'm sensing that this is their prayer hall. But either way, it was all gorgeous.
JULY 26
I went on a whole day tour to Ayutthaya courtesy of KkdayPH. Our tour covers 5 main temples and a short trip to Bang Pa-in Royal Palace.We were picked up by their coaster from Khao San Road and from there, it was about a 2hr ride towards the city. Basically, Ayutthaya is Thailand's second capital and became one of UNESCO's World Heritage for its rich ancient history.In summary, the place was burned by the Burmese during the war and with every passing King, they strive to reconstruct and preserve the land up to this point. Thus, it may seem that all the ruins here looked identical but with different structures. Even I get confused on each temple's names ;p
1st: Wat Phu Khao Thong (The Golden Mountain). Apparently, the place was underconstruction during our visit but you can still climb up the tower and see one of the country's ricefields.
It takes 76 steps to go up and down this beaut!
2nd: Wat Lokayasutharam. In here stands the 3rd largest buddha in the country and they call this as a "Sleeping Buddha". As far as I can recall, our tour guide said that this relic is for the deceased that is why people here often give lotus flowers or light incenses as offerings.
While this is the back of the Buddha,more burned remains from the war.
3rd: Wat Mahathat: the wonders of the Buddha head stuck in a tree.Nakakakilabot,indeed! Yet, no one really knows how it happened but they have theories such as the head was left there and the tree roots just kept growing over the years to protect it. Nevertheless, the place is beyond stunning and this is my favorite temple so far ❤️
And you may also wonder why the buddha images here are headless? Well, they said that the Burmese stole it as these heads contain fortune that the Thai King hid for his land. So if you look closely on some of the stones there, they are broken Buddha pieces.
4th: Wat Mongkon Bophit.It is the name of the large golden Buddha inside it and moreover,this is another place of worship for the Thais. Just like the other sacred temples, there are incense stations and sites where you could place your offerings for the God.
5th: Wat Phra Si Sanphet--my other fave temple ❤️ Basically, there's not much to look here aside from these wonderfully-made chedis(spiralled-top towers).It was all bronze and bricked that makes you feel like in the game of "Temple Run"--minus the jumping and sprinting,of course!
Besides that, there are markets in between these two temples where you could buy more souvenirs and delicasies at an affordable price.
The tour includes a lunch buffet at one of the food stalls there and here's an authentic plate to share!I gotta say, that it was all light and healthy inspite that I only took small portions of each food^^
Then for our last stop,we head on to Bang Pa-In: the King's Summer Palace. NOTE: wear proper clothing! There are outfits for rent at the vicinity but some of the sellers double-up the rate when tourists are many (trust me,they can sell as high as ฿200!).
So the park is a 46-acred land filled with temples and houses of various styles. It was said that the royal family usually hold its banquets here so not all buildings are open for the public. Likewise, I really didn't tour the whole area anymore as I was so tired from all the walking already.LOL.However, they have a tractor for rent there for ฿400.Nevertheless, I just went over the 5 towers that our tour guide suggested for us to see(highlighted in the picture).
Khmer/Cambodian-styled,Ho Hem Monthian Thewarat (Golden Palace,King of the Gods).
Thai-styled;Phra Thinang Aisawan Thiphya-Art.A pavilion at the middle of the pond and inside lies the King's statue.
Neo-classic styled; Phra Thinang Warophat Phiman.
Ho Withum Thasana.An observatory wherein you could see a good view of Ayutthaya on top of it.
Unfortunately,the chinese-styled Phra Thinang Wehart Chamrun was under renovation at that time so I didn't took a photo of it.
Aaand that's all there is for my Thai trip!It has been one of the best and I didn't expect that I will enjoy it this time--mainly because I met my idol but overall, their culture is very interesting in which some is similar to my hometown. The only thing that I may dislike would be the traffic (like yeah,being stuck for 3hrs was the worst!) and..um,the heat?!Haha! But anyhow, I hope to visit again soon.❤️
Thus,my revisiting to other countries continue... ;)
