Temples A Plenty

Wednesday 11th April 2012


Another early morning, another day of exploring Bangkok. After breakfast we were collected from our hotel by our Guide Alicia. Today were were off the explore the City Temples and the Grand Palace. We also had it confirmed that we were definitely in Thailand during the hottest month of the year. It may have only been 7.30am but it was already hot!!!

Our first stop was Wat Trimitr. When we arrived at the temple they were still cleaning it and preparing for the upcoming Thai New Year so we could not go into the main temple straight away. Alicia took the time to teach us how to give an offering in Buddhist tradition. I needed to collected a lotus flower, candle and incense sticks. First Alicia taught me how to make the lotus flower look like it was blooming. Next I needed to light my candle, take off my shoes, walk onto the mat and place lit candles near the other candles. Then it was time to light my incense sticks, pray and then place the incense sticks in the sand and then place lotus flower.

Once I had finished the offering we went inside the ordination temple. This is where young men come with their families and go through a special ceremony to become a monk. It is a Thai man's responsibility to become a monk, even if only for a short period of time, at some point during their life.

After we had finished here the main temple was open. Inside it houses a 5.5 ton 24 carrat solid gold  Buddha which just has to be seen to be believed. Originally it was covered in plaster and no one knew its true contents. When it became damaged and part of the plaster fell off the gold colour was noticed and people were shocked with what they found when they removed the remaining plaster. We admired this Buddha and then the boys took part in an activity where they throw coins into a large bowl outside the temple with their eyes closed. If you get it in, which luckily they both did, this will bring you good luck.

Our second stop of the day was the incredible Wat Po. This temple complex seems to go on forever. Here we saw the second largest reclining Buddha in Thailand (43 metres long and 15 metres high). This Buddha is made of plaster and covered with 24 carret gold leaf. The Buddha's feet are 108 panels of inlaid mother of pearl which show different auspicious symbols related to Buddha. In the corridor there are 108 bronze bowls that line the wall. These are also to represent the 108 auspicious characters of Buddha. Each of us made a donation to the temple to be able to walk the line of the bowls drop one coin in each bowl. For each coin you drop you make a wish and this ritual is said to bring your good fortune.

While still in the Wat Po complex we saw the site of Thailand's first public university where they taught religion, science, literature and Thai massage. We also say many Chedi's where the ashes of local people or Royalty were stored. They were decorated with the most beautiful porcelain. Originally the King had ordered a lot of china from China but by the time it arrived in Thailand most of it was broken - this was then used to decorate Wat Po. There were also several galleries of Buddha images.

In one of the inner courtyards the boys rolled the ball carved from inside the Chinese Lion's mouth's for more good fortune.

Finally, we were extremely fortunate to witness a young man go through an ordination ceremony to become a monk. Alicia told us it is very rare to see this ceremony.

It was soon time to leave Wat Po for our final stop of the day which was the Grand Palace. This had been the residence of Thai King's since 1782, although the current King lives in another palace in Bangkok with his own rice paddy's and farm. It is still used for social functions.

Here we saw more beautiful statues and temples, chedis and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. This Buddha like the golden one was originally covered in plaster but when it became damaged the emerald became visible. More recent they have rallied that it is made of jade but it is still called the Emerald Buddha. This Buddha sits a top a stand of solid gold and real gems so no photos can be taken inside the temple.

We also saw a replica of Angkor Wat made to exact detail at 100 to 1 scale. The King had wanted a full size copy but could not fit in in the palace complex. When we saw this we thought of our friends Cassie and Josh who have just come back from a trip to Cambodia and got to see the real Angkor Wat. It must have been amazing.

We discovered that maintaining the 24 carret gold leaf on the buildings is a full time job and is undertaken by people who have been trained in the fine arts. We were able to see some staff covering parts of the temple with gold leaf.

At the Temple with the Emerald Buddha we also used holy water and lotus flowers to bless each other. David blessed himself and the family first, then I did the same and finally the children blessed everyone. This was one of the most fun parts of the day out. Especially on such a hot hot day.

We also saw the Royal Coronation Chamber, and the Armaments museum. The boys were fascinated with all of the weapons that were used while fighting on elephant back and enjoyed having their photo with a local soldier.

After we left the Grand Palace we were taken to the biggest jewellery manufacturer in Thailand. Here we saw how they mine rubies and sapphires, how the jewellery is made and of course had to resist the hard sell. Despite their best efforts to buy things they really didn't want or need David and I managed to stop the boys from parting with money this time around. This brought our tour to an end. We went back to the hotel to relax and swim for a while before going out to Pizza Hut for dinner. Another interesting, busy and very hot day.