After arriving to Thailand on Thursday, we have been going non stop. I think the jet lag is starting to catch up to me. We were going to have a “race” aspect to the trip this month until some of the leaders participated on a tour of the temples and decided it wasn’t worth “racing” through and that it would be worth gaining a better aspect of Thai culture and the Buddhist religion. We started out early and took a bus to the Sky train to the canal. We hopped on a boat and we were off. The breeze on the water made up for the heat and the humidity. We got to see traditional Asian buildings and places.
Buddhism is very prevalent in Thailand. 94% of Thai people are Buddhist. The first temple we went to was called Wat Arun (Temple of the Dawn). It was interesting to walk through the temple, watching the monks, watching people worship, seeing symbols, etc. There was a very calming presence in the temple. We looked around, asked many questions of our translator, and some even climbed the pagoda.
We hopped back on the boat crossed the river and went to Wat Po (Temple of the Reclining Buddha). We had to take our shoes off before going in the temple as a sign of respect. Inside the temple lays a giant 46 meter long gold covered buddha resting on its side representing its pass into nirvana. There was also a line of 108 pots where people place money to gain merit.
We made a stop by the Grand Palace, but did not enter because of its expensive cost. We proceeded to take tuk-tuks to Wat Saket (Temple of the Golden Mount.) Tuk- Tuks are small motorcycle/golfcart things where only 3 people can fit. We arrived at Wat Saket, climbed the 318 stairs to the stop, and enjoyed the view looking over Bangkok.
Then, to end our day we took a canal boat, train, and bus back home. We are truly learning how to travel – Thai style.
I am very thankful for this day as we got to experience the city, the food, the culture, religion, etc all while traveling with some of the best people ever and having an extremely fun time.
