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| Buddha statues at Wat Pho, Bangkok. |
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| Monks mix with tourist at The Grand Palace (Wat Phra Kaew), Bangkok |
After my time in Thailand I think I will have seen enough Buddha's to last me a lifetime (and well into the next).
I kind of understand what people say now about how sick they get of seeing Wats (temples) and statues of Buddha that they just don't visit them anymore. Many temples look just like the last one you came from and for non-Buddhists (like myself) the significance of Buddha may be lost. All their western eyes see are rows upon rows of differently sized statues in myriad poses. One is made of emerald (actually green jade) and in a state of meditation. Another is giant, covered in gold leaf and lying down stretched out with a hand behind its head.
Granted, I've only been to two temples so far, but there is potential to see more. A lot more.
I suppose you'd call it Wat or Temple Fatigue. (Did I just make up a syndrome?)
Granted, I've only been to two temples so far, but there is potential to see more. A lot more.
A friend and I visited two major beacons for tourists in the centre of Bangkok in one day and my enthusiasm for them dwindled after the first one. Perhaps it was just the heat of the day, but by the time we left the second temple Wat Pho, the home of the reclining buddha, I just wanted to go back to the hostel.
Sure, the glistening, colourful and towering spires spread throughout the temple grounds are impressive, but what are they for?
And sure, you can't help but stand in awe at the work that went into creating the insanely large 15 metre high, 43 metre long gold leaf covered, tightly curled haired, reclining Buddha with its hand supporting its head. But what does it mean?
Sure, the glistening, colourful and towering spires spread throughout the temple grounds are impressive, but what are they for?
And sure, you can't help but stand in awe at the work that went into creating the insanely large 15 metre high, 43 metre long gold leaf covered, tightly curled haired, reclining Buddha with its hand supporting its head. But what does it mean?
Don't get me wrong though, the workmanship that has gone into the buildings and statues is immense and I appreciate that, but without a cultural context all I'm looking at is a statue of giant gold-leaf coated buddha sitting in a comfortable position chilling out. The other thing I'm spending my time looking at are big bunches of tourists who probably are thinking the same thing and care little for the meaning and history of the places.
Our first stop was The Grand Palace (Wat Phra Kaew) which is the biggest tourist attraction in Bangkok and has been the official residence of the kings of Siam and Thailand since 1782. We got to the palace just before it opened at 8.30am and got some breakfast from the market down the street. Dressed in jeans and shoes I was sweating like crazy already, but that's the price you pay to get into the palace (along with 400B = $16NZD). Dress code for both sexes is quite conservative - most of the body has to be covered before they let you in, although I did see some who were not clothed according to the dress code. However, they do have an area once inside, but before the main entrance, where you can borrow shirts and pants to satisfy Buddha's dress code.
This place is huge. Huge and full of intricately detailed and painted statues of mythical creatures and warriors who guard the various temples and libraries within the palace walls. Full of history, a scale model of Cambodia's Angkor Wat and tourists. Even in the early part of the day it is difficult to find much personal space in the mish mash of tour groups. To give us an educated view on what we were looking at (that was the theory anyway), we hired an audio tour guide (200B for two hours - as opposed to the 800B tour some guy was going to charge us to show us around and the free tours which you can sign up for once you get inside the palace walls). I didn't really pay much attention to what the voice was telling me about all the different places, perhaps that's why I don't appreciate the significance of Buddha and the roles the kings-of-old played in Thai history. Its just difficult to care when its 30C and sunny and you're sweating like crazy.
The second stop, after a short ride down river, was Wat Pho, the (for some reason) less touristed home of the reclining buddha (entry is 100B and you get a free small bottle of water). He is actually really impressive, but again, no cultural context. Although the internet tells me the reclining buddha is also the largest in the entire universe. Wat Pho is also the oldest and largest temple in Bangkok, measuring 80,000sqm, and is home to more than a thousand buddha images.
No wonder I feel all buddha'd out.
Our first stop was The Grand Palace (Wat Phra Kaew) which is the biggest tourist attraction in Bangkok and has been the official residence of the kings of Siam and Thailand since 1782. We got to the palace just before it opened at 8.30am and got some breakfast from the market down the street. Dressed in jeans and shoes I was sweating like crazy already, but that's the price you pay to get into the palace (along with 400B = $16NZD). Dress code for both sexes is quite conservative - most of the body has to be covered before they let you in, although I did see some who were not clothed according to the dress code. However, they do have an area once inside, but before the main entrance, where you can borrow shirts and pants to satisfy Buddha's dress code.
This place is huge. Huge and full of intricately detailed and painted statues of mythical creatures and warriors who guard the various temples and libraries within the palace walls. Full of history, a scale model of Cambodia's Angkor Wat and tourists. Even in the early part of the day it is difficult to find much personal space in the mish mash of tour groups. To give us an educated view on what we were looking at (that was the theory anyway), we hired an audio tour guide (200B for two hours - as opposed to the 800B tour some guy was going to charge us to show us around and the free tours which you can sign up for once you get inside the palace walls). I didn't really pay much attention to what the voice was telling me about all the different places, perhaps that's why I don't appreciate the significance of Buddha and the roles the kings-of-old played in Thai history. Its just difficult to care when its 30C and sunny and you're sweating like crazy.
The second stop, after a short ride down river, was Wat Pho, the (for some reason) less touristed home of the reclining buddha (entry is 100B and you get a free small bottle of water). He is actually really impressive, but again, no cultural context. Although the internet tells me the reclining buddha is also the largest in the entire universe. Wat Pho is also the oldest and largest temple in Bangkok, measuring 80,000sqm, and is home to more than a thousand buddha images.
No wonder I feel all buddha'd out.
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