Bangkok Sightseeing

My first stop of the day was Wat Pho Thai Massage School. I had heard that getting an authentic Thai massage is a must and this is the best place to do it. A one-hour full body massage only costs $12. The massage school is inside Wat Pho, the modest hero of Bangkok’s holy temples. Wat Pho features a host of superlatives: the largest reclining Buddha, the largest collection of Buddha images in Thailand and the country’s earliest center of public education – the massage school. The first picture below is the decoration above a doorway at the Wat, this is typical Thai ornamentation. The second picture is the head of the Reclining Buddha, which is absolutely huge.

My next stop was Phukhao Thong (Golden Mountain). The main attraction here is the view of Bangkok from the top of the hill the temple sits on which is pictured below.

Wat Benchamabophit or the Mable Temple came next. It is made from white Carrara marble and was built in the late 19th century. There were services going on while I was there and there is a picture of the monks below.

The Thais really love their King. He is 81 years old and the longest serving monarch in the world. Tomorrow is Coronation Day; a Public Holiday to celebrate the day he took the throne. There are pictures of him everywhere and I think they are always there not just for the holiday. See the example below.

Next I visited Wat Phra Kaew and the Grand Palace. This is a beautiful place. The pictures below are of yaksha (mythical giants) who guard the area. I think some areas of the palace were closed because tomorrow is Coronation Day which is one of the few days that the King still uses this palace; he lives in another palace now so this one can be enjoyed by the public.

My last stop for the day was Chatuchak Weekend Market, which may be the largest open air market in the world. It sells everything including food, pets, clothes, handicrafts, home décor, antiques, plants and anything else imaginable. This is a shopper’s and haggler’s paradise. I am not that big of a shopper and it is really humid here this time of year so I had had enough after a couple hours.