Wat Pho in Bangkok
Wat Phra Chetuphon Wimon Mangkhalaram Ratchaworamahawihan is indeed a lengthy official name that is difficult for foreigners to pronounce. Fortunately, this temple complex has another shorter name known as Wat Pho.
I have already saved the Sanam Chai station of the blue metro line in my radar before my trip to Bangkok. From this station you can visit a whole range of tourist attractions in the area. Unfortunately, the Siam Museum does not open until 10am, so I went over to Wat Pho, which already opens at 8am. The sun was already burning hot when I reached Wat Pho and entered through one of its many gates.
After paying the entrance fee of 200 baht, I started wandering around the temple complex. I realized only after an hour of sweating that I had entered a labyrinth of archways, halls and corridors. I found a directory of Wat Pho while trying to escape the heat, and there were so many checkpoints within the temple complex.
Due to time constraint and the weather, I decided to maneuver to the major checkpoints instead. I finally caught sight of the towering architecture of Phra Maha Chedi Munibat Borihan. Of course, there were other chedi of similar size beside it.
The next location I headed over to, was the “Nuad Thai” (Traditional Thai Massage) museum. The place is dedicated to the heritage and invaluable knowledge left by Thai ancestors. I read up interesting points such as Thai Traditional Medicine (TTM) embraced 3 Buddhist natural laws in all aspect of the treatment process. There were also 2 distinctive styles of traditional Thai massage, namely Ratchasamnak and Chaloeysak.
Reclining Buddha
Last but not least, I made my way over to where I saw a large crowd of tourists gathered. It is the place that lies the world-famous 46 meters long gold Reclining Buddha! King Rama I the Great ordered the building of this first-class royal/ancient temple for monks to study Dharma. Along the corridor, there are 108 bronze bowls representing the 108 auspicious characteristics of The Buddha. I purchased a cup of coins for 20 baht and dropped these coins into the bowls as I walked.
In conclusion, Wat Pho is definitely one of the top destinations to visit in Bangkok where you could learn about its rich heritage.
Check out my other posts for more travel reviews!
