Wat Pho temple is a buddhist temple complex in Bangkok. With a 46 meter long golden reclining Buddha statue it is one of the iconic must see tour stops in Bangkok. As one of the largest temple complexes in the city, It’s just south of the grand Palace. Wat Pho existed before Bangkok was established as the capital by King Rama I.
I took the local 47 bus to get to Wat Pho for 8 baht from the hostel. The entry cost to the temple is 200 baht and all visitors must wear appropriate clothing – no exposed shoulders or skin above the knee like all temples so dress appropriately as with most temples.
The complex has many ornate Chedis which is a Thai Buddhist monument similar to Stupas.
Chedis
There are 4 chapels that contain 394 gilded Buddha images.
The golden reclining Buddha is the highlight of Wat Pho. With the square columns surrounding the buddha it’s difficult to get a full length shot. You’ll need a wide angle lens. There are some roped inlet areas that allow you to get a better angle at various points. The statue is quite stunning to view.
The Buddha’s feet are 5 metres long and decorated with intricate mother-of-pearl illustrations of auspicious laksanas (characteristics) of the Buddha.
You’ll need to take your shoes off to enter and they are placed in a plastic bag for you to carry with you. There are 108 bronze bowls which line the length of the walls where you can drop small pennies into them for wishes. The number 108 is significant, referring to the 108 positive actions and symbols that helped lead Buddha to perfection. They make a nice ringing sound and the money goes towards helping the monks renovate and preserve Wat Pho. There are many donation boxes as well as the bowls.
Buddha’s feet
After touring Wat Pho I wander over to the riverside looking for lunch and found the Mango Tree restaurant. The food was simple, very good, and had a nice view. There were very few people in the restaurant but it was a late lunch around 3pm.
Tofu and veggies. Coconut ice with mango
I took the local bus after lunch to a stop near Khaosan road to check out this famous road. It was not that exciting, maybe much more so in the evening it would be. I had a beer at the Rocco club and sat for awhile watching some guys shoot pool.
Bugs for snacking Street massages
I did find the same type of sandals that I was admiring on Mykonos Island in Greece that were about $25 USD. Here on Khaosan road the price was $8 USD.
Sandals I bought $8 USD on Khaosan rd.
After buying these sandals it was only about 1km back to my hostel and back to the garden area/pool to relax for the evening. It’s my last day in Bangkok.