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Thursday, January 23, 2014

✈ Day 1 in Bangkok: Wat Pho (Temple of the Reclining Buddha)

Greetings people! Finally I can cross out one of my bucket list, which is travelling to Bangkok!!!! I'm still super duper excited about the trip even if it was a month ago so please bear with me with the extra exclamation mark(s) teehee :p It is my first time travelling to overseas and so to Bangkok, so I can't really express how excited and happy I am now! Besides that, Bangkok, which known as the shopping paradise gives an extra excitement to all the shopaholics out there (included me) keke

I just can't hide my over excited face when I was about to board the plane and fly to bkk ✈


Touch down in Bangkok around 3pm, unload our baggage at hotel and here we go! 4D3N free and easy at bkk woohoo :D According to our itinerary, our first stop would be Wat Pho, temple of the Reclining Buddha. Yes, a little sightseeing before we go shopping like cray cray! Took the Chao Phraya express boat instead of cab to avoid traffic jam while enjoying the magnificent river view as I've heard that Bangkok has really bad traffic.


We spotted many food stalls along the road to Wat Pho and this is one of the local street food, Gluay Ping, which is grilled bananas. Priced at 10 Baht each and they taste equally good! Yummm..


Wat Pho, the official name being Wat Phra Chetuphon Vimolmangklararm Rajwaramahaviharn, is the first grade royal monastery, regarded as the most important one during the reign of King Rama I of the Chakri Dynasty. The importance of this is due to the King having managed the restoration of Wat Phodharam, an old monastery from the Ayudhya period, and had it re-established as a royal monastery located near the Grand Palace. Some ashes of King Rama I were also kept under the pedestal of the principal Buddha image known as Phra Buddha Theva Patimakorn in the main chapel.

Prior to the temple's founding, the site was a centre of education for traditional Thai medicine and statues were created showing yoga positions. Hence, the temple is also known as the birthplace of traditional Thai massage. If you've never tried a traditional Thai massage before, Wat Pho is a good place to experience this popular leisure activity. It's quite different to most other forms of therapeutic massage and tends to be invigorating rather than relaxing, incorporating yoga style postures to relieve stress and improve blood circulation. Kindly visit www.watpomassage.com for their types of massage therapy available and list price.



Introduce you my travel partners, Carynn on the left and Jessica on the right! Look at our happy faces before we start the temple tour ^_^ Boyfriend was there too but he hates to visit temple so he waited for us outside there :p



Had fun touring around the temple and we were so fascinated by the beautiful pagodas and function halls there especially their carvings are so detailed and fine :) Such a great work!


Had my favourite panorama shot with the so called "Buddha" pose :P




And here comes the main attraction of the day, the Reclining Buddha. It was crafted to celebrate King Rama III's restoration from year 1824 till 1851. At 150 ft long and 49 ft high, it is believed to be the largest Buddha image in Thailand.



Gilded with gold leaf and featured in the "Lion sleep" position, everyone was trying to find the best spot to catch a glimpse of the Reclining Buddha and take pictures with him as there are so many pillars in the temple. And so do I :P


The murals located above the doors and the windows, illustrate the story of mahavong, which was the history of Buddhism and the Singhalese King in Ceylon (Sri Lanka). Whereas the murals located on Kho Song (the secondary beam places below the main roof beam), illustrate the heaven at Tavatimsa (name of the second heavenly abode, of which Sakka is the King) and the battle between Thevada (heavenly beings) and Asura (demons).



The Buddha's feet are exquisitely decorated in mother-of-pearl illustrations of auspicious characters of the Reclining Buddha. 108 is a significant number, referring to the 108 positive actions and symbols that helped lead Buddha to perfection. I just can't help but to admire this beautiful piece of art.


There are 108 bronze bowls in the corridor indicating the 108 auspicious characters of the Reclining Buddha. People drop coins in these bowls as it is believed to bring good fortune and to help the monks to maintain the wat. Though the Reclining Buddha is not a pilgrimage centre, it remains an object of popular piety.






"Wat Pho provides a fascinating glimpse into how seamlessly Buddhist religion and Thai culture blend. Incredible in every way!" quoted by Highlander from Texas on tripadvisor.com.

It's such a waste that we didn't get to visit the whole temple due to time constraint but overall it was a great experience. I would love to revisit the temple, leave my footprints in every corner of Wat Pho and end my day with a traditional Thai massage there. You may refer to the map below when you're planning your visit to Wat Pho or drop me a message if you have any inquiries :)




Wat Pho (Temple of the Reclining Buddha)
2 Sanamchai Road, Grand Palace Subdistrict,
Pranakorn District, Bangkok 10200.


View Larger Map

Transportation:
BTS Skytrain Silom line to Saphan Taksin station, head to Chao Phraya Express Boat pier and take Chao Phraya express boat with orange colour flag (15 Baht) from there. Get off at Tha Tien pier (N8), walk to the main road, Maharaj road and you will see Wat Pho on your right hand side diagonally.

Operating hour: 8:00AM - 6:00PM daily
Entrance fee: 100 Baht comes with a bottle of mineral water

Website: www.watpho.com

39 comments:

  1. So nice! I didn't manage to go Wat Pho cos not enough time leh

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    1. But you went to Wat Arun! Haha I didn't visit Wat Arun cause not enough time T_T

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  2. i visit this temple like four year ago..the first trip where I plan everything myself!!!! this yr i hv to do many planning too!!!!!!!

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    1. Hahaha but planning is fun! Usually I will plan every trip on my own :P

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    2. fun if only you are not too busy with work!

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  3. hee! you blogged about our bkk trip! :) asiatique next? :D

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  4. hee! you blogged about our bkk trip! :) asiatique next? :D

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  5. I love Bangkok. I used to go there three times a year. The people, the street life, the shopping (dirt cheap!) and the food (pork everywhere and even the street food is good) ! I hope it was a good first oversea trip :) Looking forward to your next post on BKK.

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    1. Thank you and yeah, I had lots of fun during the trip :D wow three times a year, that's so good! I would love to stay in Bangkok too!

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  6. Miss Bangkok! Very nice place...I need to go there again soon :D

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  7. Miss Bangkok So much!. must plan to go again after the situation become better.

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  9. LOL! first time i see youngster will go visit temples! =p

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  10. I fell in love with all the ancient and modern temples in Bangkok!

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  11. I'm so jealous - I need to go to Thailand at some point in my life! The temple looks amazing. Would love to see a shopping haul also!

    themakeupkit.com

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  12. Nice post. I really want to visit Bangkok since I have seen many of my friends went there lately. I am really curious what Bangkok looks like.


    GIG Love
    www.nellanelwan.com

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  13. Jealous! I wish I can travel to Bangkok very soon too :p Love to see their temples :)

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  14. woww your trip looks amazing ! too bad I din get to visit temples the last time I go... #giglove #smallnhot.com

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  15. looks amazing ! - http://www.carolinefashionstyling.com/

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  16. Great post & pictures - I adore Bangkok, such a fun city! #GIGLove

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  17. I've heard to many good things about Bangkok, my brother was there few years ago. I would love to travel there and raid the street food areas, just cause I'm a foodie LOL. x donah giglove

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  18. Is this one is bigger than in Kelantan?

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  19. I've tried grilled bananas in my province and it's really yummy! I hope I can taste the street foods in Bangkok too. I would love to travel there in the future! <3 #giglove

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  20. i love grilled bananas! I used to do this when I as young but its not so popular here in the Philippines... love your travel photos!seemed like fun!

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  21. i have been to bkk several times but i dont know why these temples and historical places neevr catches my attention :/ its beautiful place as i can see in your pic... may be next tym .... i wanna eat grilled banana right now :/

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  22. great pictures hun!! I would love to visit and the grilled bananas look so yum! hehehe <3

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  23. Temples are the one thing I very rarely visit when I'm travelling, my dad always tries to drag me though =) You girls look like you had a lot if fun!!!

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  24. Wow, when did you go there? I was there from the 12th to 20th of January and I visited this place as well. Fun! GIG

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  25. I wish to vissit that city asap. It's lovely and It's on my wishlist talking about travelling.
    xxx
    mari

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  26. Thank you so much for sharing, I love seeing travel photos. The place looks so beautiful and full of culture, I wish I could go! It looks like you had a great time <3

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  27. I bet you have a blast there! And that one is cool! Grilled bananas? Lol

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  28. The photos are beautiful! Looks like you had a great time. :)

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  29. bangkok is still on my places to visit! i wouldnt mind being there right now since the weather here is horrendous

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  30. Oh wow! The pictures are simply gorgeous! I would love to travel one day. gig

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  31. looks and sounds like you had such a great time on your trip! I have never been to Bangkok but hopefully one day. giglove

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  32. I've gone there too and it's such a nice experience!
    Love the photos <3

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