Our round the world trip (3): what? more wats!
Another day in Bangkok: Day 4 (Friday) of our trip. Another wat – or two: why not? Things did not get off to a good start though.
Our hotel called a taxi for us and explained our destination to the driver. However, no sooner were we on the move than he announced in very broken English that traffic was so bad in the city today that our journey would take two hours. Since the wat was by the river, he insisted it would be quicker by private boat and said that he would take us to the jetty. At first, this seemed a credible story and an acceptable solution – until we were sensible enough to ask how much the trip would cost. He showed us an advertisement which clarified that the river journey would actual be a five-stop tour and the cost would be 800 Baht or around three times what we expected to pay for the taxi ride.
Before the driver could turn on to the main road, we leapt out of the vehicle and walked back to the hotel. Another taxi was called: he reached our destination, not in two hours but, in just over half an hour and charged less than the expected rate. Clearly not all Bangkok taxi drivers are alike and it pays to be alert.
Wat Arun is located on the far bank of the Chao Phraya River, entrance was only 50 Baht (just over a £1), and the place was much quieter that the Royal Palace had been. This 17th century wat is also known as the Temple of the Dawn, since King Taksin chose it for his royal palace because it was the first place in the village of Tonburi, then the capital, to catch the morning light.
The dominant feature of this wat is a tall central Khmer-style tower flanked by four smaller towers, all called prangs and covered with pieces of Chinese porcelain. The main tower rises 220 feet (67 metres) and very steep and open steps lead up to two terraces. We climbed both sets of steps but it took a little courage and coming down was even tougher. The wat is clearly an active place of worship and we observed a saffron-robed monk kneeling in front of worshippers and chanting prayers which was very atmospheric.
We knew that the other wat we wished to visit was directly across the river on the opposite bank, but could we reach it without negotiating another taxi ride or taking a boat which turned out to be a river trip? In fact, we found just what we wanted: a direct ferry across the wide river, noisy with spluttering engines, whistles and calls (and a mere 3 Baht or 7 pence each).
Wat Pho charges 100 Baht (about £2) each for admission. It was originally built in the 16th century and almost completely rebuilt in 1781 by Rama I. It is Bangkok’s oldest and Thailand ‘s largest wat with endless towers and many buildings.
It is famous, however, for its 19th century Reclining Buddha which can be viewed in a covered throne when one takes off one’s shoes and, in the case of women, covers up bare legs. The golden figure is an astonishing 151 feet (46 metres) long and 49 feet (15 metres) high and represents the dying Buddha in the position he adopted to gain nirvana. The soles of his feet are decorated in mother of pearl with 108 signs of Buddha and religious visitors can acquire some sort of merit by putting a coin in each of 108 bronze bowls.