2nd day in Bangkok, Thailand 3/22/18

Took hundreds of pictures this day, when I get caught up I will add another Bangkok post.  

Soaring Temples, Rich Culture, Delicious Cuisine  Saw the highlights of  Bangkok during a tour.  Straddling the Chao Phraya River, Bangkok blends Thailand’s traditions with advances of the modern world.  Pass Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn), rising above the Chao Phraya’s banks.  Visit Phra Borom Maha Ratcha Wang, an important landmark which housed the kings of the Chakri Dynasty since 1782.    Lunch was served at a local retaurant.  

Wat Po and Tuk-Tuk Ride  9 hour  7:30-4:30  2.5 hr drive one way.   Wat Fow - Temple of Reclining Buddha.  .  Oldest and largest Buddha.  150 ft long and 50 ft wide.  Gold leafed.  Mother of Pearl eyes. There are 1000 Buddha images spread throughout the Temple area.  Took a short Tuk-Tuk ride in Old Town.    Ended with a one hour buffet lunch at a Ramada. 

Beautiful stupas at the Reclining Buddha's Temple.  

Throughout the garden area there were many Buddhas in various yoga poses.  

I have seen many beautiful Buddha's.  In this temple alone, there were more than I could count.  Over 500.

Back of Reclining Buddha, head to the right.

Back of Reclining Buddha

Feet to the left, Reclining Buddha.  

These beautiful stupas are where families bury their dead.  A few ashes are placed in a box that is placed in the base with a name plague.   The rest of the ashes are spread in a river or ocean.

 I need to do research to understand what the hand positions mean.

I am amazed by the wiring in most of the countries we are visiting.  

This Reclining Buddha is 150 ft long and 50 ft high.

FACEBOOK summary  Bangkok, Thailand - One thing that I learned in this port is that when planning a cruise, notice where are you docking (Laem Chabang) and where are the excursions (Bangkok). This was an overnight port so I rode a minimum of five hours on the bus two days in a row. 

The first day, we left the ship in the afternoon to travel the 83 miles to Bangkok. Our first stop was Wat Trimitr to see the Golden Buddha which you see in the picture. This is the world’s largest solid gold statue with a weight of 5.5 tons. We then walked around Chinatown’s streets and visited Old Market where we saw a lot of interesting food. Be sure to check out the roasted pig head’s picture in the comments. We also went to Dragon Temple. A highlight for me was a trip to a massage school where I had an hour-long foot reflexology that was excellent. We enjoyed Thai herbal whisky and Pad Thai at a tep bar in an area with many colonial buildings. While we were at the bar, we were entertained by young musicians playing classical Thai music. Our last stop was the Patpong Night Market which had clothing, jewelry, etc. in a collection of little stands. I bought some inexpensive, comfy pants and my friends that have seen them liked them so much I wish I had bought more to give away. The Night Market was surrounded by a lot of Men’s Clubs, I definitely felt the area was a little sleazy. We spent one hour in the market and then spent our last hour in the lobby of a hotel waiting for the bus to take us back to the ship. Back on board the ship at 2:00 AM.

The second day, we left at 7:00 AM. I must have been insane. We rode around the streets of Bangkok in Tuk-tuks and visited two more temples. The Reclining Buddha is 150 ft long and 50 feet wide. This is the oldest and largest Buddha in Thailand. I was unable to get a picture due to the size of this Buddha. She is gold-leafed and has Mother of Pearl eyes. There are at least 1000 Buddha images throughout this temple. I noticed many different hand positions and know that they all have different meanings. We saw many beautiful stupas which are where families bury their dead. It was an interesting stop and included much beauty.