We were up early and out the door yesterday so that we could reach the temple of Wat Pho in time to hear the monks chanting in their morning ceremony. This is the largest temple complex in Bangkok and filled with gorgeous golden Buddha statues and funereal memorial stupas covered in colorful tiles and gold leaf. Golden wind chimes hang from the edges of the roofs so there is always the tinkle of chimes in the air. Chinese-style foo dogs guard each gate and entrance. There are several giant and funny statues of Marco Polo guarding gates as well.
We just missed the start of the chanting but we went inside the temple anyway. There was an incredibly ornate golden Buddha on the tall alter, surrounded by flowers and holy objects. There were about 20 monks in orange robes kneeling and chanting and we knelt down to watch.
After the ceremony, we went to see the famous reclining Buddha statue. This is a gold-covered Buddha who is stretched out full length on his side, supporting his giant head with his elbow. He is 36 meters long--huge!-- and 15 meters high. His golden body is smooth and glows with golden light. He is so large that he's housed in his own purpose-built temple, where it's possible to circumnavigate his body.
The first school of Thai massage started at this complex as well, so we visited one of the older buildings, open on one side and painted with illustrations of the human body and the different energy points.
Even though it was still morning, it was already really hot and especially steamy from an early morning rain. The rainy season officially starts next week, but we seem to have had a nice preview to fast and hard rain that characterizes the season. We were lucky, though, that it didn't rain while we were at Wat Pho. Not so lucky later...
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