After walking through the Grand Palace I hopped next door to Wat Pho. Wat Pho is a Buddhist temple (a royal one) and one of the oldest ones in Bangkok. The temple is a lot more relaxing then the Grand Palace next door, though with many many more signs warning of gangs of pick pockets. You can take photos and expect to take your shoes off a lot.
A large draw to the temple is the Reclining Buddha that was built in 1832. At almost 50 feet high (15 meters) and 150 feet long (46 meters) this statue of end of carnations/ nirvana reaching Buddha is one of the largest in Thailand. When I visited it was a slow journey due to the crowd and a bit hard to see the whole thing, only getting sections between pillars in the temple. The Reclining Buddha was also undergoing some maintenance and the mother-of-pearl inlaid feet were out of sight.
The Reclining Buddha is another place where you take your shoes off. Unlike at the Grand Palace at the Reclining Buddha you take a bag and carry your shoes with you. Which leaves you less likely to loose them or worry that you’ll lose them.
Beyond the Reclining Buddha the rest of the temple grounds were pretty quiet. It was less crowded and easy to walk around and read little information sections under green desk lights amid lots and lots of Buddha statues. There were other Buddha’s to visit as well, all where you have to take your shoes off. There were monks around, a school, some students visiting being led by an orange robbed monk and Thai massage. Thai massage has been a part of the temple since 1955. It’s also a place to learn Thai massage. Though if you want to have a treatment try to book ahead or make that your first stop at the temple to make a reservation before seeing the rest because the wait can take a long time. I didn’t end up getting a Thai massage while I was there. I was too utterly exhausted to stay longer and too hungry.
