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After a few days of markets, dancing and the hectic streets of Bangkok, we tucked into two amazing Buddhist temples on Thursday. What beautiful, holy places. Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn, was constructed in the 19th Century. It is almost entirely covered in pieces of multicolored porcelain and bells around every edge. The tinkling music of hundreds of bells added a peacefulness to the whole experience. The climb to the top offered great views of the city and the Chao Phraya River, but was a bit scary. The flights of stairs were steep and it was very windy. I also don't recommend it if you are wearing a short skirt. At the top yet more people asked to have their picture taken with Nina. This time it was a monk! This will be a treasured photo forever. Speaking of treasured photos, this trip is a vacation without souveniers. We just don't have the room to carry extra things around. But we can take photos. We are well past 14,000. A great opportunity presented itself when we were leaving Wat Arun. Local women had traditional Thai dresses, jewelry and crowns that you could rent for a photo op. The girls (myself included) had a blast dressing up and having Anthony, who had refused the men's gear, take photos for a bit. Way better than any keychain or little wooden elephant, which by the way we also purchased. Souvenier free trip is a goal, not a reality!
Next we hopped on the boat to Wat Pho, a temple built in the 18th Century. At the gate we had the pleasure of being greeted by 007, a local tour guide. We hired him on the spot without asking for any credentials, his name would do. 007 gave us a great visit around the temple, telling us all the key bits. We saw the impressive 151 foot long and 49 foot high gold Reclining Buddha. Additionally we saw a hundred or so of the 1250 Buddha statues around the temple and a few special Buddhas that corresponded with our Zodiac signs. Using our signs and dates of birth 007 told us a few things about ourselves that were pretty much spot on; I talk too much, Celeste is creative and Nina and Anthony are clever. That nicely sums up our family! After the temples we wandered around the blocks long flower market, Pak Klong Talad, while eating more chicken on a stick and drinking more soda from a bag. Great stuff!
Amy
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