Thai Buddhist Temples

While in Thailand, I had the privilege of visiting a few Buddhist temples, including Wat Pho in Bangkok, and Wat Doi Suthep in Chiang Mai (Wat means temple in Thai).

Most of the temples I saw were fairly similar to each other. The first thing I noticed was an incredible amount of gold - gold statues, gold stupas, gold bells, etc. Other than that, the outside of most temples tended to have white-washed walls, with red, green and yellow tiled roofs. Each had many statues of monks, as well as statues of the numerous images of Buddha. As Buddhism developed from Hinduism, there would also be statues of Hindu gods, like Ganesh.

The temple of Wat Pho in Bangkok is known for the statue of the "Reclining Buddha". Measuring 43 meters long and 15 meters high, the statue is the largest of its kind in the world. It was incredibly impressive to see.

Most of the temples feature a number of different small structures on the property, with one central building. It is custom for Buddhists to walk in a circle around the main building 3 times while reciting their prayers. Each rotation represents one of the 3 jewels of Buddhism: Buddha, his teachings, and the monks. There are also a lot of stations where followers can light candles and incense to honor Buddha and his teachings.

I find Buddhism really interesting because it seems to focus more on general guidelines for living a good life and reaching enlightenment, rather than a strict set of rules and principles. Our guide, who is Buddhist, summed up his feelings on faith by saying that we must concentrate on what we can do in the present, and instructed us to "Do better today than you did yesterday." I think that is great advice that all of us - no matter what our faith - could be well served to follow.

First Impressions of Bangkok

Before leaving for Thailand, I wasn't really sure what to expect of Bangkok. I pictured a lot of hustle and bustle and lots of people on the streets and stalls selling noodles, but I purposely didn't really look up any pictures of the city so that I would be surprised. And no, I haven't seen The Hangover 2 (I've been asked many times) so I didn't have that as a reference either.

I was spot-on with the hustle and bustle. The hum of the hot pink and yellow taxis, motorbikes and tuk-tuks whizzing by is constant (a tuk-tuk is a type of taxi that is like a motorbike with a wagon in back for passengers).

There are many food vendors in the streets. Walking down a block, the smell is changing constantly, from curries to fresh fruit to grilled meats. At each stall you can get a meal for around 35 baht (about $1) or less. There are also other vendors selling souvenirs and things. Unlike some other cities I've been to, none of these vendors heckle you as you walk by or pressure you to buy their products. They just sit and wait for their next customer, or chat with the other vendors nearby.

The city is a really interesting mixture of traditional and modern styles. There are hundreds of Buddhist temples around the city, some incredibly old, but there are also many modern high-rise buildings. One interesting thing that we learned was that it is a Thai custom to build a "spirit house" on the property of any new construction. These houses are usually modeled on traditional Thai architecture and stand about 3 feet tall and posted up on a pole somewhere out of the shadow of the new building. Thais believe that these structures house the souls that were disturbed from the ground by the new construction. Every single day, incense, flowers, and sometimes food, are placed at the spirit house to appease the souls. Once we learned about sprit houses, we started noticing them everywhere - outside houses, hotels, malls and all kinds of buildings.

One of Thailand's nicknames is the "Land of Smiles" and I've definitely been able to see why. All of the people here are so nice and helpful. They seem genuinely happy to have tourists here and to want to help them experience their country in the best way possible. We haven't met a single person who was unwilling to help or chat with you about the area.

I'm really looking forward to going back to Bangkok on Saturday to see more of the city!

Welcome to Thailand!

After about 24 hours of travel time and almost missing a connecting flight, I have finally arrived in Bangkok! So far I have been really impressed by the kindness and helpfulness of the Thai people. I'm looking forward to being able to explore more of the city and the country. Over the next 3 weeks I'll be posting info and photos from my travels across Thailand that will take me to such places as: Bangkok, Koh Samui, Koh Phangan, Phuket, Koh Phi Phi, Chiang Mai and the Northern Highlands.

Check back for more posts coming soon!