Wat Pho: The Temple of the Reclining Buddha in Bangkok, Thailand

I've mentioned in my previous post that aside from the Grand Palace, one should not miss going to Wat Pho when in Bangkok. Wat Pho is one of the oldest temples in the city. When Ayutthaya was destroyed, the image of the Recling Buddha was rebuilt in the new capital. Prior to the temple's founding, it used to be a center for Thai traditional medicine.

Grand Palace is actually just behind Wat Pho

Buddha head

Malaysian kids

The statue was made of gold and mother of pearl.

Inside were these 108 bronze bowls representing the 108 auspicious characteristics of the Buddha wherein you drop coins for good fortune. You can get the coins for 20 Baht; these also help maintain the Wat. 

Well, being a sucker for all things that would (hopefully) bring me luck...

Please coins do your magic!!!

Anyway, I found this funny sign inside. I think it's kind of erm...racist? Haha!

When we went to Ayutthaya the day before, Rabbit introduced us to this oil which can soothe your stress. It smells minty, something reminiscent of old people but what do you know? It actually works. My mom asked where he got it and he said that it was from Wat Pho so we bought some ourselves. It was selling at 6 for 500 Baht.

So now I have my perfect hangover aid..and it's actually from Buddha. Coolness.

Impulse

Last Saturday was my friend Lizelle's bridal shower. Lizzy has been my friend since I was 12, so that translates to a good 15 years! And doing the math, now you know my age. Haha! We were instructed to wear black so I did just that. However, I worked overtime that day and I realized that I was terribly underdressed for the occasion so I bought a bondage skirt at my fashion shrine, Forever 21. I was deciding between mustard yellow and red but went for the red because I was convinced that mustard would extremely define my very much birthing hips. To my surprise, it turned out that the venue was colored *drumroll* red and black.

i Candy top | Forever 21 skirt  and turquoise bracelet | VNC heels
Kandi Treats jellybean necklace | Bangkok  blue bangle | Swatch watch

I was actually hoping for a stripper but I guess Peter, the nude inflatable dummy, would have to do.

Censored. EEEEEP.

There were a lot of naughty games (of course this was a shower) and I actually was good at them. I leave it up to you to do your translation. Haha.

I jumped over to Fiamma where the Ateneo party was held due to the persistence of MBA friends. I actually did not have any plans of going and I was being such a cheapskate not wanting to pay the entrance fee because the open bar was long finished. Anyway, I won't be able to do that anyway since the registration people were diligently manning the entrance. I got tipsy in 30 minutes. Good job!

Work hard. Party much, much harder!

The Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand

Ask anybody who has been to Bangkok and they'll surely say that they have gone to the Grand Palace. It is the must see destination in Bangkok, schools even have their field trips here. When we arrived there were a lot of tourists there already.

The Grand Palace was patterned after the Royal Palace located in Ayutthaya. They wanted to retain the original structure and this was the result. The compound is divided into four courts: outer court, middle court, inner court and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. It was so amazing that everything was made of gems and gold. The whole palace must be worth billions!

solid goooooold!!!

I also found this replica of the Angkor Wat in Cambodia. Cambodia, by the way, is next on my travel plans.

One day I'll go see the real thing.

Walking a little more, we reached the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. Just like all the other temples, you have to leave your footwear outside. Rabbit looked out for our shoes because apparently, there were people who steal footwear for a living.

lotus offerings

The inner court was off limits ever since one member of the Royal Family committed suicide. The middle court  was inspired by European architecture. The roofs of the buildings however remained Thai.

What should you wear in the Grand Palace? It is always safe to wear a top with sleeves and pants as respect to the Thai traditions. I figured that we were going to do lot of walking so I wore something comfortable.

Mango blouse and bag | Topshop pants | Charlie flats | Forever 21  sunnies

How to get there? Best bet is to take a cab to avoid having to ride the BTS then transfer to a boat  and walk after.

Wat Traimit: The Temple of the Golden Buddha in Bangkok, Thailand

Our third day in Thailand was alloted to explore the different temples within the city. Originally, we were supposed to do this by ourseves but since we enjoyed Rabbit's tour the day before, we decided to join his city tour this time. It turned out to be a good choice because it rained really hard later that day. We were in the company of Malaysian kids who were on a holiday. 

Our first stop was Wat Traimit or the Temple of the Golden Buddha. The temple is located in the area of Chinatown.

The Golden Buddha has quite an interesting history. When Bangkok was established as the new city capital the statues of the Buddha were moved from Ayutthaya via the Chao Phraya river. Wat Traimit was actually the second location for the buddha which was casted in stone back then. It had to be transferred in the 50's because the temple which was its original location had to be vacated. Accidentally, the buddha slipped from the straps during transfer and cracked, revealing a Buddha statue cast in solid gold. Apparently it was a ploy to keep the Burmese from stealing it.

Ring the bells for good luck

How to get there: Take the MTR and get off the Hua Lamphong station. Walk to Wat Traimit from there. View the map here.

Chao Phraya Princess Cruise

I've never liked sea travel. You see, I have this fear of drowning so it's self-explanatory. Reason why you will never, ever, ever have me ride a ship. The maximum time that I can handle is one hour. Beyond that, sorry but you would have to leave me behind. This is just so ironic being a swimmer and all.

Having said that, I don't know what urged me to buy tickets for the Chao Phraya Princess River Cruise. Maybe it's to somehow feel the life of the rich and famous? LOL.

We're glad that we were seated on the upper deck to have a better view of the surroundings. I was bummed that we weren't close to the rail though. The upper deck could probably seat more or less a hundred people? I'm not really sure.

Free chips and nuts. Hooray!

Buffet table

Mom and Tita Malu

We paid around THB 1500 for the cruise, buffet dinner and transfers to and from the hotel. There were a lot of choices on the buffet table.

I sampled practically everything. Just look at my plate, rather, plates! Although sadly, there were some I didn't like and I chose not to eat anymore. Sorry...

Anybody hungry?

The route of the cruise was along the Chao Phraya River, where most of the temples can be seen lit at night. They dim the lights of the cruise ship so that guests can appreciate the view more. Why can't we do this in the Philippines? But then again come to think of it, there's really nothing to view along the Pasig River. So no, this won't click in my country.

Wat Arun

Overall, the cruise was a really nice experience. At least for two hours, I felt what it's like to live in luxe. Well, even if there were about 200 people sharing the ship with me. :P