sa-wa-di-kup!
Just returned a few days ago from a short trip to Bangkok. Travelled with my family...so that was a bit stressful. My parents, mould from 40-50 years of habits, found it hard to adapt to the food and surroundings. Strange...because in so many ways, the city reminded me of Singapore. Unfortunately, we were not there long enough to enjoy all that Bangkok has to offer and immerse in their colourful culture.
The highlight of the trip would undoubtedly, be the bumpy, wet boat ride along the river...i forget the name now, other than we boarding the boat at the Shangri-La pier...getting on board was quite a balancing act. The lady in white, by the way, is my mum. She nevers lets me take a picture of her...
That's me in cap and my younger brother at the start of the ride which brought us along the river where we saw all these magnificent temples...built out of much love and reverence.
Prettly little houses line up alongside the river...People there get around in their little boats.
Some get by selling their ware to tourists like ourselves....i was definitely very impressed at their 'boat shops' and boating skills. They row their boats right alongside ours and attempts to sells anything from fruits to sovenirs..
There were too many temples to stop by and too little time. We opted to stop by the Tha Tien pier... 
where the Wat Pho temple is located nearby. In it, the magnificent Reclining Buddha resides...
I was in awe as soon as I stepped into the temple. Apart from the sacred atmostphere, the Reclining Buddha, a splendid sight to behold, takes up almost the entire space of the temple- The head alone almost tips at the temple ceiling. Measuring 46 metres and 15 metres, it is covered entirely in fine gold leaf. It is a perfect, loving work of art. Unable to capture the statue in its entirety, I took a snapshot of a postcard I bought from the temple.
Even, the soles of its feet are elaborately decorated with mother-of-pearl desgins depicting the 108 auspicious signs of the Buddha. Intriguing isn't it?
I'm neither Buddhist, particularly religious or spiritual but I definitely left the temple with a more open heart and mind then before I entered it. I guess that's what travelling is all about.
The highlight of the trip would undoubtedly, be the bumpy, wet boat ride along the river...i forget the name now, other than we boarding the boat at the Shangri-La pier...getting on board was quite a balancing act. The lady in white, by the way, is my mum. She nevers lets me take a picture of her...
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That's me in cap and my younger brother at the start of the ride which brought us along the river where we saw all these magnificent temples...built out of much love and reverence.%20051.0.jpg)
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Prettly little houses line up alongside the river...People there get around in their little boats.%20052.jpg)
Some get by selling their ware to tourists like ourselves....i was definitely very impressed at their 'boat shops' and boating skills. They row their boats right alongside ours and attempts to sells anything from fruits to sovenirs..%20056.jpg)
There were too many temples to stop by and too little time. We opted to stop by the Tha Tien pier... %20059.jpg)
where the Wat Pho temple is located nearby. In it, the magnificent Reclining Buddha resides...%20064.1.jpg)
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I was in awe as soon as I stepped into the temple. Apart from the sacred atmostphere, the Reclining Buddha, a splendid sight to behold, takes up almost the entire space of the temple- The head alone almost tips at the temple ceiling. Measuring 46 metres and 15 metres, it is covered entirely in fine gold leaf. It is a perfect, loving work of art. Unable to capture the statue in its entirety, I took a snapshot of a postcard I bought from the temple..1.jpg)
Even, the soles of its feet are elaborately decorated with mother-of-pearl desgins depicting the 108 auspicious signs of the Buddha. Intriguing isn't it?%20070.jpg)
I'm neither Buddhist, particularly religious or spiritual but I definitely left the temple with a more open heart and mind then before I entered it. I guess that's what travelling is all about.
posted by compassioNAT at 1:05 PM
7 Comments:
Good to see some snaps from your Bangkok trip & an short intro to u'r family.
I liked the composition of the second picture of Buddha. I feel travelling lets people discover new things about the place & @ times themselves.
Nice post. I am jealous that you get to take a short trip to Bangcock. Very cool.
I want to be the reclining Buddha!
Scott
True viv, more than anything else, travelling is somewhat of a self-discovery process. In this case, I also learnt more my family members too! Funny that it takes a trip abroad to learn more about them. while we all live under the same roof at home, we hardly spent time communicating. The trip was money well-spend definitely.
It's B-a-n-g-k-o-k Scott..hope that wasn't a delibrate error on your part..haha. Don't we all want to be the Reclining Buddha? He gets to recline and be admired at the same time.
Hey nat, guess you reali had fun in BKK huh! You're down for some serious sight-seeing instead of the usual shopping routine (which is a must-go) when visiting BKK.
Just somethings to add on. Apart from travelling overseas with friends or partners, its good to really spend some time with our precious kins. My last trip with my family was about 5 yrs ago (to BKK as well), till now, we haven't really settle for another holiday spot. Siblings, parents and I are busy, and everyones' schedule just seems to clash and go haywire. So treasure the rollin' good times spent with them.
Tristan
Oh Nat, you just made me nostalgic.....vividly relate to Wat Pho and the boat ride et al...me and Chik along with our friends were there in November of last year.....Sad, even we didnt have much time around Bangkok....Yeppie, nothing teaches better than travel...wat happened to your Nepal trip?
Hey Alison, thanks! Not yet there but trying my darndest.
Tristan, you had no idea how difficult it was for me and my family to agree on a time to go for this trip. One had exams, the other could not take leave from work...the fact that we actually went almost escaped us!
You know Aru, i totally regret not having gone to see the four-faced Buddha, which was hammered down by a madman a few days ago. Poor guy got beaten to death right after. But man, the four faced Buddha was such an icon in Bangkok.
Hey Phantom, you guys were right there? Geez just imagine if we've met! Crasy! About Nepal, read my latest post ;)
Bangkok is a really lovely place.. so much of history and tradition... bowls you over!
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