THE EYE NEEDS TO TRAVEL
BANGKOK, THAILAND
Produced by miRRa
Edited by Vince Dilley
When one door closes, another opens.
.Alexander Graham Bell
There are moments in life when you want to break free from everything that is holding you back, just to explore the world outside, simple because you never know where it will take you. When the eye needs to travel outside my comfort zone my travel destination is Bangkok, the capital City of Thailand.
After landing in Bangkok at night, the first thing I did after checking into my room was to go strolling around the streets for food vendors. I was curious to see what they offered…and maybe sample some of the peculiar famous street foods such as silk worms, red ants, bugs, & scorpions, etc. As a passionate zodiac “Scorpio” person myself, I decided to taste a real scorpion on a stick! There was no meat in it, but it was very crunchy and a little bit salty. Now…my curiosity is satisfied.
About 93% of the population in Thailand are Buddhist, so it makes them one of the largest Buddhist Countries in the world. It’s why you will see so many Wats (Buddhist Temples) in Bangkok City. In fact, these Wats have become a huge tourist attraction because of their beauty, along with Buddha Statues.
The first Wats to encounter is Wat Phra Kaew & Wat Pho.
Wat Phra Kaew – otherwise known as the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, is located inside the Grand Palace in the heart of the Old City district of Bangkok; it is regarded as one of the most important temples in Thailand out of approximately 40,000 across the country. According to the Thai history books, after moving to the Grand Palace, King Rama I recognized the old temple as a site of religious significance and ordered his noblemen to restore it in 1788. This first restoration took just over seven years. During the reign of King Rama III, another great restoration period took place, which took over 16 years. Unlike other temples, Wat Phra Kaew is not a home for monks, but rather it is used as a private temple for the royal family. Worship and ceremonies also take place here. The temple is stunning, beautifully decorated, and embellished with elaborate carvings, paintings, and any others intricate ornaments.
Adjacent to the Grand Palace in Ratanakosin is Wat Pho. Also well known as the home to Thailand's greatest reclining Buddha statue. This giant statue, 46 meters long and covered in gold leaf, depicts Buddha as he passes into ‘Nirvana’ (ultimate goal of the Buddhist path) for the final time.
Another Wat to see is Wat Arun, or Temple of Dawn, located across the river from Wat Pho. It is an iconic landmark in the Bangkok skyline. Given the beauty of the architecture and the fine craftsmanship, Wat Arun is considered by many as one of the most beautiful temples in Thailand. The spire (prang) on the bank of Chao Phraya River is one of Bangkok's world-famous landmarks. It has an imposing spire over 70 meters high, beautifully decorated with tiny pieces of colored glass and Chinese porcelain placed delicately into intricate patterns.
Although Wat Arun is a very popular for tourists, it is also an important place of worship for Buddhists. Historically, Wat Arun was envisioned by King Taksin in 1768 after fighting his way out of Ayutthaya, which was taken over by a Burmese army at the time. He arrived at this temple just as dawn was breaking, hence the name. He later had the temple renovated and renamed it Wat Chaeng, the Temple of the Dawn. It used to be the home of the Emerald Buddha, before the capital and Palace was moved to the other side of the river. This can now be seen at the Grand Palace. The central prang was extended during the reign of Rama III (between 1824 and 1851), and is now one of the most visited sites in Thailand. It was also Rama III who added the decoration of the spires with porcelain, so that they glimmer in the sunshine.
I had myself a white yarn inside the temple; it is said to be a sai sin and a good luck charm. I still have today...
My last Wats Destination to visit this time is the ruin temple at Ayutthaya; it took approximately 45 minutes to get there from Bangkok.
The kingdom of Ayutthaya was founded by King Ramathibodi I in 1350 as the capital of his Kingdom. It became the second capital of Siam after Sukhothai. This beautiful city was one of the most vibrant, cosmopolitan cities in the region, and operated as a center of global trade and commerce. Merchants from all over the world would come here because it was considered one of the finest cities they had ever seen. The wealth that flowed into Ayutthaya was channeled into important building projects. So, there are many grand monasteries and temples to be constructed. In 1767 The Burmese Kingdom invaded Ayutthaya, destroying much of the wealth, architectures, art, literature & many historical records that were contained within the city. The site remained abandoned until the early 1950s when the Department of Fine Art of Thailand began the restoration work in Ayutthaya.
The most interesting & unusual sight to see here is Buddha’s head; it radiates from the tangled roots of the Ancient Banyan Tree at the Temple of Wat Mahathat.
The Reclining Buddha statue at Wat Lokaya Sutha is also quite remarkable to see. It is 42 meters long, 8 meters high and constructed of bricks & cement in the art style of the middle Ayutthaya period.
Another goal was to see some performances art show called Siam Niramit located in 19 Thiam Ruam Mit Rd, Khwaeng Huai Khwang, Khet Huai Khwang, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10310, Thailand. I arrived there quite early before the show, so I took some time to see what else was in the area. I found an interesting place called the ‘Thailand Village’. Basically, it is an example of how the Thai people lived back in the day including some of the traditional methods used that continue up to the present day.
Life is about ying & yang…night & day...it would not be complete if we did not take our eye to see Bangkok at night. I chose to experience this from a hotel rooftop bar called the Baiyoke Rooftop Bar at Ratchaprarob Soi 3, Pratunam. Baiyoke is currently the second tallest building in Thailand, at around 300 meters and their rooftop bar is the highest rooftop bar in Bangkok. However, Baiyoke Tower is an aging hotel built in 1998, which became an attraction and a shopping complex all in one. The area where the tower stands is the famous Pratunam market with hundreds of shops all selling clothing, etc.
I enter the building to buy a ticket for access to the skywalk on the 77th floor and its revolving observation deck…and one free drink. The skywalk, with its huge viewing windows is definitely the best place to get a bird’s eye view of the skyline…all while the revolving deck spins around for a constantly changing vista of the beautiful lights down below and around the city. It is an interesting and unique view.
Once you are up on the revolving deck, you can spend as much time as you wish before going down one level to enjoy the complimentary drink; I chose a ‘Pina Colada’ as my poison.
This breathtaking view of the night scene from the Baiyoke Tower observatory deck was taken from Sohrab Roostai, a friend that I met in Bangkok at that time.
Sources and bibliographies:
http://factsanddetails.com/southeast-asia/Thailand/sub5_8b/entry-3212.html
https://www.buddha-heads.com/buddha-head-statues/thai-buddha-heads/
https://www.thaizer.com/tourist-attractions/reclining-buddha-wat-lokayasutharam-ayutthaya/
https://www.the5worldexplorers.com/ayutthaya-exploring-with-your-kids/
https://theculturetrip.com/asia/thailand/articles/a-brief-history-of-wat-phra-kaew-in-bangkok/
https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/thailand-travel-bangkok-temples/index.html
