The Bangkok Blitz Part 2: The city where a 150-ft golden Buddha isn't even the most impressive thing you've seen today

One day in Bangkok is somehow longer than most. After avoiding a catastrophe that would have lost us several hours of our single day here, we explored the Grand Palace as quickly as we could without dropping dead of heat stroke. Our next stop was the magnificent Wat Pho temple.

Once again, the array of bright colors and intricate designs assaulted our senses. As a former art history student, I just wanted to sit and take in all the geometrical patterns that adorned these chess pawn-shaped buildings that were unlike anything I had every seen before. Sadly, I tore my eyes away and continued on the way.

Just when I was certain that Bangkok could no longer overwhelm me with such a sensory attack, we arrived at the interior of Wat Pho, home of the golden reclining Buddha. Words failed us as we gazed up at this massive,150 foot long, 50 foot high Buddha. Our eyes were simply unable to see the entire thing at once, much less appreciate the artistry of each detail. The feet and eyes are engraved with mother-of-pearl, while the bottoms of his feet show the 108 auspicious signs of the Buddha. The moment was lost a bit by the hordes of tourists who gazed upon Buddha with us, pushing and shoving their way to the place where the best photo ops were. From everything I know about Buddhism, I just don't think Buddha would approve of anything in the room. But it was nonetheless, breathtaking to behold and one of the most amazing monuments I've ever seen in my years of travel.

You know you're in Bangkok when a gigantic 150 foot long golden Buddha isn't the most impressive thing you've seen today. We finally tore ourselves away from the glorious Wat Pho to continue our blitz through this crazy, wonderful city. After a quick lunch and some real fruit smoothies to cool us down in the blazing heat and swampy humidity, we tried to get in just one more temple, the Wat Arun or Temple of the Dawn.

A quick ferry boat ride through Bangkok's river, the Chao Phraya and we arrived at the Temple of the Dawn. It just started to rain as we boarded the boat, which made the humidity even more unbearable. Wat Arun, which looked quite impressive from across the river with its multiple prang-shaped towers, was simply glorious upon closer inspection. From the gargoyle-esque characters that surrounded the tower, to the intricate flower designs on the exterior, to the sound of chirping birds and small bells chiming in the slight breeze, everything here seemed simply sublime, peaceful and perfect.

 

Jon climbed the incredibly steep stairs as I sat down below, listening to the bells and trying to memorize the shapes and patterns on the outside walls.

We left the temple by four or five o'clock, returning to the hotel to cool off, hydrate and start packing our bags again. We had barely even scratched the surface of this phenomenal place, and added to our list of "must-return" destinations. The following day, we were leaving early for our flight to the island paradise of Ko Samui!