Reading about another culture is always a satisfying activity yet it is even more fulfilling to actually see and experience other people’s culture. One of the best (and easiest, actually) things to do in Thailand is to simply go around the city of Bangkok and visit the numerous temples that dot the place. During our trip there, we spent one whole day visiting several temples.
The first one we went to was the Grand Palace which is also host to one of the grandest temples in Bangkok. Unfortunately for us, we were not able to go inside because of the dress code. Thais take their religion very seriously and visitors are not allowed to enter the palace grounds if they are wearing shorts. Unfortunately, my husband was wearing shorts that day so we had to be content with views from the outside. For your information, though, they do lend loose pants at the entrance for a deposit of 100 baht.
Though we missed out on the Grand Palace, we feasted our eyes and souls on two other wonderful temples – the Temple of the Golden Mount and the Wat Pho. For the former, you have to be prepared to climb up several flights of winding stairs. It is worth the effort though, as the view from the top is awesome. At Wat Pho, you can see the famous reclining Buddha, which, if my memory serves me right, is about 70 meters long. Whatever the exact measurement it, believe me when I say that it is simply awe-inspiring. You have to pay 50 baht per person to go inside the temple, though. Within the Wat Pho grounds, you can also see monuments to mark the burial places of the past kings. I am not entirely sure if their remains are truly in there – probably not.
There are still countless other temples to visit within the city. We just didn’t have the time to go to all of them but if you have an inclination towards such sights, you really shouldn’t miss Bangkok.