Buddhas, Temples & Jazz

After a good nights sleep our first visit was to Wat Pho to see the reclining Buddha. Much bigger temple than we expected so took a while to walk around. The Buddha is a very impressive 46 meters in length covered in gold leaf. Then walked to the river & caught a river taxi - lots of whistle blowing and standing room only but efficiently transports people along the river. I just pointed to where we wanted to go on the map & we were told where to get off. Next stop Wat Traimit to see the Golden Buddha - the largest solid gold statue in the world. It had been hidden inside a plaster Buddha to make it look worthless & so not worth taking by the invading Burmese. 200 years later no one remembered it was hidden there. The statue was moved to a new temple & when the hoist broke lifting it into place, it sat overnight in mud & through a rain storm - the plaster broke away to reveal the treasure inside -what a find! Back to the hotel for a quick shower & change & then to a dinner - we both ate far too much at the buffet - & show about the history & beliefs of Siam people - good food & entertaining show with over 100 performers and 500 costumes. The stage even had a river running across it. Finished the day with a beer listening to a jazz band - perfect!Read more