Wat Pariwat

I woke up feeling a little fatigued. This didn't come as a surprise as based on past experience I often hit a wall after around ten days on the road. We decided to explore for a few hours and then return to our room to rest.

We ate breakfast at the local market near our hotel. Once full, our first stop of the day was Wat Pariwat. We walked about 1 km to Chong Nonsi BTS station to catch the BRT bus directly to Wat Pariwat. Unfortunately, the ticket booths there weren't open, the self-service machinese weren't working, and it would have eaten up all our remaining data to download an app to purchase tickets. So, we flagged down a taxi.

Wat Pariwat is an unusual temple in that it features mosaic pop culture figures on its exterior. There are two wats in the center of the complex; the one with the pop culture figures is fully restored and open, while the other is undergoing restoration. Along the exterior, we spied Batman, Captain America, Superman, Popeye, Pinnochio. Inside the hall, I recognized a picture of Albert Einstein. Apart from the pop culture figures, there were also mosaics depicting more traditional Chinese, Indian, and Thai-influenced figurines. Apparently, the temple was designed this way to convey that Buddhism is an inclusive religion for all.

In the ordination hall of an adjacent complex, there is apparently a tiny statue of David Beckham at the base of a Buddha statue. Unfortunately, that hall was closed.

Overall, this was a fun first stop for us. My only regret is that I should have come prepared with a list of the pop culture icons I wanted to find in order to check them off. It was only while writing this entry, for example, that I learned that there is an image of Barack Obama taking a selfie.

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