Wat Pho Temple (The Temple of the Reclining Buddha) in Bangkok

After visiting the Grand Palace where my parents had the most culture shock experience, not because of its beautiful architecture but because of the crowds, the noise and the hundreds of Chinese tourists everywhere, the whole place could have been mistaken as Chinatownâ€¦ we proceeded to Wat Pho Temple with a speeding tuktuk.

The Wat Pho Temple is also called the â€˜Temple of the Reclining Buddhaâ€™ and is located at the back fo the Grand Palace. It is just a 2-minute tuktuk ride which saved us from walking under the heat of the day, especially for my mom who walks slow with a cane.

At the Wat Pho Temple my parents surrendered themselves to a bench under a shade, just across the cashier booth by the entrance. Both of them have given up and didnâ€™t want to see anymore shiny Buddhaâ€™s and glittering temples. They have had enough for the day.

I think I did my best in coaxing them to go inside with me but they just didnâ€™t want to budge from their seats? The senior citizens clearly had a Thai culture and temple overload at the Grand Palace, and now they just want to chill and do nothing. Oh well, I canâ€™t blame them really. But yeah, I tried.

So I bought a ticket for myself only and went inside. The ticket to the Wat Pho Temple gives you 1 free bottle of mineral water which I do appreciate because it is hot, humid and sticky in Bangkok. The small bottle of water I quickly guzzled up before entering the temple.

The crowds here in Wat Pho though were manageable, thank goodness. As with most temples in Thailand, you leave your shoes outside and walk in barefooted. You must also be properly dressed such as no showing of shoulders, breast cleavage and upper legs. There is only 1 designated walking path inside the temple, passing through the side corridors and leading to the back (feet of the Buddha), and then you make a U-turn going back to the front.

I must say that this reclining Buddha is very impressive. It is huge, measuring 46 metres crosswise and covered in shimmering gold. It was lying there in front of me in all its glory, with the arm under its head as if asking every visitor coming inâ€”â€˜Hello there, do I look good enough in this position in your picture?â€™. The walls and ceiling of the temple also have stunning details of artwork murals. Unfortunately they were busy with the restoration of the feet of the Buddha so I didnâ€™t get to see the symbols. I however saw a sign sayingâ€”beware of pickpockets. Ah, the barbarisation of a worship place as a result of mass tourism.

At the other side of the temple I encountered a row of bronze bowls on the hallway. They are selling as well coins for you to drop into the 108 bronze bowls lining up the length of the walls which represent the 108 auspicious characters of the Buddha. Many tourists as a matter of fact participate in the coin dropping ceremony. I just stood in the side lines though and watched. I was not really sure what this is all about but after an internet search I found itâ€”itâ€™s for good luck. But you can also say it is as good as donation.

I have found our experience to be more relaxing here than at the Grand Palace. There are more to see in the courtyards if you just walk around the complex. The Wat Pho Temple is also the birthplace of the traditional Thai massage. Right, you can even get a massage here!