Sightseeing in Bangkok

PHOTOS:
1 A young man in white becoming a monk. His whole family is with him. They parade around the perimeter of the temple three times and then go inside to complete the ceremony. I am told he can be a monk for a short time and go back to his family and marry. Or he can make a life of being a monk.

2. A Chinese sandstone sculpture of a warrior. He is protecting the temple. They are place strategically throughout the grounds.

3. A self portrait in front of a portion of the royal palace. There are several ornate buildings including a Buddhist temple.

4. A worship area. There is an offering box. A Buddha where gold leaf is applied by worshippers. In the back of the photo is an area where candles and incense are burned. Also, a cast of a steer. I am not certain of its purpose.

5. A large gold pagoda.

6. The boy is a novice. He cannot become a monk until he is twenty. Interesting fact, The monks have background checks and carry identification, because some people have taken advantage of the monk's protection from law enforcement.

7. A gold Buddha in a temple. It is concrete with a bronze skin with gold leaf outer layer.

8. A young lady took my photo at the head of the large reclining Buddha. This Buddha helps your sleeping. It is as long as an Olympic pool. I took a picture of the young woman and her boyfriend.

I was able to take the morning off work and see some sights. The tour desk at the hotel offered a tour of the Royal Palace and a Buddhist temple. It cost B 1550, Thailand Baht is about $0.03. I think.

There is plenty of gold in them there pagodas. Buddhist kneel and pray to Buddhas. They also light candles, burn incense, and lay offerings of flowers to the statue. One interesting practice is placing gold leaf on a Buddha statue. I was with a group with 2 Taiwanese, 2 Philippines, 3 Indians, and a Thai tour guide. A melting pot. The 2 Taiwanese and the Indian man prayed at some of the temples we visited.

We visited a jade Buddha and the great reclining Buddha. Apparently, there are Buddhas for all occasions. One for happiness, one for enlightenment, one for Monday, one for Tuesday, One for Pakistan, One for calming the seas, and so on. They also have a entire mythology behind Buddhas and the Thai King. These stories are illustrated in murals decorating the temples and around the ground of the temple.

I took almost 150 photos. I have picked a few to show here.