Notes on Wat Pho (Bangkok)

Intricate roofs, impressive tiling and the constant sound of devotional coins being evenly distributed into bowls... Wat Pho is famous for its reclining Buddha (depicts the moment of his ascension to nirvana) and I come, like all the other tourists, take some photos... he is impressive after all. At 46 metres long and 15 high, this is one big dude. Supine, eyes half-closed in what one can only imagine is bliss, I wonder what he thinks of all these people with lenses trying in vain to capture the majesty before them.


The wat complex stretches out under the sweat-inducing sun. There are numerous ornate chedi's and hundreds of smaller, golden Buddha images locked behind glass doors. I imagine them getting loose and running amok in the city, marching like an army down the streets, clanking a little like Tik-Tok in the Return to Oz. Their peaceful looks, multiplied many times becomes, after a while, a little alarming. They are watching you... Surprisingly some of them have belly buttons.

Every time I see a Western man (particularly an older one) with a young Thai woman my immediate thought is whether this is a 'business' arrangement. Also, at such a tourist attraction as this, how many other men must she have taken here? Must get bored of it after a while – or is this more of a cultural exchange than other parts of their relationship?

Sweat beading on my face (funny that a face can perspire so much), its time to move on. Back down the river for some lunch and an ice cold drink.