Nomadic Texan

As you travel the Chao Phraya river in Bangkok and see Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn in the distance, you realize it is an imposing structure. The Temple has played a part of the history and culture of Thailand for centuries. As the boat docks and you disembark you have no idea what you will be exposed to when you see the Temple up close. It is am amazing feat of construction in my humble opinion and I was overcome with awe, when I saw the elements of its architecture in detail.

Mosaic Guardian Figures on Wat Arun, Temple of Dawn

The exterior design is built with hundreds of thousands of mosaic tiles arranged to form themes and brings significant attention to the overall pattern and layout. I was astonished by the quantity of tiles and how they were put together to create the overall scheme. It had to take many, many years and a plethora of man-hours to complete the Temple.

If you find yourself in Bangkok and want to visit a Temple of renown significance, I highly recommend you visit Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn. Plan on allocating several hours, as the complex is not something you will want to rush through. More than likely it will mesmerize you and make you think about its origin and construction. In the end you will realize how absolutely beautiful the Temple is and be very glad you went!

Mosaic Trim on Wat Arun, Temple of Dawn

*** My trip to Thailand and Malaysia was sponsored by Thai Airways, the Tourism Authority of Thailand and Tourism Malaysia USA. All opinions are solely mine and as always generated without any influence.

One of the things that struck me as unusual in my recent trip to Thailand and Malaysia, was the amount of monkeys everywhere we went near forests or jungles. I am not used to that in Texas. We experienced more monkeys though, at locations where Buddhas were present and I am guessing it is a natural instinct to adapt to people feeding you and having excessive trash near. Its kind of a guaranteed system of meals for these primates.

This photo is from the Batu Caves and we were sternly warned that feeding the monkeys at this temple could cause a lose of a finger or an attack. Neither was something I desired. The monkeys were sitting above the entrance to the restrooms at the shrine and I for one was just a little nervous that they might not like another bearded primate invading their space. Take a close look at the one on the right and tell me you don’t agree!

Monkeys Watching Over the Toilet at The Batu Caves

*** My trip to Thailand and Malaysia was sponsored by Thai Airways, the Tourism Authority of Thailand and Tourism Malaysia USA. All opinions are solely mine and as always, generated without any influence.