Did you know there are over 31,000 Buddhist temples in Thailand? I didn’t but I shouldn’t be surprised because every time I turn a corner I see another stunning temple I want to visit. Last week we took a short river cruise on the Chao Praya when we spotted Wat Arun across the river and I knew where we were going next. We were extremely happy that Carter chose to grace us with his presence on this outing. I promised I wouldn’t take his picture but I snuck this one in on the sly as proof (that is him with his back to the camera).
Wat Arun, also known as the Temple of Dawn, is named after the Indian God of Dawn, Aruna.
It is hard not to be drawn to the main prang (Khmer-style tower) which is about 79 meters (259 feet) high. It is surrounded by 4 smaller prangs which hold statues of the God of Wind, Phra Phai. What is great about these prangs is they are adorned with porcelain that was previously used as ballast from boats traveling to Bangkok from China. From Wat Arun: “The long, elongated, Khmer-style Prang or tower, and four minor towers symbolize the terrestrial representation of the thirty-three heavens.”
During our boat ride on the river, I could see people climbing the main prang. Being afraid of heights, I do not know what I was thinking. Well, yes I do. My teenagers were egging me on and I had to prove something to them. Silly, silly me.
The steps were so narrow your whole foot would not fit on it. They were much higher than a normal step especially for a short-legged creature like me. Going up wasn’t nearly as bad as going down. On the way down, I made Way stay right in front of me to cushion my fall. I went down backward, one slow step at a time. Apparently my panic was evident because people clapped when I reached the bottom. Here are those evil steps:
The view from the landing was worth the climb. At least the climb up.
Up on one of the landings they had this pink cloth protecting the surface and everyone was signing their names. So we joined in.
I wrote an intention that I will keep secret but I also wrote this:
We even made some new friends from Burma who were touring around Thailand.
Our afternoon at Wat Arun was wonderful. Extremely hot but wonderful. We were even using our parasols.
That looks like an amazing day. I came searching for something else I’d thought you’d referenced in your post about getting to know your boys, but this is just as nice! That photo your husband got really is nice. What an interesting blog, or even better yet, life! you have right now!!
Thanks Rosey. We haven’t been to Angkor Wat yet. That is in Cambodia and we are planning a trip to go there. It is a definite must see. I appreciate you taking the time to check things out.