Bangkok // Wat Pho

Wat Pho is one of the most famous temples in Bangkok, across the river from Wat Arun. the temple complex is large, hosting over one thousand buddhas and a few hundred temple cats. [I've hidden one in this post, bonus points if you can spot the little fuzzball.]

when we arrived at Wat Pho a storm was brewing. I mean this both literally and figuratively. you see, Jamie did not get to eat lunch. we had flown up from Railay that morning and were hoping to hit the amazing pad thai from the street vendor we visited in January. but alas, he was not there.

I did the best I could to stay non-cranky but I almost lost it when a group of tourists started talking to and then taking pictures with a monk. with their arms around him. three big no-no's when visiting a buddhist temple. I quickly relocated myself to a different area of the temple and took a few deep breaths to regain my zen. I know I am not the world's best traveler, but I try my best to respect the culture and customs of the countries I visit. and it really bothers me when others do not.

so I was hungry, and angry. hangry if you will. but I decided to eat one of my emergency granola bars and suck it up. because, hello, look at this place.

the storm blew over, the granola bar curbed my hangry, and I fell deep into photographer mode. I tried to pare down the photos as best as I could, but Wat Pho has a lot going on. and a lot of tall things going on - so you get way more portrait oriented photos than I usually take.

I'm a little obsessed with all the intricate tile work. the patterns, the sparkling mirrors, the bright colors... and all done by hand. can you imagine what Wat Chaiwatthanaram looked like before it was sacked?

aside from rude tourists and being a little cranky, I really enjoyed my visit to Wat Pho. just because you are on vacation and in a beautiful place doesn't mean you won't have bad days, but I'm glad I got over myself and took all these pictures to remember it by... sometimes the memory of a thing can be more enjoyable than the actual experience.