Buddha Buddha Everywhere

I decided to head to Bangkok for the weekend. A bunch of the other teachers from the program were all staying at the same hostel so I decided to tag along. The hostel was nice but in a rather strange neighbor. Little India.  After unloading our stuff we decided to venture out for some Indian food. We managed to cram 7 people into a tuk-tuk (I think that’s the new record!) and we had a delicious meal.

On Saturday a bunch of us went back to the Chatachak market (the huge weekend market). It was definitely much different this time. The last time I went it was a Sunday afternoon when everything was beginning to shut down. This time it was a Saturday morning and we saw what the market is truly about. Stalls after stalls of everything you could imagine. Crowds of people trying to make their way through the narrow aisles. People shouting out prices trying to get you to buy their items. It was totally nuts but totally awesome at the same time. After wandering around for a while we headed off to Wat Pho.

Wat Pho is the temple that houses the Reclining Buddha. One of the most famous Buddha’s in Thailand. Wat Pho was much bigger than I was expecting and equally as grandiose as the Grand Palace. The reclining Buddha statue was amazing. I can’t even explain how big it was. I was literally in awe at not only how long it was but also how tall. The Reclining Buddha is meant to represent the Buddha’s dying moment and the moment he reaches nirvana. I have never seen anything quite like it. 

Wat Pho is also famous because it houses more Buddha statues than anywhere else in Thailand, 394 in total.