We were made to be flexible. Though we were not able to follow our itinerary due to schedule conflicts and the limited time we had, we could say we have gone to the most visited sites of Thailand.We promised on our first day that we were coming back to Wat Pho or the Temple of the Reclining Buddha no matter what, so that was our ultimate goal the very first part of our last day. This reclining buddha used to be un-sheltered and exposed. I don't know when Thais started to be concerned of the Buddha's "health" so they built a roof over it with thick pillars as support. This is, by far, the largest and oldest Buddha in Bangkok, measuring 46 meters long and 15 meters high dating back 200 years ago. Thai massage also originated here. Oh by the way, can you pronounce to me its official full name? It's Wat Phra Chetuphon Vimolmangklararm Rajwaramahaviharn.
Wat Pho grounds have more than a thousand Buddhas. Our eyes were so full of it that we decided not to visit Wat Traimit anymore since the site also houses more of the same-looking golden Buddhas. We instead went to the Royal Temple, a spot recommended by a Thai we met while we were shopping for durian and jackfruit flakes plus more Thailand souvenirs outside Wat Pho.
Royal Temple was not part of our itinerary because, apart from not being listed, it was kind of limited to visitors since some of the structures were being destroyed during the time that it was still open to all. They wanted to preserve it since the Royal family regularly goes to the temple to worship. We met the architect of the Royal Temple and told us that the story of King and I surrounds the temple.We visited Wimanmek Palace the last. Sadly, we were not allowed to take pictures, I guess they were afraid that we would imitate their designs. Nah, since it was a museum of the King's personal arts and handicrafts showing the Thai national heritage, everything should be preserved. It was built in 1901.
On our first day, we planned to postpone our visit to the Royal Barges Museum to the 3rd day. However, after the Wimanmek tour, we got so tired that we weighed if the Royal Barges Museum was worth visiting. Well, shopping won over the visit to the museum so we headed straight to where we think we should be to do our last minute chores. Royal Barges Museum was not meant to be a part of our memories. =D
