Wat Pho in Bangkok
Wat Pho is a very colorful Buddhist temple in Bangkok, Thailand. The temple is also known as the Temple of the Reclining Buddha, because of a large statue of reclining Buddha that is found there.
We visited Wat Pho with Gary and Michelle on our first full day in Bangkok. Being there helped us to get a good feel of Thailand and its main religion of Buddhism pretty quickly, and because of that, it was a very good way to start our trip. It also allowed us to get a good feel of the heat, because it was quite warm that day, as it was every day that we were there. Interestingly, part of the admission ticket was a coupon for an ice cold bottle of water, which we were more than happy to redeem.
The first buildings of the temple complex were built around 1788, and the complex was expanded over the years. Several people were there to worship the reclining Buddha, and we saw several monks in the complex as well. Quite different from how things are back here at home, and a pretty good reminder that we in fact weren’t at home any more. Not that we felt unwelcomed in any way, just a reminder that things were going to be different for a little while.
As we were walking around noticing the craftsmanship and colors, I was thinking to myself that everything reminded me of the Asia section of Disney’s Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World, and then I thought, “Wait a minute, I actually am in Asia!” I think that is when it first really hit me just how far from home we were, as if the 28 hours of travel to get there hadn’t done that. Anyway, things similar to this temple must have been one of the many inspirations for the Imagineers as they designed that area of Animal Kingdom, and I understand that just a little more having been to the real thing.
Fear the LORD your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. - Deuteronomy 6:13
About the photo:
The temple complex was so large and the buildings were so close together that it was difficult to get a good view of any one building. That is why I like this view that includes several different structures in it. The clouds added a nice element to the sky, and I increased the color saturation quite a bit to bring out all of the beautiful colors there.
A single RAW exposure, processed in Photoshop. Read more about the photo software and gear I use at the camera gear page.
Camera: Olympus OM-D E-M10
Lens: Olympus 14-42mm IIR
