Peace in the City

We had planned on visiting the famous Chatachak market but since we had spent the day before at various other markets we decided to give it a miss. I had a feeling that this was a city I would be seeing again so I was happy re-think our day. This time I went on the breakfast run soon we on our way to Lumphini Park where we hired a paddle boat and went out on to the lake. It was a nice change of pace and I was glad we made the effort to go. However the park was quite small and I felt there was only so much we could do there. I was still keen to see the reclining Buddha but my friend wanted to a lazy day in the park so we happily decided to go our separate ways and meet up for dinner in the evening.

Once at the temple I was glad I had made the effort. The Buddha was huge and though busy I was able to get a few shots that I hoped might convey just how big. I also paid a 20 Bhat donation to drop coins in the 108 bowls along the wall behind the Buddha which is meant to being good luck. I’m fairly sure I was meant to wish for something but I didn’t feel the need so just enjoyed the sound of the coins dropping into the bowls and hoped for general good things to keep occurring in my life.

Once through the temple I put my shoes on and went for a walk. The grounds were peaceful and felt larger than any I had walked though before, though being me I was probably going round in circles a lot. Many people look at the Reclining Buddha and leave so the surrounding grounds were peaceful and there were times when it felt like I had the whole place to myself. As well as being the home of the reclining Buddha Wat Pho is the home of many, many Buddhas. I think I read that they had been collected from all over Thailand in order to be restored. Whether or not I recollect correctly there were a lot of them. As well as the lines of Buddha statues there were four temples. One was quieter than the rest and I took the opportunity to attempt to meditate. Though I was keen to keep practicing my meditation I was finding it difficult to find suitable places. The temple was quietish and with a guard keeping an eye out so I put my bags on my crossed legs and with my hands on top of them I felt it was safe enough to try. I wasn’t sure how appropriate it was but I noticed on my way out a Thai lady was doing the same thing so I reckon I was ok in trying.

I continued my explorations of the many Buddhas and the architecture then when I realised I still had plenty of time before I was due to meet my friend I returned to the quiet temple and attempted to mediate once more. After my second more successful meditation I felt very peaceful so when I looked on my map and saw there was a park close by I decided to go have a look. Saranrom Park was originally a Royal Garden so it is nicely landscaped and still well maintained. Though it’s close to two major attractions it was blissfully quiet. There were a quite a few Thai people and the odd tourist like myself but we were all well spread out. There was a stone pagoda which I noticed looked nice and cool. A group of Thai people were practicing their massage techniques and a likely looking backpacker was having a snooze but I reckoned there was room for me to relax too. Since the group practicing were discussing their efforts I felt comfortable enough to dig out my phone and practice my Spanish in the park. I rested my legs a while then decided to see what else the park had to offer. It’s not large but a very pleasant place, I can see why the local people would be drawn there to run or practice Thai Chi. 

It was a very peaceful and restful day but I was still happy to return to the hostel before meeting my friend for dinner as I had walked around the temple a fair bit before exploring the park. Depsite having to take them off at repeatedly I was glad I had chosen to wear my Merrells and not my flip-flops that day! I made it back to the hostel just in time before the rain started and was happy to take a quick nap before getting ready to return to the Sukhumvit area where we would be meeting for dinner. My friend had found an Irish bar that served good ol’ English food and had live music. The food I could take or leave but the music interested me. Most importantly though it was inside and close to the BTS!

On arrival I found us a table and looked at the menu. Whilst I hadn’t been overly bothered about the food the menu did look good and I was soon looking forward to a sausage sandwich and a glass of wine. The food turned out to be good, even the fries which I happily poured vinegar all ove. The music turned out to be worth a listen. As well as being a good guitarist  the bloke also had a nice voice and sang lots of old favourites. We happily sat for a few hours discussing our separate days activities before heading towards Soi Cowboy to see what all the fuss was about. Neither of us are big drinkers so we were only planning to go look but even then I felt bad. The old men hanging on the young girls seemed wrong to me and the large groups of scantily clad girls outside the clubs just made me feel sorry for them. I was happy when my friend said she had seen enough and we were on our way back to the hostel.