{"id":2547,"date":"2025-03-05T04:37:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-05T04:37:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/travel.monkeydads.com\/2025-southeastasia\/wats-up\/"},"modified":"2025-03-05T04:37:00","modified_gmt":"2025-03-05T04:37:00","slug":"wats-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/travel.monkeydads.com\/2025-southeastasia\/wats-up\/","title":{"rendered":"WAT\u2019s up?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After a roughly 2 hour bus ride from the port, we arrived in the city of Bangkok, now colloquially known as Krungthep. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The full name of the city is in the longest in the world and is: <em>Krungthepmahanakhon Amonrattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilokphop Noppharatratchathaniburirom Udomratchaniwetmahasathan Amonphimanawatansathit Sakkathattiyawitsanukamprasit <\/em>which rougly translates to \u201cCity of angels, great city of immortals, magnificent city of the&nbsp;nine gems, seat of the king, city of royal palaces, home of gods incarnate, erected by Vishvakarman&nbsp;at&nbsp;Indra&#8217;s behest.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Our first stop was the Grand Palace complex which also included the Wat Phra Kaew, Temple of the Emerald Buddha. Not a real emerald, but a solid piece of jade. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What an astounding complex. All the previous kings (known as Ramas) each have a pagoda here. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A lot of royal history all around. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Next stop was Wat Pho with the giant Reclining Buddha. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Our last temple for today was Wat Traimit, the temple of the Golden Buddha. A massive block of solid gold. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After a long, hot day we checked into our hotel with a river view from our room. Now for much needed showers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/travel.monkeydads.com\/2025-southeastasia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/images-posts\/1185-wats-up.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1185\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Pan, our tour guide<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/travel.monkeydads.com\/2025-southeastasia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/images-posts\/1186-wats-up.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1186\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">No shorts in the temples, so we all got \u2018elephant pants\u2019<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/travel.monkeydads.com\/2025-southeastasia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/images-posts\/1187-wats-up.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1187\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Every king\u2019s ashes are in a pagoda colored with the color of the weekday he was born. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/travel.monkeydads.com\/2025-southeastasia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/images-posts\/1188-wats-up.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1188\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Details of the Ramayana<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>The <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ramayana\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Ramayana<\/a> is a Sanskrit epic from ancient India<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>The epic narrates the life of&nbsp;Rama, the seventh&nbsp;avatar&nbsp;of the Hindu deity&nbsp;Vishnu, who is a prince of&nbsp;Ayodhya&nbsp;in the kingdom of&nbsp;Kosala. The epic follows&nbsp;his fourteen-year exile&nbsp;to the forest urged by his father King&nbsp;Dasharatha, on the request of Rama&#8217;s stepmother&nbsp;Kaikeyi; his travels across the forests in the&nbsp;Indian subcontinent&nbsp;with his wife&nbsp;Sita&nbsp;and brother&nbsp;Lakshmana; the kidnapping of Sita by&nbsp;Ravana, the king of&nbsp;Lanka, that resulted in bloodbath; and Rama&#8217;s eventual return to&nbsp;Ayodhya&nbsp;along with&nbsp;Sita&nbsp;to be crowned as a king amidst jubilation and celebration.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/travel.monkeydads.com\/2025-southeastasia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/images-posts\/1189-wats-up.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1189\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ap Sara Si<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/travel.monkeydads.com\/2025-southeastasia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/images-posts\/1190-wats-up.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1190\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">You tell the difference between giants and monkeys by their feet. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/travel.monkeydads.com\/2025-southeastasia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/images-posts\/1191-wats-up.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1191\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Every inlaid and all paint is meticulously hand done. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/travel.monkeydads.com\/2025-southeastasia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/images-posts\/1192-wats-up.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1192\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/travel.monkeydads.com\/2025-southeastasia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/images-posts\/1193-wats-up.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1193\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/travel.monkeydads.com\/2025-southeastasia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/images-posts\/1194-wats-up.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1194\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Emerald Buddha is a solid block of green jade. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Wat Phra Kaew, commonly known in English as the&nbsp;Temple of the Emerald Buddha&nbsp;and officially as&nbsp;Wat Phra Si Rattana Satsadaram, is regarded as the most sacred&nbsp;Buddhist temple&nbsp;in&nbsp;Thailand. The complex consists of a number of buildings within the precincts of the&nbsp;Grand Palace&nbsp;in the historical centre of&nbsp;Bangkok. It houses the statue of the&nbsp;Emerald Buddha, which is venerated as the country&#8217;s&nbsp;palladium.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/travel.monkeydads.com\/2025-southeastasia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/images-posts\/1195-wats-up.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1195\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/travel.monkeydads.com\/2025-southeastasia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/images-posts\/1196-wats-up.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1196\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Dripping holy water from a lotus bud on your head brings good luck. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/travel.monkeydads.com\/2025-southeastasia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/images-posts\/1197-wats-up.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1197\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Grand Palace<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>The&nbsp;Grand Palace&nbsp;is a complex of buildings at the heart of&nbsp;Bangkok,&nbsp;Thailand. The palace has been the official&nbsp;residence&nbsp;of the&nbsp;Kings of Siam(and later Thailand) since 1782. The king, his&nbsp;court, and his royal government were based on the grounds of the palace until 1925, but the Grand Palace is still used for official events. Several royal ceremonies and state functions are held within the walls of the palace every year. The palace is one of the most popular&nbsp;tourist attractions&nbsp;in Thailand, with over eight million people visiting each year.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/travel.monkeydads.com\/2025-southeastasia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/images-posts\/1198-wats-up.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1198\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Elephant loading zone. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/travel.monkeydads.com\/2025-southeastasia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/images-posts\/1199-wats-up.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1199\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Another elephant loading platfrom<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/travel.monkeydads.com\/2025-southeastasia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/images-posts\/1200-wats-up.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1200\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Royal guard<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/travel.monkeydads.com\/2025-southeastasia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/images-posts\/1201-wats-up.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1201\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Bangkok is known as the Venice if the east because of all the canals throughout the city<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/travel.monkeydads.com\/2025-southeastasia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/images-posts\/1202-wats-up.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1202\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Guarding the entrance to Wat Pho<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/travel.monkeydads.com\/2025-southeastasia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/images-posts\/1203-wats-up.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1203\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Reclining Buddha, from head to toes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/travel.monkeydads.com\/2025-southeastasia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/images-posts\/1204-wats-up.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1204\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Restoration never ends<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/travel.monkeydads.com\/2025-southeastasia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/images-posts\/1205-wats-up.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1205\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/travel.monkeydads.com\/2025-southeastasia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/images-posts\/1206-wats-up.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1206\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/travel.monkeydads.com\/2025-southeastasia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/images-posts\/1207-wats-up.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1207\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">You shall not pass!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/travel.monkeydads.com\/2025-southeastasia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/images-posts\/1208-wats-up.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1208\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/travel.monkeydads.com\/2025-southeastasia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/images-posts\/1209-wats-up.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1209\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Bells of luck outside Wat Traimit<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/travel.monkeydads.com\/2025-southeastasia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/images-posts\/1210-wats-up.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1210\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The 5.5 ton Golden Buddha<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>The Golden Buddha is a&nbsp;gold Maravijaya Attitude seated&nbsp;Buddharupa statue, with a weight of 5.5&nbsp;tonnes in the temple of&nbsp;Wat Traimit. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>At one point in its history, the statue was covered with a layer of&nbsp;stucco and coloured glass to conceal its true value, and it remained in this condition for almost 200 years, ending up as what was then a pagoda of minor significance. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>During relocation of the statue in 1955, the plaster was chipped off and the beautiful shining gold revealed<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/travel.monkeydads.com\/2025-southeastasia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/images-posts\/1211-wats-up.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1211\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Traditional music in the lobby<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/travel.monkeydads.com\/2025-southeastasia\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/images-posts\/1212-wats-up.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1212\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Riverview from our room<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After a roughly 2 hour bus ride from the port, we arrived in the city of Bangkok, now colloquially known as Krungthep. The full name of the city is in the longest in the world and is: Krungthepmahanakhon Amonrattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilokphop Noppharatratchathaniburirom Udomratchaniwetmahasathan Amonphimanawatansathit Sakkathattiyawitsanukamprasit which rougly translates to \u201cCity of angels, great city of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[59],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2547","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-thailandbangkok"],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false,"mailpoet_newsletter_max":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"monkeydads","author_link":"https:\/\/travel.monkeydads.com\/2025-southeastasia\/author\/monkeydads\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"After a roughly 2 hour bus ride from the port, we arrived in the city of Bangkok, now colloquially known as Krungthep. The full name of the city is in the longest in the world and is: Krungthepmahanakhon Amonrattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilokphop Noppharatratchathaniburirom Udomratchaniwetmahasathan Amonphimanawatansathit Sakkathattiyawitsanukamprasit which rougly translates to \u201cCity of angels, great city of&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/travel.monkeydads.com\/2025-southeastasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2547","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/travel.monkeydads.com\/2025-southeastasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/travel.monkeydads.com\/2025-southeastasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/travel.monkeydads.com\/2025-southeastasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/travel.monkeydads.com\/2025-southeastasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2547"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/travel.monkeydads.com\/2025-southeastasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2547\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/travel.monkeydads.com\/2025-southeastasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2547"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/travel.monkeydads.com\/2025-southeastasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2547"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/travel.monkeydads.com\/2025-southeastasia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2547"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}