Monday, December 29 Part 2: Wat Benchamabophit (The Marble Temple)

After Wat Arun and feeling the need to get a fresh camera battery (not sure why I left it in the hotel), the journey continued, across the river on the ferry, down the river on the boat, back to the hotel on the sky train. Replaced the camera battery (put the other in the charger), and set off in a taxi to see the Vimanmek Palace (also known as the Teak Palace, the largest building made of teak). Traffic in Bangkok is worse than Los Angeles, and it was a long trek. When I arrived, and the taxi left, I saw the sign that Vimanmek is closed on Mondays. And immediately I recall reading that schedule and was not planning to see Vimanmek on Monday. But here I was…so I took another taxi to the Marble Temple, Wat Benchamabopit.

My reaction to the Marble Temple was similar to seeing Wat Arun. It was interesting, I am glad I saw it, but I am not feeling compelled to return. The marble temple is definitely built of marble, and a close view reveals very intricate craftsmanship in the construction. From 15 meters away, however, it looks like any other while-colored temple with nice gold and red trim, nothing really special. (The matrix of the strings is seen at many temples just before New Year’s and is for hanging decorations for New Year’s. Many people come to the temples for New Year’s Eve chanting and prayers.)

The floor of the main viharn (worship hall) is an intricate and very beautiful marble pattern.

Other than the floor and the marble walls, the Marble Temple is just not that remarkable to me. However, like Wat Arun, the Marble Temple is important to the Thai people and is depicted on the 5 Baht coin.

It may be that in central Thailand, temple styles are simpler and more subdued than in northern Thailand. Or perhaps Lanna (northern Thailand) being a separate country affected the temple styles far more than I knew before.

No taxis available, so I reluctantly took a tuk-tuk to Wat Pho. I generally avoid tuk-tuks, because all too often, they are poorly maintained, and the drivers are very risky (translating to downright unsafe). This was not an exception – the driver stopped the engine at every stop because the engine would not idle properly. Thankfully, he did drive safely. It was a long ride; Bangkok traffic is a challenge, far worse than Los Angeles.

Next; Bangkok Temples and the Journey Part 3