December 30, 2015 Wednesday
The Golden Mountain Temple, Wat Saket

Another day, and another interesting journey. I asked the concierge how best to get to Wat Saket, the Golden Mountain Temple. Since I had said that I enjoyed a bit of an adventure, he suggested taking a boat up the canal, adding that it would be faster than a taxi because of the lack of traffic on the canals. There are several canals in Bangkok, and boats take people, almost all locals, along the canals to various piers. There is a pier just a few hundred meters from the InterContinental, and I was able to find it easily. I had been told that the last stop was at Wat Saket, so I boarded, paid the 9 THB (25 cents), and soon the boat was underway. People got on and off at the various stops, and soon, when everyone was getting off, I figured out that this was the last stop and got off. It was not hard to find Wat Saket, and after walking around a bit, there is a ticket window for foreigners, 20 THB. By the ticket window the stairs started, and a sign announced 344 steps.

A temple had been at this location, and when Bangkok was established as the new capital, Wat Saket was renovated and got its present name. Construction of a very large chedi was started, but the soft soil of Bangkok could not support the weight and it collapsed. Over time, with natural erosion, the mud and brick structure took on the natural shape of a hill and was overgrown with weeds. Eventually, in the late 1800s, a small chedi was built on the hill, and in the 1940s strengthened with concrete and the steps added.

At the foot of the hill, this stone sign sits announcing the Golden Mount Temple. Just past this is a sign announcing 344 steps. I did count them twice, and my count was 323. One wonders where the missing 21 steps might be. Are the 5 or 6 steps into the inner Buddha statue also counted four times since there are four ways in?

Looking up at the Golden Mountain Temple from the area where the viharn (worship halls) are located. The sides are concrete painted white added in the 1940s to stabilize the mountain.

The worship area in the structure at the top of the mountain. Not as elaborate as many temples.

The inner-most Buddha statue behind the worship area, and up 5 more steps. There are four ways to get to this status, so maybe the 5 times 4 makes up 20 of the “missing” steps.

After the hike up and down the Golden Mount (twice to count the steps), I walked a kilometer to a nearby temple, Wat Suthat Thep Wararam, located by the Giant Swing. Wat Suthat is a Royal Temple of the first grade. It has two large viharn, the more elaborate is undergoing massive renovation, covered by scaffolding and surrounded by a fence. The Giant Swing, while a tourist attraction, is not very exciting to see. It was constructed in 1784 by King Rama I. The swing ceremony was discontinued when the Giant Swing was damaged by lightning. After being rebuilt in 1920, the ceremony continued into the 1930s and was discontinued after a series of fatal accidents.

On the walk back to the canal boat, I passed a large shop selling everything you might need to outfit your temple, Buddha statues of all sizes, replicas of the Emerald Buddha, and many, many more statues – a very impressive collection, everything for your temple.

There are fire stations in Bangkok, just like home. They look pretty much the same with big red trucks (and a small one to lead the way).

Back on the canal boat, I realized that the challenge was knowing at which pier to get off. Going to the Golden Mount Temple, I knew the stop I wanted was the last stop on the line. But the stop where I got on the first boat near the Siam Center/Siam Parragon/InterContinental Hotel was not the first stop, so it would not be the last stop on the return. Fortunately, I recognized the general area as we approached, and got off at the right place. I was hot, tired, sweaty, and hungry. The 400-meter walk back to the hotel seemed much longer. What a great day, though. I made it to the shower and clean clothes, and went out looking for food at the Siam Parragon again (familiarity can be a good thing). Again with so many choices, how does one choose?

I opted for a familiar American food, a cheeseburger at the Bangkok Burger Company. It is a small burger, but very good. The fries were excellent!

Following the early dinner, I headed back to the hotel, and up to the spa for my 2-hour session with a 30-minute sea salt body scrub followed by a 90 minute oil massage. It was heaven after the long and tiring day.

Next: Arrival Back in Chiang Mai