bkk-a-day

This isn't just a Big Buddha, it's the Biggest Buddha. The Great Buddha of Thailand is the tallest statue in all of Thailand, the tallest seated Buddha statue in the WORLD, and the 9th tallest statue in the world. The full ceremonial name of the statue, in Ang Tong Province just a few hours out of Bangkok, translates to The Great Guatama Buddha of Wiset Chai Chan, built to commemorate the great King Bhumibol. That's way too much to say, though, so most Thais call it Luangpho Yai (The Great Buddha). The Great Buddha is 92 meters (or 302 feet) tall, making it nearly twice the height of the Statue of Liberty in NYC!

Leng Buai Ia Shrine, in Bangkok's ancient Chinatown, is the oldest Chinese shrine in all of Thailand. An inscription at the shrine notes that it was established in 1658, during the Ayutthaya Era. The Teochew-style shrine was built in the sleepy fishing village of Bang Gok (today, Bangkok) to service the spiritual needs of the merchants and traders who would sail from China up the river to the Siamese capital of Ayutthaya.  Historically, the shrine would have been both the spiritual and social center for the Chinese merchants in Siam. It would have been used by Chinese businessmen aiming to pray for the prosperity of their businesses, as well as to establish social connections

Every morning, saffron-robed monks set out on foot at first light, carrying only their saibat, or mettal alms bowl. According to Buddhist precepts and religious traditions, monks are allowed only two possessions: their robes and their alms bowl. Buddhist monks are not allowed to buy and sell, or to own their own property. Instead, they must rely on donations of food and supplies from their community. The daily alms round, which usually takes place just before or around dawn every morning, is a vitally important part of a monk's daily routine. Monks are allowed to eat one and only one meal per day - it must be finished before noon - and they may only eat what has been donated to them. Traditionally, the alms bowls carried by the monks were made by hand according to ancient regulations. Today, most are made in factories, but one last remnant of the ancient craft remains: Baan Bat, the "Monk's Bowl Village". This quiet community, which lies tucked in a narrow alleyway be...

  Wat Niwet Thammaprawat is a royal temple located on the grounds of the Summer Palace. It was the private temple of His Majesty King Chulalongkorn (Rama V). King Rama V was the first Siamese monarch to travel to and study in Europe, and he returned to Bangkok with big ideas of how to modernize the country. He is famous for abolishing slavery, creating the Thai rail network (and ordering the construction of Hua Lampong and Hua Hin Stations), building the Grand Palace, and introducing many political reforms for Thailand. Just as the Grand Palace is built in a fusion-Victorian style, so are most of the great works created by His Majesty. A few months ago, I visited Koh Sichang Island, home of his former weekend resort, and wrote about a small Buddhist shrine that was built in a distinctly Western style. Like that shrine, Wat Niwet Thammaprawat is built in a Western style... in the style of a church, to be exact. It's the only Buddhist temple of its kind in all of Thailand, and possib...

Sometime in the 19th century, before the ancient Bang Rak Canal had been paved over to create Charoenkrung Road, the oldest modern paved road in Bangkok, a man was out fishing early one morning, and noticed something odd in the water. Fishing it out, the man discovered a mysterious old statue covered in mud. He cleaned it up and brought it to his brother, who owned a nearby chicken far. Once they had cleaned the statue up, it was discovered to be an image of the Chinese goddess Taptim. How it ended up in the river, nobody knows! Believing it to be good luck, the family built a Chinese shrine to house the image, and has been living at the shrine as caretakers ever since. The shrine itself was never really on my radar - there are hundreds, if not thousands, of centuries-old shrines in Thailand, but recent news made me want to pay a visit. The shrine sits on land owned by nearby Chulalongkorn University. Very expensive land, I might add. Prime real estate. The university is currently tryi...

Sometimes, I think that people don't get the best impression of Bangkok. I know that I had no idea how developed and modern the city was before I arrived here. Even nowadays, I am sometimes taken by surprise by the city's incredible infrastructure.