Wat Pho

What Pho is incredible. Believe me that pictures don’t really do it justice.

Beyond its physical presence is an odd feeling created by having monks — who at one point were having a full-on service, complete with chanting — lay faithful and gawking tourists all thronging up against each other. I half expected some attempt to restore decorum on us, or maybe just on the guy with the ‘Urinal Mint’ t-shirt, but it was all relaxed. This mixing of radically different people and purposes, I suppose, be a commonplace on this trip.

Getting to and from the temple was also a lot of fun. I took the sky train and riverboat. Per the guesthouse proprietor Jacques’ recommendation, after Wat Pho I took the riverboat orange line to its terminus at dusk, wandered the night market there — if you’re looking to plump up your wardrobe of yellow ‘I love the king day’ polos, I can hook you up.

And then, the main event. The trip back down the river, 30 stops in all, watching the city emerge from the dark all humid and illuminated. And something special: the temples sparkle at night with their mirrored tiling. It’s magical.