The Spiritual One

My main reason for coming to Thailand was the fact that it's a Buddhist country. I wanted to see what life is like when you've been raised with this philosophy, and to visit the temples.

On my first full day in Bangkok that's exactly what I did. I'd booked a tour guide and driver, to make sure I saw the big three (there's plenty of other temples in town). I explained to Aum, my guide, that I'd become Buddhist recently, so she showed me the correct ways to pray and meditate. It was awesome. Even the stifling heat - it musta been close to 100 degrees - couldn't take away the sense of calm that pervaded these temples.

My favourite was Wat Po...the home of the most enormous reclining Buddha in the world. Coloured gold, with mother of pearl inlaid feet, he was the most splendid thing I have ever laid eyes on. At the first temple, Aum had ascertained that my 'Buddha position' was the reclining Buddha, so maybe that's why I loved him so much. In the grounds there are 100 stupas, stone shrine-type things, where those who can afford it, bury the ashes of loved ones. They were all elaborately decorated with glass and ceramic mosaic, and just seem so much more of a celebration of someone's life than a marble headstone.

I also saw the Emerald Buddha at The Grand Palace. He's a comparatively tiny lil thing, but considered the most sacred of all Thailand's Buddha statues. He has three different outfits all made of solid gold that he is changed into according to the season, and only the King of Thailand is allowed to change him. Kinda cool eh?

I moved onto Phuket last Friday, and this morning visited Wat Chalong, the most important temple on Phuket they tell me. What was great about this one was that I wasn't on a timetable, and there were very few tourists, and thanks to Aum, I knew what to do. Words cannot express how amazing it felt to be able to sit alone, in front of this massive marble Buddha and reflect on life. Priceless.