Sjennon sees the World #7 - Climbing the steep stairs of the Wat Arun in Bangkok, Thailand

One of the most common things one would visit in Thailand, would probably the temples.

There are so many, in so many shapes, colors and purposes and it's sometimes hard to get by. Or where you just shrug it off and do not pay attention to the next temple anymore as it's just another temple.

One that I did find interesting was the Wat Arun Ratchawararam Ratchawaramahawihan. Excuse me what? Let me just go for Wat Arun. Another nickname for this temple is the Temple of Dawn as it reflect's the sunrise's beams off it's pearly shades. Unfortunately, dawn is too early, and I was there mid-day, so no reflections for me, but simply a touristy trip to the temple.

^{Them pretty porcelain}

Besides this temple being incredibly shimmery during sunrise, it also hosts some pretty steep stairs. So steep, I've seen people crawling off them. In their defense - there is no rail to hold on to though.

Besides the steep stairs, it also appears that the architecture is remarkable.

The main feature of Wat Arun is its central prang (Khmer-style tower) which is encrusted with colourful porcelain. This is interpreted as a stupa-like pagoda encrusted with coloured faience. The height is reported by different sources as between 66.8 m (219 ft) and 86 m (282 ft). The corners are surrounded by four smaller satellite prang. The prang are decorated by seashells and bits of porcelain which had previously been used as ballast by boats coming to Bangkok from China. - Wikipedia

What I personally liked about the temple, were the carriers of the temple. These guys are basically carrying the temple upon their shoulders as they are smiling with their funky teeth. How these guys looked, reminded me a bit of Indonesian masks.

^{Notice also the patterns on some of the parts?}

The location

Another thing that is quite remarkable about this temple, is it's location. The Wat Arun is situated right beside the Chao Phraya River, which swirls elegantly through Bangkok. You can take an Uber or Tuktuk to it's back entrance (though they will always say that you can go by boat), or take the ferry to the other side.

It is a wild, shaky ride of maybe a minute and costs 4 TBH, which is about 10 cents.

The entry fee of the temple itself is 50 TBH and allows you to walk on it and take the stairs. Unfortunately, when we were there, we could only access the first flights of stairs as the ones to the far top were closed off.

Make sure that when you're visiting a temple, you cover your shoulders and knees out of respect. Also, I've learned never to point your feet to a Buddha statue.

Wat Arun Temple
158 Thanon Wang Doem
Khwaeng Wat Arun
Khet Bangkok Yai
Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10600
Thailand

^{Click on the image to go to Google Maps}

!steemitworldmap 13.7426988 lat 100.4852778 long Wat Arun Temple - The Temple of Dawn D3SCR

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^{My name is Shannon, I am a digital designer and I am currently on my world trip which I am exclusively blogging about on Steemit! :D There is not a specific goal to my trip other than to have fun, discover places and unravel the secrets of Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, New Zealand and Australia (for now). Follow me on my adventures!}