We woke up early to catch a minivan to the Damnoen Saduak Floating Market located about 100 kilometres southwest of Bangkok. Our first impressions of the floating market were a bit of a disappointment. Damnoen Saduak is the biggest and busiest floating market. It's also the most is the most popular therefore the most touristy of all the tourist traps in Bangkok! The 20 to 25 minutes ride on the canals aboard the narrow padded boat was only an excuse for merchants on both sides of the canal to sell us everything from spices to and memento. Besides the boat ride, we kept discovering the of the market by walking and crossing a few bridges which were connecting the different sections.
Next on our list was Wat Pho – the oldest temple in the city which shelters of the world-famous Reclining Buddha. Bangkok's Grand Palace was closed for Royal Cremation and therefore the roads either side of the site were also blocked. With the help of volunteers, which were rehearsing for the event, we walked to the nearby Wat Pho’s gates.
The site was not crowded as it was already late in the day or/and most people might have renounced due to the road blockages.
The temple has over a thousand of Buddha images, the largest collection of Buddha images in Thailand, but the main attraction was the Reclining Buddha, which is 15m high and 43m long. Just mind-blowing!
One hundred and eight bronze bowls were lined up against the wall in the area behind the statue, towards the exit. These bowls symbolize the 108 auspicious characters of Buddha. Guests circumambulating the image may choose to drop a coin on every bowl for good fortune. These donations also go to the maintenance funds of the temple.