Mark's Writings, Thailand

I spent a few days in Bangkok, and had a day off Saturday to explore.  Next to my hotel Saturday morning, about 12,000 Buddhists monks were gathering to celebrate the 2600th anniversary of the enlightenment of Buddha.

I took a day tour starting from Bangkok on a river boat, north to Ayutthaya. The river boat trip passed several temples, including the Wat Arun:

There are 1000’s of temples (Buddhist) in Thailand. I have come to admire the Buddhists, especially for their peacefulness. Their basic rules of conduct are simple, don’t kill, don’t lie, don’t steal, faithful to only one mate, and don’t abuse drugs/alcohol. You won’t find these guys bombing subways or airplanes.

We started our land tour at Bang Pa-In Palace. Thailand in a constitutional monarchy, long-live the king. We toured the summer palace which was created about 300 years ago.

Wat MahaThat was the most impressive of the day. This temple is over 600 years old.