We showered and then made it a point to head out early to see the rest of the temples (3) that were popular in the area. It was another hot day so we made sure to take breaks and to drink water or coconuts (the small ones were our favorites…sweeter, more juice and more coconut meat). If you peak at the photos below, you can see the many golden buddhas, animal or human sculptures (there’s one that had scary red possessed eyes…check out the picture), and amazing architecture on the huge temples. I was lucky too because the sky was so beautiful that day which made for great backgrounds for the temples in my pictures. Some of the temples we had to literally hike (or it seemed like mountain climb up), but it was worth it once we reached the top and saw the amazing view from the top of the river, other temples, and city of Bangkok. Other temples, such as the reclining Buddha, you had to take your shoes off and place them in the shoe holder for religious reasons. I was always afraid my shoes would accidently be taken and worn by someone else…hehe (like in Slumdog Millionaire). The Reclining Buddha was my favorite temple/Buddha that we visited since it was so big!! It's one of the biggest Buddha's in the world (I think India has the biggest). Before we went inside, we peaked through the side of the temple and could only see the Buddha’s finger…that’s how big it was! And if you look in the picture I took you can see me with the enormous golden Buddha’s head only! I was able to get a good picture taken from the Buddha’s huge toes, looking down towards its body and head.
After visiting the temples and stopping through the flower market (which had the most beautiful and amazing assortment of colorful flowers I had ever seen!), we headed to Limpini Park. This was my favorite park I have ever been to; honestly. The park was filled with sports activities of every kind. Locals were jogging around the many paths; some were playing tennis, swimming, badminton, and Takraw, which is volleyball and soccer combined. Keith and I loved watching them play Takraw because we had researched how it was a unique and popular sport in Thailand, and also because it’s pretty amazing to watch. The players do all sorts of tricks kicking the small ball with their foot and playing a v-ball sort of game, hitting it over the net. The park also was filled with many different sections, which made it seem so big and spacious. It also had a pretty red temple, many green elephant bushes, plants, flowers and trees and was surrounded by beautiful buildings that made up the city area. There was also a lake, which had swan boats to paddle in and a few bridges to walk over. We peaked in the lake and were surprised, along with some locals and tourists, to find a huge water monitor (looks like some type of reptile, like a crocodile) swimming near the edge, as well as some catfish that were coming to the surface in hopes of food/bread from the tourists. We were told the water monitor was harmless, so we ended up taking a romantic swan boat ride through the lake while the sun was setting. It was very relaxing and always a great date idea. Afterwards, we grabbed some food and our favorite Thai iced teas at a nearby restaurant that was part of a night bazaar market.
Before leaving the Limpini park area and heading back to our guesthouse, we were surprised to see a night yoga class going on in the park, and also a night aerobics class going on right on one of the paths with about 30 people in it! When we got back to our place, we decided to go next door to our guesthouse to Nancy’s Massage & Beauty Salon (like the name mom?) for a 2 hour massage after our long day of visiting temples in the hot weather. The 2 hour massage consisted of a Thai full-body massage, a foot massage, an oil massage and an herbal massage (hot packs pressed onto your back!). This was all soo amazing, relaxing, and a fun experience…and the price you ask? Couldn’t believe it, but it was only $15! What a deal! And what a way to end the day!
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