Wat Pariwat, Bangkok [วัดปริวาศ]

Location of temple

If you think that Thai temples all look alike, you probably have a misconceived idea of the country's culture. It is true, however, that Buddhist Wats (temples) are commonly built on the same religious concept. But they have been designed with many different looks. Some are old, some are new. And the new ones are not necessarily less interesting. Their architecture and decoration vary with the mood of a benefactor or an influent monk. They are standing in harmony with their community surrounding but some can be totally incongruous. Others are simply hidden gems, rarely mentioned in guidebooks, not to say ever visited by tourists.

Bangkok alone has an incredible number of shrines and Wats. Many of the Wats are rightly praised for their art or their incommensurate beauty. Visitors to the City of Angels want to go and see Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn), Wat Pho [วัดโพธิ์] (Temple of the Reclining Buddha), Wat Saket [วัดสระเกศราชวรมหาวิหาร] (The Golden Mount), Wat Traimit [พระพุทธมหาสุวรรณปฏิมากร] (Temple of the Golden Buddha), or even Wat Ratchabophit and its Giant Swing.

However, today here is the story of a Wat, which fits into many criteria: it is totally incongruous; it is far away from any visited places in town, and finally it is designed in a modern spirit using the best of all traditional Thai Art. It simply blows you away.

The Chao Phraya River view from the temple

It is called Wat Pariwat. Now, let's get a clear picture of its location on the left bank of the Chao Phraya River, in one far end eastern corner of Bangkok. Apart from the river, its surrounding does not offer a particularly inviting image. They are building a gigantic apartment building on its western wing that seems to dwarf the temple. And actually, there are two sides to it.

Firstly, there is a modern hall known here as the David Beckham Temple. What has this British

David Beckham (on the right)

footballer to do with the temple? Simply, inside, on the main Buddha shrine, there is a golden statue of David Beckham, on the far right side of the pedestal! The head monk of the temple was an ardent supporter of Manchester United. Therefore, he thought it would be a good idea to keep an image of David Beckham there, even though this famous footballer does not belong to the club anymore...

→ The David Beckham Temple (Richard Barrow)

At one time, a few visitors came to see it, as it was a real novelty filmed even by the BBC. Now, the door to the praying hall is locked. So, you have to ask permission

Temple window

to get in. Actually, asking for the key was a real blessing (something you may find natural in a holy place!) A young, skinny bespectacled monk came to accompany my friend and me inside the praying hall. Luckily, he spoke good English and we were able to have a long conversation with him.

Wat Pariwat ubosot

Because in reality, we had not come strictly to see the David Beckham's effigy. They are in the process of working on and adjoining temple on the compound. My friend had come there once before, and she wanted to know how was the construction going. And this is the real point of this article. What is being done there is absolutely stunning! This is, in fact, the future Wat Pariwat.

When you are outside, it only seems that they are building another classic Thai temple. It has a long square wall delimiting the compound. And inside, there are two ubosots: a large one that looks completed from a distance, and a smaller temple parallel to the main one. The roof of the main ubosot does not look different from other identical edifices, except that some of the colors are unusual. Once, you enter the inner yard and get a closer look at the ubosot, this is when you experience the first surprise. A group of 30 craftsmen (there were only a few on the day) are working to carve the walls of the temple. But instead of being simple carvings, each section is engraved with colorful designs. The interior seems pretty much completed. Some of the colored friezes reveal 3-D figures. The walls hold

Wall encrustation

effigies of Thai, Chinese or western characters. Albert Einstein, a Roman Emperor, and what I think is William Shakespeare share the space. It is hard to imagine there are still gifted craftsmen in this country, who are able to carry on such an ancient skill. The gilded Buddha image is the only original work of art. It comes from the Sukhothai period, 700 hundred years ago. It has been restored in order to find its place in this extraordinary ubosot. Looking more closely at the roof decoration, it seems like being a blend of Thai, Hindu, and Chinese cultures. There is also a host of animal sculptures making this roof quite unique.

Craftsman at work

The construction started nine years ago. The Sukhothai Buddha image of Wat Pariwat was restored seven years ago. But it will take another twenty-five years to complete everything!

The smaller temple beside the main ubosot is not finished yet. However, it has interesting supporting pillars around the roof. Most represent Eastern characters. Two are more striking to a western eye. One shows the effigy of a Red Indian chief; the other represents a wild west cowboy holding two revolvers in his hands!

It will be interesting to follow up the construction of this amazing place. It seems that this Buddhist monastery wants to be the receptacle of major cultures regardless of whatever surprise it might raise to the eye of western taste. And yes, Thai people love soccer and the country craves for the American Wild West.

Christian Sorand

Roman emperor

3-D indoor frieze

William Shakespeare?

Ceiling

Porch column

Roof view

Roof animals

Wall encrustation

Red Indian Chief

Gunned cowboy

Les Berbères dans l'Histoire

Nouvel article récemment publié en ligne sur les origines des Berbères:
Les Berbères dans l'Histoire
Christian Sorand

Chinatown – A walk from Hua Lamphong to the Flower Market.

Today's walk across Chinatown takes us from the Hua Lamphong MRT-station to the Flower Market with a quick incursion into Thonburi across the Chao Phraya River. The distance covered was about 4km long.

You could walk from Hua Lamphong Railway Station to the Flower Market in roughly 30mn by walking straight. But it took me well over an hour as I made several stops along the way.

It is an interesting alternative to visiting an unknown part of Chinatown. It is a straight walk along Song Wat Road, which runs parallel to the Chao Phraya River.

Typical shop on Song Wat Road

→ This is what a historic street landmark says about this area:

Song Wat Road

The road was built in King Rama Y's reign, beginning from Ratchawong Road running straight to meet Charoen Krung Road with a total distance of 1 kilometer. The Song Wat (literally means the King's drawing) was called after King Rama V's drawing of the road construction line within Sampheng commercial district, in order to lessen the population density, to improve the unhealthy condition and to have an easy access to the area transport in case of a fire incident. The road then developed to function as major access to water transport in the area along the road. There are a number of minor roads and alleys linking with the pier which served all the steamers communication between Chon Buri Province, Bandon of Surat Thani Province, and Bangkok, and also barges running between the seaside towns and the capital. This area, therefore, was the major transport region of seafoods, vegetables, plants, and herbs. The row-houses along both sides of the road are mostly the wholesale companies and shops doing businesses related to the vessel transported commodities. The buildings constructed during the beginning period still exist and can be observed in the present days.

This is an interesting street full of old Chinese trading shophouses. There are many porters carrying goods and also a lot of picturesque street vendors of all sorts dodging their carts in the middle of the street traffic.

Street scene

Tea/coffeeshop

Another particular characteristic of this area are the many religious sites encountered. Besides a few sidewalk shrines, I saw two Chinese temples, a large Thai monastery and a very peculiar, historic mosque.

→ This is what the historic landmark says about this mosque:

Luang Kocha Itsahak Mosque

The Mosque was established by Luang Kocha Itsahak, son of a Saiburi merchant. Luang Kocha Itsahak was a government officer at Krom Tha Khwa (the Department of Commerce and Foreign Affairs (contact with western countries)); his position was a Malay interpreter, responsible for trading and obtaining royal presents, i.e. gold and silver trees from states in the Malay peninsula. His duties also included being an interpreter for ambassadors and the Siam Royal Court. Luang Kocha was known by foreign Islamic merchants, who did the trade in Siam. There were no mosques around at that time. It was difficult for them to perform a religious ritual. So a piece of land of about 1 acre was offered to build a Muslim place of worship to construct the mosque. Luang Kocha's children helped deliver bricks and stones from his old building in Thonburi. The building is in European style, which was was the trend at the time. It has been used to perform religious rituals ever since the completion of the construction.

Luang Kocha mosque

Roof frieze on a Chinese temple

Many of the street buildings date back to the early days of Bangkok. Some of them – like the mosque - are really unexpected in style.

→ Another landmark tells us about a particularly interesting row of shophouses:

Old Building at Thanon Song Wat

King Rama V assigned a construction of a new street called 'Songwat' after the fire at Sampeng area. This is an important street for commercial purposes. Along the streets are alleys leading to piers connecting between Bangkok, Chonburi and Ban Don, Surat Thani Provinces. These piers also link to other port for the transportation of foods, herbs, and spices to the city. The buildings on both sides of the street were constructed for many companies and shops, considered as the early row buildings in Bangkok along the river bank. There are beautiful 3-story buildings decorated with stucco. On the opposite side are 2-story buildings, which are also beautifully decorated with stucco in floral, fruit motives and Corinthian pillars. Over the window panel, there are arches decorated with colored glasses.

Two-storey shophouse

House window

Side street house

Sculpture above a Chinese shop

Street vendors

On Memorial Bridge

Finally, crossing Memorial Bridge over to Thonburi was meant as an introduction to a third walking exploration of the Thonburi riverbank.

After resting at a coffee shop at the pier, on the Bangkok side of the river, I simply took the taxi boat back to Saphan Taksin bridge.

Christian Sorand

Riverside shophouses

Makha Puja [มาฆบูชา]

Circumambulation

Makha Puja is one of the most important Buddhist festivals. It is widely celebrated in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand. It comes on the third lunar month (makha, in Thai) to venerate (puja, in Thai) Lord Buddha. This is why Makha Puja Day is the time to honor Buddha in remembrance of his teachings in northern India on the third full moon of the third lunar month.

Today was the day. It is a public holiday in Thailand. People go to temples and apply the three principles of Buddhism:

• to get rid of all evils,
• to do only good,
• and to purify one's mind.

So Buddhists go to temples to perform merit-making activities. This involves a circumambulation around the ordination hall (phra ubosot). It must be done three times clockwise:

• one for honoring Lord Buddha,
• a second one for His teachings,
• a third one for His disciples.       

  

  Worshippers

  
  

What is also interesting is that each person must carry flowers (preferably lotus), three sticks of incense and a candle. After the third circumambulation, they lit the candle.

This interesting celebration stresses the importance of number 3 [3+3+3], an odd number, which is an attribute of the mystery of religious matters. On another symbolical perspective, the circumambulation refers to the circle, a divine representation of the cosmos. It is done clockwise because this is the way time elapses. And most important, it is done around the ubosot, a usually square building. The square is another symbolic representation of Earth. And in Thai traditional architecture, there is always a three-level roof above.

Christian Sorand

At the temple

Lighting the candle

Incense and lit candle

PS: the photos were all taken at Wat Pathutwanaram Ratchaworawihan in Bangkok.

→ Magma Puja (Wikipedia)

→ Makha Puja Day

→ Le Petit Journal

Parusakawan Palace [พิพิธภัณฑ์ตำรวจ วังปารุสกวัน]

Artists drawing

This is another unknown site in Bangkok off the beaten track. No visitor ever come here although it is located in Dusit near three major tourist attractions: Anantasamakom Throne Hall, Vimanmek Mansion and Dusit Zoo.

Perhaps it is because it is labelled as the Police Museum. But the estate is located in a lovely garden on Ayutthaya Road, not too far away from the Marble Temple, another well-known site in this area. The garden has two buildings: a beautiful villa built in a colonial style more than a century ago and a modern glass museum in the back.

The villa, called Chitralada Villa, was built at the request of the late King Rama V at the beginning of the 20^th century for Crown Prince Maha Vajiravudh. It was completed in 1906. It was designed by an Italian architect, Mr. Mario Tamagno, who was the appointed architect of the Public Works Department at the time. The villa has an Italian style adapted to the neo-colonial architecture of the period. The interior was designed in the Art Nouveau style with a clear inspiration of Baroque and Rococo styles.

The flower design on doors and windows is known as bhu ra na ka ta in Sanskrit. The pamphlet they

Floral frieze

give at the reception desk explains that bhu ra na means 'fertility' and kata is a 'water pitcher'. So the pitcher design is a symbol of a pot full of fertility with its surrounding floral design.The pamphlet explains it is meant « to produce an effect of happiness, peacefulness, fertility and an inspiration for intellectual creativity ».

Entrance is free. The garden is designed in the European style with statues, a pond with a fountain and another one with a gazebo. It attracts local artists practicing the art of drawing.

Ceiling decoration

Christian Sorand

→ Bangkok Post

→ Thai Police Museum Parusawakan Palace

Door ornamentation

Garden view of Parusakawan Mansion

Vimanmek Palace [วิมานเมฆ]

Garden view of the mansion

Bangkok is rich in many sites and attractions. Being a royal capital, it has many palaces and royal mansions.

Such is Vimanmek Palace, a former residence of H.M.King Rama V (1868-1910), known for modernizing the country and opening it to the western world while preserving its independence from colonialism. It was completed in 1901.The King did not stay long in this mansion and it fell into desuetude for many years until H.M Queen Sirikit, spouse of King Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX), the present sovereign, decided to have it restored in 1982 to preserve the Thai royal heritage for future generations.

The building has the particularity of being built in teak wood. It is now open to visitors as a national museum. The Guinness Book of World Records has classified it as the largest teakwood construction in the world.

It is set in a garden with canals and former dependencies. This part of Bangkok is known as Dusit. There two other major attractions in the vicinity: the Throne Hall and also Dusit Zoo that spreads in a large park. The palace has kept its original furniture and collections. It has a definite European decoration mixed with a more traditional Thai atmosphere.

The problem is that it has become a major tourist attraction as it is on the guided tours for the Chinese tourists in particular. There are so many visitors that you cannot really have the time to enjoy it at your own pace. They also do not allow any photos inside. So it feels as if you have to rush through the visit.

Yet, in the garden, there are other interesting buildings, which are spared by the tourist flow. Two smaller pavilions are used to host a selection of King Bhumibol Adulyadej's photographic work, who has always been a keen photographer. It is quite interesting and here, you can enjoy total freedom as there is a good chance no one will come to disturb you while you are there.

Christian Sorand

→ Vimanmek Palace

→ King Chulalongkorn the Great (Rama V)

Vimanmek courtyard & entrance

Suan Phueng region (สวนผึ้ง)

The New Zealand garden of Thailand

Bangkok to Suan Pheung

Suan Phueng District is about 200km west of Bangkok. It is an area bordering Myanmar in Ratchaburi province. It has remained a well-kept secret for tourists visiting Thailand as no guidebook ever mentions this bucolic area. But Thais know about it as it has become a popular destination for affluent Bangkok citizens. This region does not have the usual paraphernalia that makes it a tourist destination to foreigners visiting the kingdom. In fact, it is a Thai favorite because it holds a definite western flavor due to its cooler climate and green landscape. There are many Mediterranean-theme resorts, making it exotic to Thais: Amante, Aristo, Bellissimo, Burano, Flora, Toscana, Veneto and also La Provence...

The name Suan Phueng means 'Garden of Bees'. It is an area of densely

Sheep Farm

forested high hills with some higher peaks serving as the border with Myanmar. The countryside is often blurred by a light haze. There are many agricultural estates as many essences can grow here: sugarcane, guava, banana trees, mangoes, papayas, dragon-fruits, pineapples, strawberries to name but a few. And since many farms are also catering for animals like sheep, horses, ponies, and even alpacas, it has been nicknamed the 'New Zealand garden of Thailand'. An appropriate label as the region north of Khao Yai (in the north of Bangkok) is known as the 'Switzerland of Isan'.

Enough flavor, to tickle my curiosity and my sense of discovery to justify a new exploration of this Siamese region. Once more, Thailand keeps proving to be a real treasure trove of endless sites.

→Ratchaburi (Wikitravel)

1^st day: Discovery tour of the region.

Boa Kleung hotspring

As the car GPS took me first to the wrong destination, I drove along a narrow valley to Sirikit Forest Garden, where they have Som Maew rapids enabling kayaking.

Once back on track after inquiring, I drove along a pleasant country road as far as the Banyan Leaf

At Banyan Tree

Resort, where we stopped for a light snack. There are many farms and resorts on this road leading to the Thai-Burmese border. This is where they have the alpacas farm [Alpaca Hills] but you must book a visit online before. There is also a sheep farm nearby as well as an orchid farm.

The third country road we took goes as far as a waterfall: Kaeng Som Meaw [น้ำตกแก่งส้มแมว] But you must hike to the falls and during the dry season, there isn't much to see. So, we simply had lunch at a local eatery. The next stop was for a hot spring: Boa Kleung. Quite pleasant to see (they ask for a 5-Baht fee). The water is lukewarm and crystal-clear. Further on, there is a nice viewpoint on a lake with lotus. In fact, it is a reservoir called 'blue lake' (even though it is of a green color).

The Blue Lake with lotuses

Around 2:00 PM, we checked in at our resort (Hi-scene Resort). It is located on a hill with modern bungalows set in a garden landscape. It was time to rest for a while since I had left Bangkok at 4:30 AM to avoid all the city traffic!

A bungalow at Hi-scene Resort

→ Hi-scene Resort

In the evening, we drove back on the last road we were on because they have an attraction called the Scenery Resort, which is a farm with sheep and ponies. I had coffee on the terrace while watching herds of sheep being fed by visitors. This accounts for the nickname given to the district. Then, in the evening, we had dinner at a lovely Italian-style resort called Stamp Hills Resort. It is only a few kilometers away from our own resort. 

Café & restaurant at Stamp Hill Resort

2^nd day: Suan Phueng district

Balcony view from the bungalow

At 8:00 AM, it was 18ºC feeling very cool and hazy despite a bright sun over the surrounding countryside. Breakfast is served at the room on request. I had asked to get it at 8:30 AM and it was a real treat to have it in on the bungalow balcony with some fresh, ground coffee I had just brewed on my own. The garden seemed to be an appropriate place to go for a morning jogging and this is exactly what I did after breakfast enjoying the fresh morning air.

The day started with another coffee-break at Stamp Hill Resort. Then, I drove on to the end of this country road that passes in front of more resorts. I visited La Toscana, which is a copy-cat of an Italian resort set in a garden

La Toscana resort

filled with statues, a gazebo, and a mock well. At the next fork junction, we went back on yesterday's route towards Alpaca Hill. But first, I stopped to visit Suan Phueng Orchid farm.  It has hundreds of orchid species. Then, we drove past Alpaca Hill in order to continue on the road as far as the Thai-Myanmarese border. First, there is a military checkpoint and the road winds up along the mountain range until it reaches a large lake. After the lake, the country looks like it has a rich soil enabling many different types of plantations: sugarcane, rubber trees, vegetables, orchards. It goes up north to Kanchanaburi Province. But before reaching the next town, there is a vast, agricultural plain. We were never able to get to the border anyway! So, I drove back and, this time, stopped

The alpacas

to visit Alpaca Hill. Actually, there is no need to book ahead online. There was no visitor and it was open till 5:00 PM. It is quite an interesting place arranged as a little open zoo. The alpacas are its raison d'être. You can feed them but I was too long to open the food container and one of them spit on me twice! Anyway, they also have chinchillas, ferrets, peacocks, cockatoos, giant tortoises, wallabies, prairie dogs, hamsters, guinea-pigs; and they also keep a collection of branded cats, geese, swans, ponies, and sheep.

So by the time, the visit was over, it was already the end of the afternoon: time to drive back to the resort and get a cold beer on the rooftop terrace at sunset.

Distance covered today: 150km

Mountain reservoir near Myanmar

3^rd day: Ban Tha Yang district

Route to Ban Kha

This mountain area is just in the southwest of Suan Pheung, lying at the foothills of the mountain range that separates Myanmar from Thailand. Today the haze was thicker. From Suan Pheung the country road winds through the hills until it reaches the main road going southwards.

A personal observation leads me to think that the mountain range that serves as a border line is of volcanic origin. This range is known as Thio Khao Tanaosi in Thai. But its geographic name is the Tenasserim Hills. Most of the surrounding hills have the shape of low volcanoes. The soil looks particularly rich in minerals, enabling different types of agricultural varieties. And then, there are a few hot springs - a clear sign of telluric underground activity.

→ Tenasserim Hills

Today's resort is called Baan Rabeang Mok. It is a fresh place on a hill with

Baan Rabeang Mok Resort

nice accommodations, some with a view, a restaurant, a coffee shop on a large terrace, and also a fresh water swimming pool. This valley has a large reservoir and also a hot spring a few kilometers away.

It is a pity that the haze bars the view of the countryside. Ban Tha Yang is not a touristic area at all. The main agricultural resource here seems to be pineapples.

The White Temple

It is not as varied and interesting as the Suan Pheung District. But it is a quiet place to rest, very pleasant in the evening. The nearby hot spring is not as lovely as Boa Kleung hot spring. There are many monkeys and the tubs look like a local community open bath. Yet, near the village, there is a surprising hill temple. The lower part has a colorful Chinese temple. The Thai temple is on top of the hill and is entirely white with an intricate array of Buddhist sculptures. The interior is also very unusual and has some interesting murals.

Today's distance: 65km

→ Baan Rabeang Mok

Our bungalow

The resort pool

4^th day: Return to Bangkok. 

Route back to BKK

Surprise! This morning, the haze has petered out! It is cool, despite a bright sun, and the scenery looks so wonderful. It is 9:00 AM: time for a hearty breakfast at the restaurant. And indeed, it is quite a nice American breakfast freshly cooked from the kitchen. I have learnt to bring my own coffee maker to avoid the inescapable instant Nescafé! Fresh milk too, in place of the ubiquitous instant powder creamer...

We leave the resort at 10:30 AM to go back to the main road first and drive for about 50 more kilometers to reach the expressway to Bangkok. The road goes through a nice countryside. No much traffic and good road condition make the trip very enjoyable. One section passes through a densely forested area. Once on the expressway, the traffic is heavier and it is not as interesting as the countryside offers nothing particular. After a coffee break and a gas refill, I was able to be back home at 1:30 PM. 

Today's distance: 175km.

→ Everything You Need to Know About Suan Phung

→ Sean Phung District (Wikipedia)

Christian Sorand

→Google+ slideshow

Ratchaburi Province