buddha has size 400 feet.

wat pho

every tourist makes a requisite visit to the grand palace and the temple of the emerald buddha. there is nothing else in the world quite like it. wat pho is like the neglected step-child situated just next door. those with extra time make the stop here.

i love wat pho. it's more serene, it seems as if more thai people actually come to make merit, and it's unique. wat pho is known for its prestigious massage school (you can get a traditional thai massage by a student - though it's usually more expensive than other traditional thai massages) and i like the painted anatomy diagrams that i'm convinced influenced the illustration of the poor patient of the "operation" game.also, you can see a giant reclining buddha. why is he reclining? i'm not really sure. my dad made a lame joke about how a standing buddha couldn't fit in the temple. nyuk nyuk. seriously, this reclining buddha is gigantically impressive with his massive feet embedded by myriad reliefs made of mother-of-pearl. and if you're into making merit, you can exchange your big-bill bahts for a wadful of coin bahts to drop into the chain of alms bowls, clinking all the while.if you're looking for thai herbal products or remedies, the street lining the north wall of wat pho has a slurry of shops hawking traditional oils, teas, powders, elixirs (how many opportunities can you legitimately find to use that word), and and other homeopathic tools.

wat pho, maharat road. near the grand palace on the side of the river.
50 baht entrance for foreigners.