Wat Arun

On Sunday I went to explore Wat Arun, also known as the Temple of Dawn, on my own. It's impressive but noticeably older (or less maintained) than the other temples I had seen the day before. I climbed the very steep steps to the top to take in the view of Bangkok. Getting up was difficult cause I kept stepping on my sarong, but getting down was freaky cause only going down can one truly appreciate how narrow and steep each step is. Most people descended one step at a time while clinging to the railing (as you can see in this photo).

Having participated in my first Buddhist ritual the day before I was ready to try it on my own. I noticed that if you wait and make a small donation you can get blessed by a monk. The monk didn't have any conversation with me like the people before because it would have been useless me not speaking any Thai, so he went straight into the ritual. With a little twig broom looking thing he dipped it in a bowl of water and flicked it over my head three times. Then he presented me with a bracelet that has a little gold leaf paper in the middle. I know that I didn't do my part of the ritual correctly, but I'm sure he was forgiving of a novice foreigner. Another man in the temple who spoke English came up to me afterwards to put my bracelet on and told me that I had been blessed with good luck and happiness. Later Ko told me that I wear the bracelet for three days before I can take it off.