Page 72 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Bangkok

70 ❯❯ Bangkok Area by Area

Wat Saket and the
6
Golden Mount
MAP E3 (Wat Saket) and D3 (Golden
Mount) • 344 Chakkaphatdi Phong
• 02 621 2280 • Open 8am–5pm daily
• Adm (for Golden Mount)
This was one of the first temples
built when the city was founded in
the late 1700s, initially as a crema­
torium for the common people. Fine
murals adorn the walls of the wihan
(assembly hall). Climb the 320 steps
to the summit of the Golden Mount,
a 250­ft (76­m) high artificial hill
surmounted by a graceful golden,
bell­shaped chedi (stupa), for fine Monk making bowls at Soi Ban Baat
views of the Old City skyline.
Soi Ban Baat
8
MAP D4 • Soi Ban Baat,
SPIRITS IN THAI SOCIETY Boriphat Road
Lak Muang, the Amulet Market, and Buddhist monks have few material
spirit houses (shrines dedi cated to the possessions – the baat (alms bowl) is
spirit of the land on which a house is one of them. Early each morning the
built) are all animist manifestations, bowls are filled with food offerings by
which demonstrate that Thai religious devout Buddhists. They are mostly
belief is not limited to Buddhism. In made in factories, but in Soi Ban
fact, Buddhism’s success here is partly
due to its assimilation of aspects of Baat, or Monk’s Bowl Village, there
other belief systems, such as Hinduism. are still a few families that beat out
the bowls by hand. Traditionally,
these baat are made of eight strips
River and Canal Tour
7 of metal to represent the Eightfold
Path of Buddhism. First, they are
Many visitors to Bangkok want
to take a trip on the river and nearby welded in a kiln, then shaped and
canals to get a sense of how the city filed smooth, and finally fired again.
was before the motor car and catch a
Amulet Market
glimpse of traditional canal­side life. 9
There are many tours that may be MAP B4 • Mahathat Road and
organized via your hotel or guest­ small lanes • Open 8am–6pm daily
house. Alternatively, negotiate a price There is a strong belief among Thais
with a longtail­boat owner at any of that small images of the Buddha,
the principal piers, and arrange a
customized tour (see pp20–21). Boating down a canal

Eyewitness Travel – Top 10 series LAYERS PRINTED:
Two-column, 8.5pt grid “UK” LAYER
(SourceReport v.1.9)
068-071_Top_10_Bangkok.indd 70 22/05/2017 12:13
Date 24th June 2015
Size 100mm x 191mm