An opportunity recently arose to explore a different part of Bangkok and I, of course, jumped at it.
A friend had an appointment in the southwest part of Bangkok, so I offered to give them a ride. While they were busy there, I continued on to Samut Sakhon, which is along the coast.
I’ve been exploring Google Maps for interesting things to see, and Wat Noi Nang Hong in Samut Sakhon seemed interesting, so I made my way there.
It’s interesting because there were bas reliefs with Burmese writing, and the temple was apparently partly built and paid for by Burmese people in Thailand.
It was very quiet, and nothing was open when I was there. It was a hot afternoon and the workers around the temple were resting when I was there.
I wandered around the grounds taking photos and exploring. At one point I wandered into a prayer area where two people, I assume to be caretakers, were sitting. I greeted them and one fellow started talking to me.
He knew only a little English and I knew even less Thai, but we managed. I made a small donation and continued on, taking pictures of the buildings, statues, and the many interesting flowers and shrubs there.
A little while later the fellow I had been talking to came up to me with a magazine that came with an amulet, as a gift for me. I asked him how much it was and he insisted that I did not need to pay.
That was nice! I did not expect that at all. I have found everyone I meet at the temples (and throughout Thailand, generally) to be quite friendly, and they seem to appreciate when you show interest in, and respect to, their culture.
One of the ongoing themes of the day were the flowers. I was seeing all sorts of interesting ones in Bangkok near where we ate lunch, then in Samut Sakhon, and later when I stopped for food again in Bangkok.
I have always been interested in taking photos of flowers and plants. Thailand is a great place for that, as there seems to be flowers blooming year-round here.
I want to go back to Samut Sakhon, as there are some interesting things to see along the coast, and more temples nearby.
Note: I included some photos of the magazine. I haven’t done the translation yet, but I will later to see what some of the articles are about.
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