In these strange times, my concentration is quite distracted. I’m drifting from one thing to another rather a lot and, on posting my previous post, I completely forgot that the ending should have been in another temple!
I did think this morning when I looked back at the original post “Oh, never mind, no-one knows anyway where I went” but actually the last temple was the “weird and wonderful temple statues” bit and in my thoughts, the images are too weird and wonderful not to post, so…. hey ho, I’ve climbed back onto the scooter, pootling on down to the road to Wat Tham Khao Tao temple to park up and start walking…
It’s quite a climb up to the top of the hill where there is a massive Buddha statue at the top and excellent views towards Hua Hin.
On the way up the concrete steps, you pass through a cave of effigies of well-revered monks and rooms with plenty of Buddha statues to worship…Whilst everywhere is full of gold, vibrant red and clashing colors, it’s actually all very serene and peaceful. There were no other visitors during our climb, there are many other more convenient temples to visit in the Hua Hin area and possibly the climb is off-putting, but it worked to our advantage!
On the corner of the steps, a rest by the laughing Buddha…probably placed to bring cheer to those toiling up the steps in August’s heat and humidity, luckily there are no photos of me and my humidity hairstyle at this stage!
Past my most favorite scary statue ever… guess which one?
And then a little break at a bell ringing area with another impressive Buddha on a corner…
An effigy of Ganesha, the Hindu god, surprisingly in this temple but, Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva are the three most important Hindu gods representing the recurring and continual cycles of birth, life, death, and rebirth.
This trinity, along with the god Indra, Ganesha and some enlightened divinities and demons, have been converted to the Buddhist doctrine according to Buddhist belief. Hence, these gods often occur as guardians of temples and monasteries. In addition, they may also be seen attending the Buddha on important events in his life.
Another Buddha break at the top of another set of steps, he is very relaxed, but does have a dragon to ward off interlopers… it was a pleasant pause…
Nearly at the top, some rather elegant and vibrant statues, the light was good for the photos of these rather ethereal figures. By this stage, I wished I understood a bit more about what they represented, it was a regret that I didn’t have a guided tour so I could understand the reason and reverence for these slightly odd statues…
Just before the top, a beautiful Buddha room…
Reaching the top, fairly tired as it was a hot and sticky time in August, it was worth the climb.The view was quite stunning, back towards Hua Hin…
And a beautiful Buddha, serenely sitting at the top of the hill. Well worth the endless climb…
A lovely place to visit, off the beaten track, not busy at all, possibly the climb put this temple off the tourist temple trail.
After a scooter ride back to the comforting sanctuary of the hotel, it was time for a relaxing sundowner amidst the water flowers…
Travels in the Middle East and beyond 