No Pho at the Wat Pho

January 18, 2014

One of the reasons we had come to Southeast Asia was for the food. Pad Thai, Spring Rolls, and of course, Pho, the noodle soup which some say was influenced by the French dish Pot-au-Feu. But pho is a Vietnamese dish and we hadn't expected to encounter it till later in our trip. When we heard of a temple named the Wat Pho, we marched quickly there believing it to be a whole temple dedicated to that delicious soup.

The Wat Pho is one of the oldest and largest Buddhist temple complexes in Thailand. It is also considered Thailand's first public university and is known as the birthplace of the traditional Thai massage. All this was great, we could attend some interesting university lectures while receiving a great massage and we could then top it off with a steaming hot bowl of tasty pho.

As we waited in line to enter the temple, we were startled to see "Beware Pickpocket Gangs" posted prominently at the ticket window.

Pickpocket gangs? Wow! The pho must be really delicious to attract enough people to make it worthwhile for whole gangs of pickpockets to hang out there.

Not only did we  have to worry about gangsters - but the temple obviously didn't like tall people either.

As we entered the temple, we spotted some wild looking stone statues that had originally been brought over to Thailand on ancient Chinese trading boats as ballast. 

Temple scarecrow used to scare the bejesus outta the roving pickpocket gangs

Now inside the temple complex, our mouths watering, we went in search of the legendary bowl of pho. Lots of people were taking their shoes off and entering an large ornate structure and we thought this must be the hall where they serve communal soup.

With another gangster warning, we believed we had discovered the mess hall

Upon entering the building, we were stunned to see a humungous statue of the Buddha in a reclining position. Forty-six meters long and fifteen meters high (that's 150 feet by almost 50 feet for us archaic measurement using Americans), the Buddha represents the dying moment of Buddha when he entered into Nirvana. In Buddhism, Nirvana refers to the imperturbable stillness of mind after the fires of desire, aversion, and delusion have been finally extinguished. It's also sometimes confused with a Seattle grunge band. 

A strong smell of teen spirit permeated nearby

Nevermind

Covered in gold leaf, every detail of the the Reclining Buddha is larger than life - even the feet are five meters long.

Toe, meet hand

If too much music from Kurt Corbain ails you, the laughing Buddha will bring some joy and lightheartedness

We left the building containing the Reclining Buddha and continued our search. We spotted a giant rock statue of Marco Polo. Clearly, this must be the way to the pho as Marco always loved a good bowl of soup after a hard day of exploring.

Marco Polo, inventor of a game played in Florida swimming pools

We spied some monks in the distance. Surely, they must be heading for soup line. Alas, they were only watching a craftsman plying his trade. 

Buddhist monks with the latest in umbrella styles

Stupas inside the Wat Pho

As we continued our quest for that elusive bowl of pho, we ran across a Foo Dog, faithful companion to the Seattle band, Foo Fighters - which of course was formed by former Nirvana drummer, Dave Grohl. 

A Foo Dog, donated by a distraught Nirvana and Foo Fighters groupie

Although we hadn't found any pho yet, the temple was giving out for free those two items that the Buddha thought most essential to life's happiness: water and wifi. We used the occasion to rest for a few minutes in the hot sun and post some photos on Facebook - indispensable to any vacation.

After circling the temple complex, we finally came to the conclusion that the Wat Pho had not a drop of pho, or any other soup for that matter. It was all a plot by the pickpocket gangsters to lure hungry and unsuspecting tourists.

Having avoided being pick pocketed, we left the temple and found some great street food nearby. We got a delicious plate of grilled squid and chicken for less than three dollars.

Not pho, but almost as good

After finishing our snack, our next destination was Khao San Road, the legendary neighborhood for budget travelers and backpackers. Having walked since early in the morning, we decided to take the Chao Phraya Express Boat, which is an aquatic bus that goes up and down the river.

Like all buses carting children around, the aquatic Chao Phraya Express Boat is yellow

Notice the woman with dreadlocks to the right - which is the required attire for backpackers heading to Khao San Road.

After a 15 minute ride, the boat dropped us near Khao San Road and we prepared to venture into a backpackers paradise. Next up, will it be meal worms or tarantulas for dinner?