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Today started as another early morning for the Waggoners. 4:30. Did you know that existed as an AM? Wide awake. I feel like we are getting plenty of sleep, but it is at the oddest hours. We decided to do a little communicating with home, then got ready for an early breakfast at the Pantip. Holy breakfast spread! You can get anything your heart desires, including noodles and stir fry. The goal for the day was to tackle 3 wats. My “to do” list was unfortunately not done, but we had a wonderful day nonetheless.
As we were heading out to start our morning, we were waiting on a taxi and a couple of familiar faces that had previously only existed online were all of a sudden in front of me. We were able to meet the other family who is also adopting with Holt and are here to meet their daughter on Sunday. We didn’t have much time to catch up, but it was good running in to them before we left. The first stop of the day was Wat Arun, a recommendation from a friend. We took a taxi to a pier and then a short ferry ride (3 baht each) to get across the river (along with these young monks).
Wat Arun is SPECTACULAR. Completely unlike any of the other temples that we have visited, it is covered from top to bottom (and there is a whole lot in between) with ceramic pieces, both complete and broken, to make this beautiful piece of artwork. It is absolutely stunning from every angle, and there are a lot of them. The steps to the different levels are insane… more like a ladder than steps. Quite a few people were having a hard time with them, but once you conquered them, you were greeted with new views of the city and across the river. So many “statues” holding up different levels and I loved seeing all of the ceremic bits that were arranged into all kinds of flowers. Loved it all. As we were wrapping up our time there, we heard some chanting coming from nearby and went to try to find it. We found a temple, full of about 12 monks, kneeling on the floor, offering their prayers to Buddha. As they finished, they came out of the building and each rang this giant gong. Glad we got to experience it, but it all seems so empty.
Wat Pho is just across the river, so we decided that would be our next stop to see the Reclining Buddha. Holy cow. This puppy was huge. You can’t even fathom the size until you see it in person. It is this giant gold Buddha, that is laying down, enclosed in this building, that everybody and their brother came to see. Prior to entering the area, you have to remove your shoes, so you’re carrying your shoes, trying to get through the crowds, and nobody has any sense of personal space. It is INCREDIBLE though. The building alone is impressive, but when there is a 150 foot long Buddha laying inside it that takes up the space, both floor to ceiling and door to door, it’s just wow. Intricate artwork covers every square inch, and most impressive, other than the size, is the guys feet… all kinds of beautiful, intricate artwork, all done in mother of pearl. Could have done without the crowds, but an amazing sight to see. We explored the rest of the grounds for a little while, but to be honest, at this point, we were a little Buddha’d out.
The last wat / palace that I wanted to see is right next door, but we found out that it didn’t open until 1:00 and at this point, it was only about 11:30, so after doing some looking around at street vendors (where we found the fruit below), we decided it was time to head back to the hotel in a taxi. It was rough. It was our first “Amazing Race” fail as we picked an unmetered taxi that was going to charge too much, so we got out. We found another and he was so great and friendly, but then his car overheated and broke down. He apologized profusely, but we had to find yet another cab… so we did. Only this guy didn’t have a clue where he was going, drove us in a big circle (I’m convinced he was just trying to run up the meter), but then took us to the Pantip shopping center rather than the Pantip Hotel. What should have cost about 80 baht and took a half hour took 190 baht and an hour and a half. Frustration set in, but we finally made it back to the hotel.
Unsure of what to do with our afternoon, and not really wanting to head back out, we crashed on the couches in the lobby for a quick snack and ran into the other family again. This time, we had a lot more time to catch up, learn about them, and hear about their experiences. It’s just so good to have someone here who knows exactly what we are going through. They share the same emotions, fears, and questions going into the next couple of weeks and it was wonderful to have that time with them. We spent some time hanging out at the pool, and then decided to all head to the Moon House (best and cheapest pad thai yet) for dinner together to catch up a little bit more. We are already loving our time with them and are looking forward to watching the events unfold over the next few days together.
Thank you so much for the continued prayers and support. We are seeing them answered daily and are trusting with all of our hearts that God is working on our son’s heart as He is also working on ours. Can’t imagine the overwhelming fear and grief that this little boy is going to experience at the age of 2 with no language to express his emotions. I so hope that we will be able to be a comfort to him and that he will quickly realize that we already love him so much.
Two more sleeps until we meet him!
