Buddhism is by far the dominant religion in Thailand, and as such Bangkok is equipped with a huge array of Buddhist temples, large and small. On one hand it's odd to be walking through a modern, bustling city and stumble upon an ancient and ornate temple, but on the other is it so different than the churches scattered throughout any Western city? Maybe it's due to a lifetime of seeing Asian temples only in the context of an old kung-fu movie set a thousand years prior. I mean, I've seen Catholic churches my whole life, but it's rare to see a seated Buddha statue surrounded by electric candles, tucked between a CD stand and an electronics store.
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