I've had a few stunning postcards from Thailand but this one I find fascinating. On the reverse of the card it says:
Lan Than, Chinese Rock Giants (left and right) with weapons in hand and wearing a tight suit of armour. Marco Polo, Chinese Giant in European cloth (middle).
There are a number of different rock giants in the grounds of Wat Pho, the Temple of the Reclining Buddha. The ones with weapons represent nobleman warriors who were high-ranking soldiers. They are the gate guardians. The four pairs of giants in European clothes represent Marco Polo from the Venetian Republic who travelled through Asia in the 13th century. All the rock giants were carved from ballast from the trading vessels used to trade with China. The Marco Polo figure looks so out of place alongside the Chinese warriors.
The card is unsued, and was sent to me in an envelope in 2008.
B is for Bangkok. A post for ABC Wednesday.
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Marco Polo looks like he has top hat or bowler on a bit like Oliver Hardy!
ReplyDeleteThat Marco Polo looks so not human compared to the other two. I love postcards like this.
ReplyDeleteAn interesting and unusual B post. A
ReplyDeleteBangkok is close to my original country Philippines. The place has so much to explore and discover. ^_^
ReplyDeleteABC: Bean
A good friend of mine was in Thailand a few years back. Wonder if she came across these?
ReplyDeleteOn behalf of the ABC Wednesday team, thank you. – Ramblin’ with Roger
If you fly into Bangkok airport you will find copies of these giants in the arrivals/departures.
ReplyDeleteThey are also found at other locations throughout the country. very impressive.
Oh my goodness, I love that card. :) I just had to let you know! :D
ReplyDeletelove your post and pictures. this is very interesting. Cheers.
ReplyDeleteThese must be really interesting to see in real life. Thanks for sharing your Blue Background postcard of Bangkok for the letter B. :)
ReplyDeleteInteresting post! Whwen I was in Bangkok I saw a Reclining Buddha, is that the same one you mentioned in this post? Is there only one Reclining Buddha? I remember it was very beautiful. I didn't see these rock giants, which is a pity.
ReplyDeleteI've been in Bangkok for a very brief time, but I remembered it as a beautiful city!
ReplyDeleteHow wonderful! I used to do ABC Wednesday! It is such a groovy meme:) These Chinese rock giants are certainly intimidating. It a wonderful card!
ReplyDeleteThe Ozark Medieval Fortress and Guédelon are being built by the same man - Michel Guyot. You certainly hit the nail on the head. Guédelon is about 15 minutes from my house too:) I have a Guédelon blog too! www.visitguedelon.com
Bangkok was a place I wanted to visit but never did. Interesting postcard and narrative!
ReplyDeleteHow intricate those statues are - and most beautiful!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great postcard and a very interesting B post! Thanks fo sharing!
ReplyDeleteI've always wondered what Marco Polo looked like! Fascinating postcard! Happy PFF!
ReplyDeletewow! this is a fascinating card...thanks also for alerting me to ABC wednesday, another fun blog network!
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