text: [{"text_idx": "#000011", "text": "Aranyaprathet to BangkokAranyaprathet to Nakhon Sawan"}, {"text_idx": "#000036", "text": "Nakhon Pathom to Hua Hin"}, {"text_idx": "#000042", "text": "Nong Bua Lamphu to Bangkok"}, {"text_idx": "#000046", "text": "Phrae to BangkokPhrae to Chiang Mai"}, {"text_idx": "#000048", "text": "Ranong to BangkokRanong to Phuket"}, {"text_idx": "#000053", "text": "Songkhla to Nakhon Si Thammarat"}, {"text_idx": "#000054", "text": "Sukhothai to KalasinSukhothai to Khon Kaen"}, {"text_idx": "#000057", "text": "Trang to BangkokTrang to Phuket"}, {"text_idx": "#000077", "text": "Koh Yao Yai to Langkawi"}, {"text_idx": "#000080", "text": "Pattaya to Hua Hin Ferry"}, {"text_idx": "#000089", "text": "Nakhon Si Thammarat to Bangkok"}, {"text_idx": "#000091", "text": "Phitsanulok to BangkokPhitsanulok to Chiang Mai"}, {"text_idx": "#000092", "text": "Prachuap Khiri Khan to Bangkok"}, {"text_idx": "#000102", "text": "Hua Hin to Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)"}, {"text_idx": "#000117", "text": "Wat Traimitr is better known as the Temple of the Golden Buddha on account of the the 5,500 kilogram solid gold Buddha statue which is on display at the temple. The Buddha atatue, which is called the Phra Phuttha Maha Suwan Patimakon, is believed to be the largest solid gold Buddha statue in the world. The story of how the Buddha statue came to be at what was a small and not particularly important temple in Bangkok sounds like a far fetched fictional tale, except that in this case it is most likely true, in part at least. The Phra Phuttha Maha Suwan Patimakon statue had been held inside another small temples in Bangkok since the reign of King Rama I (1782 to 1809) before being moved to Wat Traimitr in 1955. According to the legend the statue had been covered in layer of clay to hide the gold from the Burmese who invaded Ayutthaya in 1767, where the statue previously resided. On the order of King Rama I many Buddha statues where brought to Bangkok after 1782, when it was established as the new capital, to protect them from future invasions. Apparently the clay disguise fooled even the people who brought the statue to Bangkok, and the many monks who looked after it thereafter, despite its massive weight. The conclusion to the tale is that when the statue was moved to Wat Traimitr in 1955 it was dropped and the clay covering was partly destroyed showing the gold underneath."}, {"text_idx": "#000118", "text": "Up until 2008 the massive gold statue was displayed in a very unimpressive concrete building. This has all changed as Wat Traimitr now features a very impressive four storey Mondop, with the Phra Phuttha Maha Suwan Patimakon displayed on the top floor. A Mondop is a square based building with a pyramidal top. Entry to the top level level costs 40 THB per person. The second and third levels features museum style displays about the statue and the China Town area of Bangkok where the temple is located. Entry to the second and third levels costs an additional 100 THB per person."}]