Surprising Things You’d Only See in Thailand

From across Bangkok’s Chao Phraya River, Wat Arun already looks spectacular. Up close, however, its towering structures reveal an unexpected detail: their surfaces are decorated with colorful pieces of Chinese porcelain, turning the Temple of Dawn into an enormous shimmering mosaic.

The temple’s magnificent pagodas rise roughly 70 meters and are among Bangkok’s most photographed landmarks. Thousands of decorative pieces transform what might look pale from a distance into an explosion of tiny patterns and colors. Sometimes the strangest detail only appears when you get close enough to see it.