Visiting a Thai Wat.
Visitors whether foreign or Thai are always welcome at the Wat. However please remember that it is a place of worship aside from the other things you might find happening at the site. It is important that visitors observe a few common sense rules regarding privacy and decency.
Please do not walk into the compound surrounding a Wat or indeed any of the temple buildings dressed in clothes better designed for the beach. The Thai people are quite modest, even shy and inappropriate dress and behaviour can cause distress to them.
As a rule of thumb as far as dress goes cover your shoulders and knees, long shorts/skirts are OK, but clingy see through tops or bare chests are not.
The taking of photographs is permitted in most Wat’s but again please respect peoples privacy as you snap away. Do not take photographs of religious activities such as funerals unless you are invited to do so.
Watch what Thai people are doing and follow their example.
Shoes and other footwear are not worn on sacred ground so please remove your shoes when entering temple buildings, if you are unsure, again watch the Thai visitors and take your lead from them. As you enter a temple building bare foot avoid stepping on the threshold-step over it. By the way don’t worry your shoes will be where you left them when you return!
Finally, although some temples charge an entrance fee, most do not. There are always donation boxes around and anything you leave will go towards the cost of upkeep of the site.
