Temple of traditions

There are two good reasons for visiting Wat Saket anytime between today and Saturday night. The first is that the temple is holding its annual Golden Mount Fair complete with Ferris wheel, merry-go-round and freak shows. The second is that the Golden Mount is a safe haven from the floods, as it stands 60 metres above sea level.
“A woman with two heads! A little mermaid and her fish tail!” the show-master shouts, beckoning the crowds to his freak-show inside the Wat Saket compound. “Spare just Bt10 and see them live here.”
Outside the venue, the little mermaid poster has curious spectators wondering if she might be the twin sister of sexy actress Phatcharapha “Aum” Chaichua. Even though I know this is going to be a curiosity-kills-the-cat kind of experience, I join the throng and fish out my Bt10 coin.
“Haaaa!” one college girl bursts out laughing, once her curiosity is fulfilled. “What a cheap trick.”
The mermaid in question looks more like a serious victim of insomnia. As the cheerful spectators poke their head around the curtain, the mermaid sits half-sleeping behind her fish tail. Forget bare breasts too – the mermaid at the Golden Mount is clad in a tight crocodile T-shirt.
The show of two-headed woman is much more absurd yet strangely amusing – and I have no intention of spilling the beans. Spend your own Bt10 – it’s worth it – and see it with your own eyes.
But freak shows aside, the annual temple fair at the Golden Mount does serve up a large dose of sweet nostalgia.
The Golden Mount, Phu Khao Thong in Thai, is a steep hill inside Wat Saket compound. It is not a natural outcrop but an artificial hill. The mountain itself was made in the 19th century during the reign of King Rama III to support the pagoda, which houses a Buddha relic from India.
A popular landmark, the Golden Mount draws tourists eager to catch a panoramic view of the city. Every November, Wat Saket hosts a festival that includes a beautiful candlelight procession up Phu Khao Thong.
I muse on the history as I make my way through the T-shirt stalls, craft shops and food stands offering deep-fried crickets and roasted chicken that jostle for position on both sides of the circular path going around the steep hill inside the Wat Saket compound.
Next to the huge chapel, country musicians, comedians and cultural performers take turn to entertain fans every night.
For a cheap thrill, you can queue up with young college students for a ride on the old-fashioned Ferris wheel or merry-go-round.
There are also a few shops with popguns, the old-fashioned kind of popgun that uses a cork from fish-sauce bottle.
“You can aim at any doll out there,” says the stallholder, offering me a set of corks for the popgun and pointing to the wall of small rabbit dolls three metres away from the firing line. “If you’re sharp enough to hit the doll, it’s yours.”
Like many who believe they’re sharp enough, I spend Bt200 on the corks only to leave the shooting range without a single doll. There is something about the gun … or perhaps it’s the dolls!
Everyone visiting the temple fair at Wat Saket, braves the steep path to the top of Golden Mount.
But only a few are prepared for the crowds. Together with the throngs of festival-goers, I spend an hour getting to the top.
But the time is worth it. Half-wrapped by the huge, red robe, the pagoda looks more beautiful at night, especially when it’s illuminated by beams of light. From here, I can see the Grand Palace glowing in the distance. Every second, the sound of a bell lingers briefly in the air.
Looking straight down, the illuminated circular path looks like a huge Ring of Fire. I stop for a while and try to figure out where the freak show and the mermaid are located. From this distance, it’s impossible to tell.

HIGHEST POINT
The Golden Mount temple fair runs until Saturday. The easiest way of getting there is by Skytrain to National Stadium station then by tuk-tuk or taxi to the temple.