Chachoengsao temple opens glass sea walk
A glass skywalk jutting out over the ocean is the newest tourist attraction in Chachoengsao province. The skywalk is adjacent to Wat Hong Thong temple, which has long been a draw for tourists in the area of the eastern province, not far from Bangkok.
The glass bridge is a 40-metre-long stretch perched high above the sea. It is 3 metres wide and can accommodate around 200 people at a time. The wat is calling it a “sea walk” and it is made of 240 large pieces of 3-millimetre thick glass that is built three layers deep.
The temple announced the opening of the “sea walk” on its Facebook page on Sunday. The plan for the glass bridge was to build a large Buddha image at the end of the walkway. The Buddha image is planned to be 4.70 metres tall and 2.50 metres wide.
Visitors are already able to walk on the glass bridge to enjoy the experience and the beautiful ocean views, Nation Thailand reports. But the Buddha statue is set to be installed at the end of the bridge on February 15. Then the sea walk will be officially opened to tourists in April.
Wat Hong Thong sits in a mangrove forest in the of Chachoengsao. The temple features overwater walkways connecting the shore to the stupa located in the sea. The chedi structure has five levels, adorned with paintings depicting Buddhism and Thai kings, and contains several Buddha images.
The temple originally sat on 22 rai (3.52 hectares) of land. The chapel and chedi building was initially constructed on solid ground there. But over time, sea levels rose and much of the land was reclaimed by the ocean, leaving only 8 rai of dry land.
But a beautiful temple surrounded by the ocean quickly gained popularity among tourists and visitors flock to see the unique buildings perched above the sea. The temple abbot hopes that the new glass bridge will attract even more visitors to the temple.
