Temples Off the Tourist Trail

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So you think you've done Bangkok's temples. You've been awed by the Wat Phra Kaeo and marveled at Wat Arun, the Temple of Dawn. But Bangkok and its environs offer a selection of weirder wats for those who know where to look.

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Consider Wat Hua Krabu, an unassuming temple in the seaside suburb of Bang Kunthien—except for the fact that it happens to have more than 5,000 buffalo skulls stacked amid the incense and amulets. For centuries Thais have deposited the skulls of their favorite beasts of burden there in the hope of speeding them to a happy reincarnation.

In nearby Samut Prakan province, monks chant to the sound of lapping surf. Erosion and rising sea levels have turned Wat Khunsamutjeen into an island. Worshippers run the gamut of a wave-lashed, rickety wooden walkway, take a boat from the mainland, or simply swim.

Back in Bangkok, check out Wat Phasee if you like your history gory. In the capital's early days, subjects who displeased the King were beheaded there. You won't see any skulls, but some of the monks swear they see headless ghosts roaming the corridors at night.