Wat Arun and Asia's obsession with stairways of death

So we went to Wat Arun the other day.
The Wat itself is amazing; its incredibly detailed, extremely ornate, and just astonishing up close.
From afar, you can't really appreciate the detailing and amount of work that went into the complex, but up close you really just have to love it.
Wat Arun is a Buddhist temple, situated on the river, with the name translating to " Temple of the Dawn." It is one of Thailand's best known landmarks, with the light reflecting off the detailing of the temple as the sun rises and sets, making for a spectaluar visual effect.

The Wat is surrounded by a monastary, full of both ordained and practicing monks, with a market and river along the far side. 

The group there was me, Sarah, Victoria, Jill and our lovely CCS staff member, Jack.
Jack told us a bit about the history, the reasoning for the location, as well answering some questions about buddhism in general.

After walking the exterior of the complex, I simply had to ask: Can we climb this thing? He said if we would like to, certainly! Which basically meant that I was going to the top. (Below is a photo of me in my balloon pants. They're HUGE which of course means they're the most comfortable things ever.)

Jill and Sarah both opted out of the hike up, as the stairs were insanely steep, so it was just the three of us climbing to the upper most region to take a look around.
I was surprised to see that the exterior of the temple was decorated with pieces of glass and pottery.

  I can only imagine the upkeep on a building like that.
 I was also surprised to find that I think these stairs were actually steeper than any I encountered in Cambodia, and I can't help but wonder what Asia's obsession with stairways of Death is all about.  Is it like a rite of passage?  Only the worthy, those possesing full balance and of steel hearts, may reach the top?  I don't know.  I still don't understand, but I climbed that thing and walked the exterior up there snapping photos and listening to the history as well. 

I know Thailand has an insane amount of Wats, but its truly worth a visit if you have the time. 

 

Horrible photo of myself (that's what I get for movinggggg) but whatever! Wat Arun mountain crew, whut whut.