Clothing for temple visits

[tring]

Are there actually temples where your feet must be bare? The only thing we encountered was removing *shoes* - I wore ankle socks with my shoes a couple of days and did not take them off to enter temples - nor did many other people (this was Thailand & Vietnam). So just double check where you plan to go - stockings could be fine!

 

We are going Myanmar (Yangon) in March and it is well documented that it is necessary to remove socks as well as shoes in temples there. Must be bare foot.

 

Can be very painful if treading on hot ground in the middle of the day it seems!

 

In Sri Lanka it is recommended to take a pair of socks to wear because of the hot ground in temple areas.

[Bowie MeMe]

We are going to Mynmar in April. I will judge on the day if I will go bare foot or if I skip seeing the inside of the temple. Fairly early in our trip and I will not make the feet mad at me!:eek: My shoes and socks hide a bunch of "helpers" (compression, support, strength brace, occasional cast or broken bone wrapping, sometimes bandage). Now I travel willingly knowing that I might have to modify my experience but I still get a wonderful time. You do what you have to do and keep on smiling.:D

[tring]

We are going to Mynmar in April. I will judge on the day if I will go bare foot or if I skip seeing the inside of the temple. Fairly early in our trip and I will not make the feet mad at me!:eek: My shoes and socks hide a bunch of "helpers" (compression, support, strength brace, occasional cast or broken bone wrapping, sometimes bandage). Now I travel willingly knowing that I might have to modify my experience but I still get a wonderful time. You do what you have to do and keep on smiling.:D

 

I hope you manage to see the Shwedagon Pagoda - it is reputedly spectacular and I think the bare foot thing involves the whole temple confines rather than just the indoor part. I think it also includes the viewing area around the reclining Buddha, which is another main tourist site in Yangon.

 

If you are with a tour I think they tend to visit early or late in the day when the ground is not too hot and I am sure a guide will take you on the best route to avoid problems. You may find there are other options for medical reasons (perhaps bandages will be OK), but a guide would no doubt help if they can and perhaps your ship's tour department can advise ahead of time.

 

We intend to visit that temple in the evening independently as well as we will no doubt be rushed through on the half day tour we are booked to do the first morning in Yangon and viewing by night as well as day is recommended.

 

As you say I am sure you will have interesting experiences on your travels, even if you do need to modify what you do/see.

 

Good luck,

 

Barbara

Edited December 30, 2016 by tring

[TravelMore&More]

Definitely bare foot in Myanmar. at the Shwedagon Pagoda you remove your shoes at the bottom of the stairs much before entering the actual temple part.

Socks were ok in Sri Lanka but not anywhere in Myanmar.

[Hoyaheel]

And now we see why it's important to specify details these sorts of questions - details vary!

[Bowie MeMe]

It helps so much to have the community ideas on what and where and how to see things on our travels. It adds to the experience and I value the great things I have learned on CC. I try to pass on what I have learned also. There are many ways to explore and when many people pass on tips -- you can pick and choose for yourself and have a great experience. If the experience is not so great -- you pass on information to help the next person have a better time.

[iancal]

We spent the last three winters in Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia. We traveled extensively throughout these countries.

 

We always wore shorts when visiting temples. Too hot for anything else. I wore collared shirts. DW wore sleeveless tops.

 

On a very few occasions she was given a shawl to cover her shoulders. We always removed our shoes. This was our experience in the small towns and in the large cities.

 

Many others were dressed as we were. We were certainly not the exception.

Edited January 1, 2017 by iancal

[TravelMore&More]

Sure you "can" visit temples in shorts and sleeveless shirt and only in a few places will they stop you but understand that it really upsets the locals who, most of time, will not say anything as they are too shy to do so.

It is just the right thing to do to respect they religious beliefs and customs. You can buy the cheap "alibaba" pants sold in all the markets and it's not warm at all.

[ROCruiser]

Myanmar shoes and socks off for sure. My problem was not with the hot tiles during the day but bare foot to the restroom at a monastery, yuck!

[Floridiana]

Myanmar shoes and socks off for sure. My problem was not with the hot tiles during the day but bare foot to the restroom at a monastery, yuck!

 

In that case, it might be good to hide 'toilet flip flops' in your bag and put them on secretly. What do you think?

[deec]

Usually the temple tours in Myanmar were short enough that "happy room" breaks were available once we left. Our guides always had multiple "wipes" to clean our feet as we left. I never remember the floors being too hot for comfort. The Irrawaddy River was well worth the hassle factor! We enjoyed Myanmar adventure more than the Mekong although we are glad we did each! Siem Reap was a highlight of the Mekong trip.

[hxhbk]

Sure you "can" visit temples in shorts and sleeveless shirt and only in a few places will they stop you but understand that it really upsets the locals who, most of time, will not say anything as they are too shy to do so.

 

+1. You are spot on, and thank you so much for that.

[ROCruiser]

In that case, it might be good to hide 'toilet flip flops' in your bag and put them on secretly. What do you think?

 

Great idea!

 

I made the mistake not going to the restrooms across the street from the war cemetery because it looked shabby and had a long line. Then I couldn't wait any longer when we were at the monastery where we stopped next. Yes, the guide always have wet wipes for your feet after each temple visit.

[Hoyaheel]

I always travel with wipes and with toilet paper in my bag. Because you never know and it usually comes in handy :D

[Floridiana]

We are going to Mynmar in April. I will judge on the day if I will go bare foot or if I skip seeing the inside of the temple.

 

In that case, I would wrap my feet in light bandages that you dispose of afterwards. Bring one of the long umbrellas that can be used as protection from the sun and as a cane. I can't imagine that they would prevent an 'elderly lady' from entering a temple with wrapped feet due to a medical condition. The umbrella cane will be proof.

[Bowie MeMe]

In that case, I would wrap my feet in light bandages that you dispose of afterwards. Bring one of the long umbrellas that can be used as protection from the sun and as a cane. I can't imagine that they would prevent an 'elderly lady' from entering a temple with wrapped feet due to a medical condition. The umbrella cane will be proof.

 

I often take a folding cane. I haven't tried the one with seat -- rather bulky to carry around. elastic bandages are easy to wrap around foot -- something to consider.:p

[tamadig2001]

I can vouch for the "socks off" rule in Myanmar temples. You have to take your shoes and socks off once you enter the temple grounds. On our cruise stop in Myanmar in March 2015, I went through three packets of wet wipes in three days because we visited at least six or seven temples every day. The problem is, unlike Japanese and Thai temples which are spotlessly clean, Myanmar temples have filthy floors and the access is often open air and lined with stalls. On one midday visit to an outdoor reclining buddha in Bago, the ground was so hot it was like walking on coals. But the worst experience I had was at an island temple in Thanlyin where we had to leave our shoes on the boat. I had to use the bathroom and was horrified to find the floor covered with an inch of water. You can imagine how gross it was. The lesson here is: have your bathroom breaks before entering temple grounds.

[Floridiana]

I've just looked a photos another traveler took in a Myanmar temple. Everybody barefoot, except a little girl with black socks/slippers! It looks like there are exceptions for medical conditions.

 

During the discussion on that blog, somebody mentioned that she borrowed a local girl's flip-flops to use in a very dirty toilet. That confirms my wish to bring hidden flip-flops to places where it's shoes off! Just in case. Another option is to bring a bag for your shoes and take them with you. We did this in Japan when the exit and entrance were separate. Of course, the Japanese give you a bag. And everything is spic span clean unless the facilities are overwhelmed by the huge number of tourists. This happened once in front of Osaka Castle. Not really dirty just not super clean.