The Grand Palace, built in the late 1700s, certainly lives up to its name. Thai royals used to live there, and the king still performs important ceremonies there. It also houses the temple of the Emerald Buddha, the king's personal place of worship. I went in to see the Emerald Buddha, but this was the only picture I could manage, through the doorway, since photos inside are prohibited.
Pretty amazing up close.Let's go back to the beginning. The palace was closed for a special ceremony when we arrived, so we Tuk-Tuk'd around for a bit whilst waiting for it to open.
Squishy-squishy! They don't really feel dangerous (though I'm sure any nearby motorized transport would surely best them), but one downside to the open-air concept is lots of open-air pollution for your lungs. Upside: cheap and fun.Once we were permitted entrance, the (literal) fashion police (guy on right) greeted us beside a sign showing all forbidden (even moderately immodest) clothing:
Our friend got caught with her short skirt. Bah hahaha! We had quite a laugh at the ridiculous wrap-around she had to wear. The men's modest attire was worse...billowy, baggy, 90s print Aladdin-type pants.
Here are some snaps of the palace grounds:
As you can see, I came prepared (covered up). Wasn't too bad...but it's their winter there! I can't imagine wearing long clothing in their summer, which someone told me gets up to around 40C or higher. I won't be visiting any temples in their summer if that's the case.
We met some visiting monks from Burma and Sri Lanka. Very sweet.
This is one of my favourite shots. You can kind of see all the tiny, mirrored squares that cover the entire outside of all the buildings. It makes them sparkle and glitter in the sun, and is quite a sight.
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