Grand Palace

Today while Todd was at work, we explored the Grand Palace.  In order to get there we first took the BTS Sky train (it was like a cleaner -- and air-conditioned -- version of the Paris Metro train).

Then we transferred to one of the public ferries on the Chao Phraya River.  It was a great way to get around and the fare was only 15 baht (50 cents) per person.

From the ferry we had good views of many temples, as well as tons of boats traversing the river carrying goods and people.  These long-tail boats can be chartered to take you anywhere you want to go, but the ferry was cheaper!

The Grand Palace is really a complex comprised of many buildings including Wat Phra Kaeo, a temple that holds one of Thailand's most sacred Buddha figures.  Enormous sentries (Ramayana Giants) stand watch over the entrances to the temple.  The blue one is called Askan-Mara.

The golden building on the left is the Phra Siratana Chedi (a chedi is a building that contains a sacred Buddhist relic, in this case it is a piece of the Buddha's breastbone).  On the right is the Phra Mondop, which is the library containing Buddhist sacred scriptures inscribed on palm leaves.

The Ramakien Gallery encloses the entire complex like a cloister.  The walls are covered in gilded murals from the 18th century depicting the legend of the Ramakien, a heroic epic about the triumph of good over evil.

The bot is the most important building in the complex.  It was built in the 1780's to provide a permanent place for displaying the Emerald Buddha.

You are not allowed to take photos inside the building, but it is okay to take them from the outside, so here is our best shot of the Emerald Buddha (better photos can be found here).  The Buddha was carved from a single piece of jade ("emerald" is a misnomer) and wears clothes of gold that are ceremonially changed each season by the king.

The buildings here are constantly refurbished -- every surface is either gilded or covered in mosaics -- so it requires a lot of upkeep to maintain it.  This woman was applying mosaic pieces to a damaged wall.

Encircling the bot's exterior are 112 mythical garudas (half-man, half-bird), each one holds two serpents (nagas).

The golden chedis nearby are encircled by more Ramakien figures.

All of the buildings are ornately decorated.  It seems that everywhere you look, there is something amazing to photograph.

Large flowerpots containing pink lotuses lined many of the walkways.  In Buddhist iconography, pink lotuses are reserved for the highest deity and are associated with the great Buddha.

A model of the temple of Angkor Wat (which is in Cambodia) is on display.  We hope to visit the real thing someday but seeing the model was impressive too.

On the eastern side of the wat are eight prangs decorated with Chinese porcelain.

The bell in the belfry is only rung on special occasions such as New Year's Day.

Outside the temple complex (but still inside the Grand Palace) are several state pavilions and halls containing a military museum, coin museum, and a residence that was formerly used by the royal family but is now a guesthouse for visiting dignitaries.  Silent guards stand watch over these buildings and they are kind of like the guards at Buckingham palace -- they don't smile or talk and nothing seems to faze them, not even a bunch of schoolkids goofing around.

The Dusit Maha Prasat throne hall was closed today because they were holding funereal chanting for the recently deceased Princess Bejaratana Rajasuda (the king's first cousin).  But even from outside the building and landscaping is very lovely.  The spiky gold decorations on the gables of the roof are called cho fa and they represent the mythical garuda.