Travel Tips

In my opinion, a trip to Bangkok is not complete without a visit to Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha), and the adjacent Grand Palace.

Although the whole place (both temple and palace) was bustling with tourists, it still managed to exude a quiet and regal charm.

The buildings were really beautiful and I am really impressed by the amount of thought and effort which had been put into their intricate designs. I was constantly wondering how had they managed to build buildings with so much fine details so long ago!

In this photo, the Buddha shown is actually a statue of the actual Emerald Buddha kept high up in the main temple hall inside the building.

The peace and calm I felt in the temple hall containing the actual Emerald Buddha really cannot be put into words.

The incredible level of design details of Wat Phra Kaew can be easily seen from this photo of its corridor.

During the reign of King Mongkut (Rama IV), a miniature model of the famous Cambodian temple complex, Angkor Wat, was made when the Thai empire extended over to Cambodia.

Surrounding the temple, is a cloister which has an extensive mural drawn on it. The mural depicts the Thai version of the famous Indian epic, the Ramayana.

There are altogether 178 sections, which date from the reign of King Mongkut (Rama IV). During our visit, they were in the process of being restored, as they had been on numerous occasions. The explanatory texts across from each were devised by King Chulalongkorn (Rama V).

There is a very strong distinction in the design features of Wat Phra Kaew and Grand Palace despite them being in close proximity of each other. While Wat Phra Kaew is definitely traditionally Thai, the design of the Grand Palace is largely colonial, with the rooftop being the only exceptions.

The well-manicured lawns surrounding the pallace are also part of its design features.

Here, the sergeant was doing his usual customary job in inspecting the guard... Not sure what is the frequency of this though.

One of my buddies, Patrick (right), and me! :-)