Thailand, Bangkok, Wat Phra Kaew
15/11/04 Filed in: Travel
A 15 minute ride on the modern Skytrain to the
Eastern edge of Bangkok brings me to the river. This
is where it's possible to catch a local boat up into
the oldest part of the city. It's a slight bit cooler
along the river and the almost constant sweating
takes a few minutes off while I watch life float
by.
As the boat edges closer and gets tied off you can feel an increase in activity nearby and just a few meters from the dock is a thriving little market where the adventurous can get a bite to eat. Anything from roasted grasshoppers and other assorted large bugs to a great variety of cooked foods and exotic fruits, all very colorful. Must be the heat because my appetite has disappeared, but I do enjoy some chilled coconut juice.
The object of today's adventure, Grand Palace at Wat Phra Kaew, also known as the home of the Emerald Buddha, is just down the road. Many tourists are here and many have not understood that how they are dressed will determine if they can enter. Before entering each person is scrutinized carefully. No shorts or three quarter pants, shoes or sandals must have a strap around the heal, shirts must have some kind of sleeve, all rules westerners must follow to enter sacred places. My attire seems to meet with the approval of the gate guards and I am allowed to pass.
A Wat is a place where Buddhist monks live or get ordained and is a gathering place for the people during the many festivals. The shear number of intricately designed buildings here makes it difficult to describe. But this is the oldest and largest Wat in Bangkok and it has a vast number of buildings, exceptionally colorful, with polished colored tiles and mosaics including mirror and gold. Murals, which surround many areas, depict the Thai version of the Ramayana. This is also the home of the Emerald Buddha, considered the talisman of the Thai kingdom. Legend says it was sculpted in India, at one point it's true nature was concealed by a covering of plaster (discovered when it was dropped). Now its kept in a glass case inside the main building (sorry, no photos are allowed inside).
The tall golden Chedi temple spire is central and all around the grounds are large ornate statues of the guardians, with wild, sometimes grotesque faces. But my favorites are the golden guardians, half animal, half man, or woman.
All in all it's too much to really describe, so check out the pictures on the portfolio section of my site...
Jee-gan prung-nii na (see you tomorrow)
Please check out all the photos on my SE Asia Portfolio page available at NavaSwan.com
As the boat edges closer and gets tied off you can feel an increase in activity nearby and just a few meters from the dock is a thriving little market where the adventurous can get a bite to eat. Anything from roasted grasshoppers and other assorted large bugs to a great variety of cooked foods and exotic fruits, all very colorful. Must be the heat because my appetite has disappeared, but I do enjoy some chilled coconut juice.
The object of today's adventure, Grand Palace at Wat Phra Kaew, also known as the home of the Emerald Buddha, is just down the road. Many tourists are here and many have not understood that how they are dressed will determine if they can enter. Before entering each person is scrutinized carefully. No shorts or three quarter pants, shoes or sandals must have a strap around the heal, shirts must have some kind of sleeve, all rules westerners must follow to enter sacred places. My attire seems to meet with the approval of the gate guards and I am allowed to pass.
A Wat is a place where Buddhist monks live or get ordained and is a gathering place for the people during the many festivals. The shear number of intricately designed buildings here makes it difficult to describe. But this is the oldest and largest Wat in Bangkok and it has a vast number of buildings, exceptionally colorful, with polished colored tiles and mosaics including mirror and gold. Murals, which surround many areas, depict the Thai version of the Ramayana. This is also the home of the Emerald Buddha, considered the talisman of the Thai kingdom. Legend says it was sculpted in India, at one point it's true nature was concealed by a covering of plaster (discovered when it was dropped). Now its kept in a glass case inside the main building (sorry, no photos are allowed inside).
The tall golden Chedi temple spire is central and all around the grounds are large ornate statues of the guardians, with wild, sometimes grotesque faces. But my favorites are the golden guardians, half animal, half man, or woman.
All in all it's too much to really describe, so check out the pictures on the portfolio section of my site...
Jee-gan prung-nii na (see you tomorrow)
Please check out all the photos on my SE Asia Portfolio page available at NavaSwan.com