We had a dress code to adhere to for this cultural activity, so I wore a nicer shirt and dress slacks, all of which were really complimented by my busted looking tennis shoes, but whatever.(also, FYI, all of these images shall be extra large, to give you as close of a sensation to actually being there as possible.)
Benzy-Benz dropped us off in front of the palace where our guide Tic Tac met us. Tic Tac is just the sweetest man, and truly fit into the Thai concept of making everyone feel like family. I only got one photo of him on my phone but I think it may end up being a favorite. It just seems to capture him to me.
So, from the moment we got out of the car to the moment we got back in, we were surrounded by people. The palace was packed with visiting Chinese tour groups, and while I wouldn't say they contributed to the trip, I wouldn't necessarily say they ruined it either.
From the minute you enter the gates, you're greeted by these three amazing buildings. They're just gigantic, and the sheer detail of the place basically stimulated all the senses.
The far left one, the golden bell, still houses a relic of the Buddha I believe, and mmm... Either the far one or the middle houses the Emerald Buddha, I can't remember off the bat. Ill have to look it up.
The palace has areas still used for ceremony events by the king and or his family, so it was neat to see where these events would take place.
Everything was sparkling, either with gold leaf or mosaic inlaid glass.
Once again I was wondering about the extent of Hindu gods in Buddhist temples.
Tic Tac also took us through the museum prior to entry, which was interesting because the knowledge from there helped to make the palace and temple more interesting.
One thing I did not know was that the Emerald Buddha actually has three different outfits. One for dry season, one for cool, and one for the rainy season. Apparently the king himself usually climbs the stairs and changes the outfit on the Buddha, however last year I believe it was his brother. I didn't get any photos from this area as you're not allowed to take photos in the temple, and my phone doesn't zoom well.
A few more photos from the Palace:
This building was interesting. Due to his time spent in Europe, King Rama the ...4th? 5th? (Will check later) was really into European architecture and wanted to bring it back to Thailand to build in their palace. It was a family member who suggested keeping the roof Thai, and the result is this beautiful building within the Palace complex.
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