Day 22- Bangkok

Up with the sun for a full day of Bangkok.  We had initially planned way too much, and over a massive breakfast at the hotel, decided to stick to one small area and see how it went. 

The easiest way to travel in Bangkok is by water taxi/ferry.  There was a station right near our hotel, and we hopped  (literally, we didn’t understand the attendant’s instructions-he wanted us to wait for the next ferry) on board, cutting it close; the Chao Phraya River didn’t look all that inviting for a swim.  We headed north for our first stop, the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaeo.

The ferries move along pretty quickly and if you are trying to get off or on at a less popular spot, I’m not kidding, they slow down and you jump off. 

Fortunately for us, The Grand Palace stop was a major tourist destination. 

After disembarking, we had to pass through a gauntlet of sidewalk vendors

Before we emerged onto a major thoroughfare and the walls of the Grand Palace.

The palace construction began in 1782 when the capital was moved here by the King of Siam.  It was to be the residence of the royal family as well as the resting place for the sacred emerald Buddha (Phra Kaeon).

The walls of the palace extend  about ½ mile and the compound was a self sufficient city.  The royal family now lives in Dusit, but Wat Phra Kaeon continues as the holiest site in Thailand.

                                   

We finally foiund the entrance and the ticket booth.  It was a bit disconcerting seeing a sign for a “special” line for tourists. 

The site was packed with school kids and busloads of tourists.  Taking photos and eliminating the hordes was going to be interesting.

As we walked into the Wat Phra Kaeo sub-complex of the Grand Palace, we felt like we were being transported into Oz.  Words cannot describe the opulence and the grandeur of the temples and shrines within these walls.  Gold leaf covered enormous domes and statues everywhere you turned.

The largest of these towers was the Phra Si Rattana Chedi containg Buddha’s sternum.

                                                 

The Bot of the Emerald Buddha, its home, is the most important building in the enclosure.  To enter, you must have knees and shoulders covered (we assumed other parts as well).  If you come unprepared, you are offered a chic modest dress that comes in dayglo lime green, or Dayglo lime green.  I think the Buddha would have preferred to see a bit of knee.

Photos were not permitted inside, and although tempted, I was good and respected their wishes.  The Buddha was pretty tiny, only 26 inches tall.  These are Google images I found.

The staircase of the entrance is guarded by stone lions, singhas.

The gateways to the complex are guarded by pairs of yakshas or demons. They are here to protect the Emerald Buddha from evil spirits.  They represent different characters from a Buddhist myth of Ramakien.  These ramakien figures

and Aponsis (half woman, half lion)

were found all over as decoration in smaller form.

The palace portion of the complex is quite tame compared to the religious portion.  It is now used only for special ceremonies.  Guards continue to stand at attention in front of the palace.

The Dusit throne hall is presently under renovation, but its grandeur is still evident.

The temperatures were well into the 90’s and we were starting to drag after exploring the palace.  We found a little snack bar and toilet (5 baht), and got revived on some Gator Ade and Hagen Daz.

Just around the corner was the Wat Pho, temple of the massive reclining Buddha.  At the time we didn’t realize that right around the corner for the Grand Palace was about a mile. 

On the way, we passed one of the oddest (and tasteless) traffic circles with pink elephants in a circle.

Also passed the Defense Ministry, and given the present state of affairs in Thailand, I though best not to take any photos of it.

We finally made it to Wat Pho.  Again, there was a separate line for foreigners.  Starting to get a complex.

After removing our shoes (I’m getting real good at tying my laces, finally), we entered the  wihan that houses the 150 ft. long Buddha in repose.

The feet of the Buddha are covered with mother of pearl images depicting the signs of a true Buddha.

Even the Buddha must have to use the john once in a while!

Inside the complex is a Bodhi Tree said to have grown from a cutting of a tree under which the Buddha meditated while in India.

Farang guards are found at the inner gates of the compound.  These are caricatures of Westerners, top hats and big noses.

This wat has always been a center for learning, and it houses a school for traditional Eastern medicine and massage.

 he southern walled compound, Tukgawee, is a working Buddhist monastery with monks in residence and a school. Outside the temple, the grounds contain 91 stupas or mounds, four halls and a bot (central shrine). 71 chedis of smaller size contains the ashes of the royal family, and 21 large ones contain the ashes of Buddha.

The outer cloister has images of 400 Buddhas out of the 1200 originally bought by king Rama V.

We were fast approaching 4pm and the limit for our Wat tolerance, so we decided to head back to the hotel for food and R&R.  We found the ferry station with some difficulty again having to wind our way through food stalls  of mostly unappetizing stuff. 

We got off the ferry one stop too early and had to find our way back to the hotel through a warren of small streets and alleys.  To make it more interesting, We seemed to be walking past every school in all of Bangkok, and they were all being dismissed right at that moment.  The streets were flooded with school kids of all ages.

We pressed on and using a combination of undecipherable maps, and luck ( I always say, “better lucky than good”), we emerged at the Shangri-La. 

We had planned Indian food tonight, but Jeri wasn't feeling great, so she slept, I ordered a pizza from room service, and Anne and Phil ate Italian in the hotel.  Hopefully, Jeri will be on the mend tomorrow. She thought it may have been ice in a drink last night. Jeri could not enjoy the beautiful sunset from our room, so believe it or not, I took some pictures so she could hopefully enjoy it at a later date.