2017-11 Grand Palace (Bangkok, Thailand)

My first attempt at the Grand Palace didn't end up materializing. It was the royal ceremony of the changing of the Emerald Buddha's costume from the rainy to winter season. In Thailand, there are three seasons: hot, rainy and winter. November 4th just happened to be the day of the robe change.

Grand Palace

My second attempt was more successful, participating in the Urban Adventures Temple and River Kings tour. The benefit of the tour is that our guide left us to take photos within the welcoming area of the Grand Palace while he went off to purchase our entrance tickets. He also got us through shorter lines for entrance as well as providing background on the different monuments.

Exterior of the Emerald Buddha temple

Fortunately, we were now able to see the Emerald Buddha, even if we couldn't take photos of it. It is a petite 26 inches tall; and, it's actually made of jade. We had to leave our shoes outside of this temple to enter.

In fact, the Grand Palace has the strictest dress code of all. No shorts allowed. For the one guy who had shown up to the tour in shorts, our guide, quickly pointed him to 100 baht "elephant pants". For women, long pants or a long skirt is required. It needs to cover one's ankles. Shoulders must be covered for both men and women.

A giant demon gaurdian

Yet, you don't want to miss a chance to visit this complex. It is extensive! Even walking to get to the entrance was over a kilometer plus what seemed like another 1/2 kilometer to get to the ticket booth. Once inside, we saw the gigantic "giants" that had been mentioned in Wat Pho. These are demon guardians.

Golden stuppa

We also saw a giant stuppa covered in gold leaf. This was built by King Rama V; and, he had the gold leaf imported from Italy. Another iconic piece is a model replica of Angkor Wat. Angkor Wat was part of the kingdom of Siam from the 15th-19th centuries.

Model of Angkor Wat

Quick notes:
- dress appropriately: shoulders covered, no shorts, women need to cover their ankles
- 500 baht entrance fee
- have a back-up day in case your first choice is closed for a ceremony