The tour books all say that the one "must-see" sight in Bangkok is the Grand Palace -- and I do agree with them -- it's quite the dazzling, spectacular sight.
The palace was built in the late 1700s and for 150 years it was the home of the Thai King (note: Thailand still has a King/Queen -- similar to England, they are only figureheads -- although you see their pictures up all over the place. The current king is 81 and has been in the hospital for the past month or so -- there was an area on the palace grounds where Thai people could sign a get-well book for the king).
The palace is still used for ceremonial functions and when other heads-of-state visit Thailand. Most of the buildings are closed -- a couple of them are open only during the week. Can't take pictures inside any of them.
One of the most famous sights at the palace is the Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha) -- couldn't take pictures inside of the temple -- it holds a small / very famous / very revered Emerald Buddha (actually made out of jade) that dates back to the 14th century. The robes on the Buddha are changed with the seasons by the King (the buddha is wearing its winter robe now).
Here's a link to the so-called Emerald Buddha.
ReplyDeletehttp://upload.wikipedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/5f/Emerald_budha2.jpg