Last month, I was really lucky to have had the chance to visit Thailand with my friends. Even before visiting, when I think of Thailand, I think of the golden, bright and dazzling buildings, in particular the Grand Palace. Today, we'll be taking a visit to this building with so much heritage and history and see for ourselves one of the most extraordinary examples of Thai architecture to this day.
Even in Winter, the temperature in Thailand remains at a scorching 36 degrees C with very strong sunshine. Out of respect for the setting and of the recent passing of their King Bhumibol, I dressed in all black and full length trousers. The heat was nearly unbearable..
Many visitors came well prepared for the heat and brought their umbrellas to protect them from the sun. At the public square, we see many tourists waiting and queuing to enter the palace.
These are the imperial bodyguards which gaurd the entrance.
Upon entering the public square, you'll see this lovely sign post welcoming the visitors to the Grand Palace.
Because of the heat, there are many people resting underneath the shade. You'll also see quite a few monks taking a break too.
Next we'll go into this marvelous building complex. The view from afar really represents general impression of Thailand. A scene composed of blue skys, white clouds and behind the city wall, a plethora of buildings which literally stand out for their shining golden towers. This is the Grand Palace in a nutshell.
Many tour groups have chosen this spot to take a memorable photo.
Of course the queue for entrance tickets was also really long. The price for entry is 500 Baht which is about $14. You can also book these tickets online for a little less.
The entrance tickets to the Grand Palace also includes tickets to see the Reclining Buddha.
The Grand Palace was build in 1782 and from the 18th century to this day remains the Siam Kingdom's Imperial Palace and is also where the imperial family live. Therefore, it's status is held in high regard.
This is the entrance to the actual Palace.
Remember to pick up a guide map of the palace at the entrance. There are English, Chinese, Korean and Japanese versions.
The Jade Buddha Temple is one of the three major Buddhist temples in Thailand and accounts for one quarter the area of the Grand Palace. Just north of the Jade Buddha Temple there are three pagodas. From the pictures from right to left, we have the Ceylon-style golden relic pagoda, the Thai Tripitaka, and the Khmer Rouge Bailong Temple.
As we walk along the path from the entrance, we are first presented with this magnificent golden round tower which was originally used to store the Buddhist sternal relics.
Here's a photo with this golden masterpiece. Most of the gold on these buildings are gold leafs and not actual gold, that's not to say the building has lost any of it's grandeur.
The picture below shows the Tripitaka pagoda on the left, and on the right is the Bilong Temple which stands almost 40 meters high.
The Tripitaka was created by the Rama I.
Let's take a look at the buildings in more detail.
This is the very large and formidable Yaksha spirit King, in total there are 12 Yaksha spirit kings who protect the Jade Buddha Temple.
This blue roof building is the main hall of the Jade Buddha Temple. Visitors wishing to go inside must take off their shoes. Inside, the temple there is a beautiful statue of a Buddha carved from Jade and hence the name of the building. Unfortunately, no pictures are allowed, but it was very glorious and magnificent to see.
There is magnificent Siamese architecture everywhere.
The Golden Pagoda is propped up by 12 of the Yaksha spirit Kings.
On this day, there were also many local Thai people who came to pay homage and their respects to the late King.
On my way out, I saw a lot of guards sitting down taking a break. They must be on rotation since standing outside in the heat for so long must be very tiring!
This is the largest of the buildings in the Grand Palace and belongs to Victoria. The spires are pointy and cast a rich Thai style to it's designÂ