Bangkok: The Royal Palace

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The King of Thailand, apparently a much beloved figure to the people he rules, has a palace in the center of Bangkok.

We decided to visit it not because it was a touristy thing to check off, but more because it is a way of showing respect to the country that allowed us in. Also we wanted to rub elbows with a thousand Chinese tourists (oh wait, that was an unexpected bonus).

The palace itself is a giant compound. There is a large residence and a couple state buildings – but the real treasures are the ornately bejeweled and beautifully gaudy structures that rise up all over the place. These gleaming temples, shrines and tributes, impossibly decorated with countless encrusted jewels and gilded gold finishes are right next to each other inside the palatial perimeter. Each king from the 1700’s on has installed something new in the palace grounds – either a temple, shrine, or some other glittering edifice.

One of the kings wanted to relocate the ancient Khmer temple of Angor Wat (one of the wonders of the ancient world) and bring it to the palace – but that proved to be too difficult so he settled on a scale replica.

Optic overload, but also undeniably fascinating.

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At the Shrine of the Emerald Buddha (considered the most sacred Buddha Shrine in the whole country), Zephyr performed a ritual meant to bring honor to the Buddha and good luck to the person. It involved an offering of a pink lotus flower, a lighting of a candle and the burning of incense. Then you make a wish and place these tributes on the mantle in front of the shrine.

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After that, we removed our shoes and silently entered the shrine to see the sacred holy object. In a large room, sitting high above an assemblage of brassy iconography and golden religious statuary sat a rather small, unimpressive Jade Buddha. Not being a devotee myself, I was a little underwhelmed, but then I remembered Yoda who was also diminutive in stature but was a little ass-kicker nonetheless. Rock-on little green dude.

Another neat bit were the manicured trees about the palace. They were fairy-tale-esque, even whimsical, while also being very peaceful and meditative. Later on the drive down south, we passed a few nurseries that sold these very same shapely saplings.

It was alot to take in, especially with the heat, but pretty amazing all the same.