I purposely put off sightseeing in the city because I knew a friend from the States would be visiting in February. I decided to wait to check out the city with her.
The defining physical feature of the city is the Chao Praya river. Millions of people live, work or commute on the river. We took the ferry from where we were staying (Silom, the financial district) to the Royal Palace.
It is, literally, a place fit for a king. The king doesn't live here, however. He moved into another palace after his brother -- who would have been king -- was found shot to death here in 1946. The 'case', for lack of a better term, has never been solved. You absolutely, positively do NOT mention the subject in Thailand.
The palace is a huge, sprawling complex, an ostentatious and display of both wealth and reverence for the Buddha. The grounds are a maze of temples and monuments so lavishly decorated that it's hard for the eyes and brain to process it all.
As soon as you enter you are greeted with a riot of colors and shapes.
Look at how much effort goes into maintaining the trees that line the walkways.
Among the buildings is the most sacred temple in Thailand, Wat Phra Kaew, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. The temple houses a highly-prized sculpture of the Buddha (which is actually made of jade) which has bounced around Southeast Asia for centuries. Both Laos and Cambodia claim to be its rightful resting place.
Taking photos within the temple is forbidden so here's a blurry shot of the statue from just outside the door.
The statue has three official sets of clothing, for summer, winter and going to the gym. The image is so revered that the king himself attends the ceremony during which the clothes are changed.
The Thais and Khmers have been at each others' throats for centuries. Thais tend to look down on their Cambodian neighbors as being a bit coarse, so it's a bit of a sticking point that the biggest tourist attraction in Southeast Asia and one of the world's most awesome architectural monuments is in Cambodia. (I've seen the ruins of the Thai kingdoms, and they're like outhouses by comparison.)
So, apropos of nothing, there's a giant model of Angkor Wat in the Palace.
From there we went to Wat Pho, the largest temple in Bangkok. It is also known as Wat Phra Chetuphon, or Temple of the Reclining Buddha, because of an enormous, breathtaking statue. The tourist standing to the left of the statue gives some idea of the scale.
It's 46 meters long, 15 meters high and is covered in gold plating, except for the eyes and soles of the feet, which are covered in mother of pearl. When you try to squeeze yourself and it into a picture you begin to understand how big it is.
You can also get a massage on the grounds, which seemed a bit shocking, until you realize that the temple is also believed to be the birthplace of traditional art of Thai massage. No 'happy ending' here...
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