WAT PHRA KAEW AGAIN!

BACK TO THE THAI GRAND PALACE - FEBRUARY 1997

The first time I was in Bangkok and in the Grand Palace was in 1983, with Guida and on holiday. This time I returned alone for a meeting, but got some time off to get back to the magnificent palace!


"THE WALL - The palace, erected by Rama I, has an area of 218,400 sq. metres and is surrounded by 1900 metres of walls built in 1782, when Bangkok was founded. Within the walls we find the Royal Chapel of the Emerald Buddha, as well as government offices and royal residences, nowadays used only for occasional ceremonial purposes. The Grand Palace adjoins Wat Phra Kaew in a common compound, but despite the proximity, there's a contrast between the Thai style of the Wat Phra Kaew and the European design of the Grand Palace (with the exception of the roof)"


"TEMPLE"


"KINAREE - Mythological creature, half bird, half woman"




"THE COMPLEX consists of over 100 brightly coloured buildings, golden spires and glittering mosaics... and thousands of tourists!"



"CHAPEL OF THE EMERALD BUDDHA - Wat Phra Kaew is Thailand's most sacred temple. It houses the little (between 60 and 75 cm) Emerald Buddha, which is located inside a glass box, high above the heads of the worshippers and tourists. The statue isn't actually made of emerald but rather of green jade"




"GIANTS -A cloister surrounds the temple, and depicted along is an extensive mural of the Ramakian, the Thai version of the famous Indian epic, the Ramayana"



"GARDENS, TREES and the Chakri Mahaprasad Hall"