Thursday, March 15, 2018

2018 Grand World Voyage, Day 69, Bangkok, Thailand (Part 2 of 2)































































Today, we were dropped off across from the Golden Palace in a sea of tourists doing exactly what we were...with our guide Vee leading the charge we weaved in and out of the crowds to make our way into the Golden Palace as soon as the doors opened and before the masses....success! The Golden Palace and all its buildings are brilliantly colored, gilded and decorated with intricate details...the main temple building in the palace complex is the Wat Pra Kaew or the Temple of the Emerald Buddha one of the most revered objects in Thailand...17 inches in height this Buddha is carved from a solid piece of Jade. We left the palace grounds and walked to the Chang Pier to take a long boat cruise through the Thonburi Klong (canals) and the Chao Phraya River...among the best ways to see Bangkok is by boat...you get a serene view of the river-view dwellers revealing scenes at odds with the bustling modern city...this view has earned a Bangkok the title of Venice of the East. We stopped at the Wat Arun or Temple of Dawn, one of the most attractive temples in Bangkok, I was very disappointed they have stopped visitors from climbing the steps for a wonderful view over the river. Next we took a ferry across the Chao Phraya to meet our driver. We decided to eat lunch early to avoid the crowds....another great Thai lunch in a restaurant directly across the street from Wat Po....Wat Po known as the Temple of the largest Reclining Buddha and the city’s largest and oldest temple. Next, we made our way to the Wat Traimit or the Golden Buddha, a striking 5 ton figure of solid gold. We made our way to Wat Suthat with the Giant Swing outside...onto the Wat Sakai Golden Mount, climbing 344 steps to the top for nice views of the city and to the final temple of the day, Wat Benchamabophit, a modern temple constructed of white Carrara marble. Our driver stopped at Patpong Market for us...checked out a few stores...too early in the day for shopping and the entertainment. We certainly covered a lot of territory today in the Bangkok heat and humidity but we enjoyed every moment...we had another great Thai dinner.

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