Hello everyone!
As I mentioned in my Wat Arun post, most of the photos from our Bangkok trip two years ago are now either totally gone because I cleaned my Google Photos or are still at my old laptop, which stopped working. I kept on delaying my posts and now I'm scrambling to save whatever's left from that trip. Even the memories have started to fade. What remains are the lasting impressions and the emotions evoked while exploring the complex of buildings in the heart of Bangkok.
As with any of my travel posts, I won't be sharing much about the information that could be easily found on the internet. Instead, I'll be focusing more on my perspective as I try my best to recall everything from that trip. Just like how I didn't realize that Wat Phra Kaew is commonly known as the Temple of Emerald Buddha and yet I struggled to locate that Emerald Buddha in my photos. I only have a photo outside of the temple that shows a very small Buddha statue inside. That's Emerald Buddha.
Here's the photo:
If you're hoping for a better shot, sadly, I don't have one. I remember taking photos inside the temple was not allowed. I might have snapped a few with my camera, but those photos are gone. I have another reason to go back to Bangkok and do the temple run again. Maybe next time, with more time and a better-planned itinerary.
So here's the context: Our two-years-younger selves were so naive to think that we can visit at least seven temples in a day, when in Grand Palace alone, it already took us almost half a day. We paid 700 Baht for the Grand Palace entrance fee, and we haven't fully explore the complex because we lacked the time to do so. We had other temples to visit in the itinerary. I'm not sure what the deal was at that time, but the normal entrance fee is only 500 Baht. Maybe our friend who booked the ticket included some exclusive tours that we never used. I never asked at the time because the idea of exploring the whole complex in just three hours meant we had to rush everything.
As Filipinos, taking a lot of photos is non-negotiable, so some things should be sacrificed, including skipping many of the important sections of the complex.
Upon arriving at the historical center of Bangkok and the outer court of Grand Palace, we had difficulty locating the entrance of complex and we even reached the monks' quarters on the far side of the complex. It was an ordeal, with the blistering heat of the sun and all the walking. We were already exhausted and we hadn't even reached the entrance of our first temple of the day.
Once we found the entrance, we immediately queued with the many visitors that day. There we realized that the complex was free for Thai citizens. If I were Thai, I would have visited the complex a lot. There were a lot of students having their field trip that day. Once we were inside, we witnessed a parade of soldiers. Someone in the crowd said that there's a much grander spectacle when there's changing of the guards, but we can't afford to wait for that so we immediately snaked our way to the temple.
From the outer court or even outside the complex, the golden stupa of Wat Phra Kaew already towers above the complex and serves as a guide for the tourists. If ever you're lost, just look for the golden stupa and that's where the temple is located. Although it's much smaller than Pha That Luang in Viantiane, it's still equally impressive especially with the intricate details up-close.
Zooming in the details of the temple revealed the intricacies of Thai handiwork. The painstaking manual installation of every single tile of the grand mosaic is so impressive that it made me feel that the entrance fee was completely worth it. From the floors to the walls to the ceiling, including those votive stupas, everything is covered with complex mosaic patterns.
Before I forget, Wat Phra Kaew is officially called Wat Phra Si Rattana Satsadaram and is considered as the most sacred Buddhist temple in Thailand. I think I don't need to say more and just let the photos speak for themselves.
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I mean look at the details:
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No surface is spared:
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I guess that's all for this post! I'll leave you with my favorite photo:
And of course, the proof of the visit.
Kim Ybañez
Welcome to Kim's small corner in Hive. He is a chemical engineer by profession but a blogger by passion. He is a wanderlust and an adventure seeker. Join his quests as he visits remote destinations, climbs mountains, tries new and exotic dishes, and explores his country (The Philippines). He's also a trying-hard photographer, so stay tuned as he shares his photos and his thought process while creating them.
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