Thailand Travel JournalNovember 4th |
Exploring Bangkok, Nov 5thThe room was comfortable but the air conditioning was a bit much. Cold air blowing on us all night, and the windows would not open. It was very hot in the corridors of the hotel. We had a nice breakfast at the hotel in the morning. At the hotel we arranged to take a guided tour of the Grand Palace and the Wat Phra Kaew, home of the Emerald Bhudda. This is a must see if you are in Bangkok. The ride downtown was interesting. The temples are beautiful and so well kept up. Thailand is 95% Buddhist. The architecture of the temples is so different from Nepal. I wish I knew more about the difference in the religion of the two countries. One of the women in the group, had on shorts and open heel sandals. This is a no no to go into the area of the Grand Palace. She was given a sarong type skirt and a pair of slipper like shoes to put on. I also had on sandals but they had a strap around my heel and this was acceptable. We went into the temple where the Emerald Buddha was enshrined. Had to take off our shoes and sit on cushions with our feet pointing away from the Buddha. The Buddha has a robe for each of the three seasons and the King comes to change them himself at the beginning of each season. The Buddha image is not very large and is placed high above the heads of the worshippers. On the way back we were taken to a store where they made and sold jewelry. Many lovely gold and silver pieces and jewels. Very hot on the streets. |