Imperial Palace & Golden Mount

We decided to start our day at the Imperial Palace, which includes the Grand Palace, a temple which holds the Emerald Buddha — one of the most sacred objects in Thailand. Our guide, Nok, told us that we had to start the day at Imperial Palace, because the crowds grew worse as it got later in the day. So, off we went.

As we arrived at Imperial Palace, we could see the crowds lining the streets in front of the compound. Hard to imagine that it got more crowded as the day wears on, as it was already a madhouse. According to our guide, most of the tourists are from China. All I can say is that the tourists were mostly Asian.

We made our way inside, pushing through the crowds — literally. The complex is stunning. It is part of the Imperial Palace, which includes the temple complex, the royal palace, governmental buildings, and grounds for the royal family to walk in. The temple complex includes the large temple in which the Emerald Buddha sits, a few large Stupa, and dozens of small stupa, statutes, etc.

We started by going in to see the Emerald Buddha, which is actually carved from a single piece of emerald green jade. The carving is approximately 2 feet in height, and sits on a very, very high pedestal, behind many golden statutes of Buddha. The carving is “dressed” in golden robes, which are changed three times a year by the King. (Only the king is allowed do dress the Emerald Buddha, and he does so by climbing a staircase behind the Buddha.) The changing of the clothing, and style of the clothing for the Buddha reflects the seasons.

Inside the complex are many other structures, most of which are covered with ceramic “tiles.” Apparently, at the time that this complex was being constructed, a ship carrying ceramic dishware arrived in port with most of its cargo broken. Rather than simply destroying the broken pieces, they decided to use them to decorate this complex, as well as Wat Pho (the temple which houses the Reclining Buddha). The decoration is quite stunning — intricate and colorful. Also, everywhere you look in the complex there are statutes of angels and devils, all of which are decorated in gold and painted in bright colors. There was so much to see that it was visually overwhelming. And, given the crowds, the whole experience was a little exhausting.

Our next stop was the Golden Mount, which is called Wat Saket. The temple is on a low hill, which is crowned with a gleaming golden Chedi. To reach the chedi, you climb up over 300 steps. Fortunately, the steps are pretty shallow, so the climb is easy. As you climb the steps, you go through a lovely garden, passing many prayer bells along the way. About half way up the mountain, you reach a large gong which you can ring either three of nine times — I opted for ringing it nine times. At the top of the hills is a huge Chedi, covered in golden, along with dozens and dozens of prayer bells. And, your reward for the climb is a stunning view of Bangkok.Read more