Day 317: Grand Palace and Wat Pho

Take two for Grand Palace and Wat Pho. We dressed in long pants and arrived 15 minutes before opening to beat the crowds and heat. 10/10 solid decision. We flew through ticket purchase and started touring the palace at 8:30.

We spent majority of the time studying a huge mural that lines the walls; it’s a painting but they placed gold flakes on certain characters to create beautiful imagery. There are 143 different stories depicted across the mural.

The Grand Palace included the Green Emerald Buddha and the previous King’s home before he moved out of Bangkok. The whole place was extravagant and maximalist. Tiles, characters, statues, and patterned ceilings everywhere.

After lunch, we visited Buddhist Temple Wat Pho which houses the famous reclining Buddha. The reclining Buddha is a depiction of achieving Nirvana; we wish we could recline as hard as he did in this heat. The Buddhist temple also contained a water garden, Buddha with Naga, and our favorite: air conditioned Buddha with a place to sit. There was also a museum on Thai massages and the history/science behind the practice.

We outlasted the heat for the 5 hours and hiked our way back to the apartment for naps. Emerged for sushi and beer for dinner and reclused back home for more sleep. When did we get so old?

Food:
Meatball noodle soup
Sushi
Gyoza soup

Spots:
Grand Palace
Wat PhoRead more