Bangkok

Photos from Bangkok

The Grand Palace
This is a photo of the Grand Palace in Bangkok. The complex was built in 1782 by King Rama I on 218,000 square meters of land on the Chao Phraya River. Inside the complex is Wat Phra Rattanasatsadaram, Temple of the Emerald Buddha" (in the building to the right of the Golden Pagoda). The Temple of the Emerald Buddha is the most sacred structure in the Kingdom and the repository of the spirit for all Thai people. The Emerald Buddha was carved from jade in the fifteenth century.




Long Tail Boat in the Chao Phraya River
Eoy and I stayed in the Bangkok Marriot Resort and Spa. Each day, we took a 15 minute water taxi ride from the resort across the river to Sathorn (Taksin) Bridge Pier. The first day we took a boat up the river to the Grand Palace and Wat Pho. The next day we took the Skytrain from Sathorn to Mo Chit station to visit the Chatuchak Weekend Market. This market is huge! It covers 35 acres with 15,000 shops and stalls. On a typical weekend, over 200,000 people will visit the market. It is impossible to go through the entire market in one day.

Returning to the hotel one afternoon, I noticed this long boat at the Sathorn Bridge Pier. A ride in a long tail boat is an unforgettable experience -- The boat is powered by a car engine and run up and down the river quickly.


Waiting for the Marriott water taxi one morning, I noticed the bee in the flower on the pier. I really like this picture!