If you’re only in Bangkok one day you MUST see this, it is so amazing, the photos don’t do it justice, I have tried.
Notes on getting in to the palace etc: You will be told this but I will repeat it, if anyone tells you it’s closed don’t believe them. The tour guides touting for business just inside the first entrance seem to be good (I didn’t use one, I wanted to take photos and that just tends to annoy them). The audio guide (just after the ticket office (ticket is 500b)) is quite OK although I just gave up and did my own thing. If you don’t want the guided tour then I would recommend the audio guide. There is one more scam I saw en route to home; some guy at the ferry pickup point (get the ferry from the sky train station to N9 and enter from there, about 30 minutes for 40b one way) anyway… the guy was telling some Americans they were not dress appropriately and he could help them. Me being me stopped and felt the need to explain to them they could borrow clothes at the palace and they would be OK (although I think the elephant print doesn’t suit anyone). The Thai guy didn’t look too happy, the American very politely thanked us both and departed away from the ferry and I held my tripod and marched off.
Photos……
This guy is apparently the father of Thai medicine.
I just love these blokes holding the tower up. There was something on the audio guide about this but… I gave up (not because the guide was crap, it was actually very good) but I was always taking too long in the spots and fogetting which number was next.
You point the camera anywhere and there is something else to take a photo of. All gold and all amazing.
The pillars around the main temple were all decorated to reflect the light through the day (I was listening to the guide for this). I don’t use this word often, it was awesome .
These where around the middle of the temple . Each would have been carved and decorated by hand. In the temple is a jade Buddha which gets his clothes changed three times a year. When you see all the decorations around the Buddha you will understand why that is amazing, no idea how they get the (i I think) king up there to change the little fella’s clothes.
Bright sunlight is not the best time to take photos but this just floated my boat.