Tourist Attractions in Bangkok

During my first week I toured Bangkok’s most famous landmarks such as Grand Palace and Wat Phra Kaew.

Built in 1782 as a royal residence and home to the Emerald Buddha, Thailand's most sacred image. That was the year King Rama I, the first of the Chakri dynasty, moved the capital of Siam to Bangkok. The Grand Palace is nowadays used only for occasional ceremonial purposes and is no longer the royal residence.

This is the legend of the Ramakien. It is the Thai version of Ramayana, an ancient tale from India. Written more than 2,000 years ago by the Sanskrit poet Valmiki, the Ramayana is the story of the Hindu god Vishnu and his 7th incarnation as Rama, the prince and king of Ayodhya. I'm not quite sure how the Thai version is different, but it was really cool because it was written in Sanskrit!




Wat Phra Kaew or the Temple of the Emerald is considered the most important Buddhist temple in Thailand. Located in the historic center of Bangkok and within the ground of Grand palace, it protects the Emerald Buddha. This is a Buddha image carved from a single block of jade.







I was not suppose to take this picture but this is the Emerald Buddha. The Buddha figure is raised high on a series of platforms, no one is allowed near the Buddha except the King. A seasonal gear, changed three times a year to correspond to the summer, winter, and rainy season covers the statue. The changing of the robes is a very important ritual to Thais and performed only by the King to bring good fortune to the country each season. Currently the Emerald Buddha is sporting his winter gear.



Thep Kinnanorn or Kinnanorn is the male counter part of Thep Kinnaree. The creature has the upper body of a human and the lower body of a Hongsa. His form is often seen in sculpture, traditional architectures, and temple murals.
















After visiting Grand Palace we took a boat tour around the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok.






We could see the fishes in the river. We fed them bread!



We stopped by this temple along the way.


After stopping for lunch we went to Vimanmek Mansion, which is the world’s largest golden teakwood mansion with its elaborate architectural style reflecting a western influence. This mansion was built for King Rama V, who moved into the house in 1901 from Grand Palace. The building has two right-angled wings and it has three-storied except for the part where King Rama V resided, which is octagonal and four-storied. Although the ground floor is brick and cement,the upper floors are built from golden teakwood. Altogether there are 31 exhibition rooms, with the bedrooms, the throne room and bathrooms. Some exhibitions include collections from many different countries including China and England. I don't have any pictures since no one is allowed to take any pictures inside the mansion.