day fifty-five: november 23, 2015: grand palace + wat pho
Before catching a flight to Chiang Mai, we spent the day exploring the Grand Palace and Wat Pho with Kristina.
Urai and Taya told us to go as early as possible to avoid the crowds and the heat. We took a boat up the Chao Phraya River to the Grand Palace. If you go, don't wear a tank top or shorts. There is a very strict dress code and they have clothes for rent, if you don't meet the guidelines. You are required to leave a 200 baht deposit, which is returned when we return the clothes.
The Grand Palace consists of a number of different buildings, halls, pavilions and the official residence of the Kings of Siam since 1782. Once you enter the grounds, it was not hard to get sensory overload, in a good way. There was amazing architecture and detail everywhere you looked.
Along the periphery of areas of the complex were extremely detailed paintings depicting the story of Rama.
We walked over to Wat Pho, which houses one of the largest indoor reclining Buddhas. And, WOW. It was gi-normous! This image of the reclining Buddha represents the entry of Buddha into Nirvana and the end of all reincarnations. The statue is 45 feet high and 138 feet long.
After a relaxed lunch at the Deck by the River, we took a cab back to our hotel to pick up our bags and headed to the airport.
