Following breakfast we headed to the Grand Palace & Emerald Buddha Temple. The Grand Palace dates back to the late 18th century and was the home of king of Siam then later the king of Thailand. It's central location in the heart of Bangkok makes it very easy for people to visit. It consists of many buildings and pavilions interspersed with gardens and courtyards. Included in the palace complex is the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. Housed inside is the Emerald Buddha which was carved from a single piece of jade and is considered to be the religious symbol of Thailand. Gold covering many of the structures in the Palace complex The attention to detail and beauty is quite apparent Walking all over the Palace complex you gain an appreciation for the gold inlays and very intricate workmanship throughout. Going into the temple you of course had to remove your shoes and hats as a show of respect. Guarding the entrance to the Temple The craftsmanship was just amazing Some examples of the very intricate art work inside The happy couple surrounded by gold, its good to be the King We walked past the Kings residence as our visit concluded Leaving the temple complex we headed over to see the Reclining Buddha. It was maybe a 10 minute walk to reach the Reclining Buddha temple complex. Just outside the entrance we saw a local vendor selling little Buddha statues. What was interesting was that our tour manager Ray has known this person for more than 30 years. I bought 2 little buddha's from him. The temple of the Reclining Buddha is one of the largest temple complexes in Bangkok and is well known for the 46 meter long Reclining Buddha statue that is covered in gold leaf. Some of the ashes of King Rama I who commissioned the building of this temple are enshrined there. The temple contains the largest collection of Buddha images in Thailand including the huge Reclining Buddha. The face of the Reclining Buddha The Reclining Buddha from a different angle A few of the images inside the temple complex A few of the other Buddha images inside the Temple complex Our tour manager showing us the many Buddha's outside the temple but within the complex The small buddha statues I bought Finishing our visit we went for a very nice lunch before returning to our hotel. The rest of the day was our's. After relaxing a bit at the hotel's pool we had dinner then decided to go and see the night market. We got on a shuttle boat and made our way to it. The night market as we approached in the water shuttle This whole pig was ready to be served, YUM The night market wasn't anything really so much so we took a shuttle boat back to the hotel after about an hour or so. We took a few pictures outside the hotel overlooking the river before going to our room. One of the two outdoor pools at our hotel Shortly after going to our room a huge fireworks display began right over the river. We had a perfect view from our balcony. Some images of the fireworks display. It went on for almost 20 minutes. Next time we visit the famous Damnoen Saduak Floating Market
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