Lightnings flashed and thunder filled the whole sky. The monks in a northern Thailand province were bewildered to find one of their monuments struck by the lighning. Looking closely to this chedi, they discovered a Buddha statue covered with plaster inside it. The monks took the statue quickly and brought it to the abbot's residence where it was safely kept.
Days after the incident, the abbot suddenly espied that the stucco on the Buddha's nose had flaked off. He took a good look at it and saw a green image beneath. He removed carefully all the stucco that covered it --- He was stunned to see that the Buddha statue was green!
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| The Emerald Buddha |
In 2006 when Tommy and I had our second honeymoon trip in Thailand. We booked our trip with an agency and had a perfect plan of spending our 5 days 4 nights with a group of newly weds (I was in my 7th month with Chloe that time so it would be really hard not to have plans at all). The Grand palace was actually in our itinerary on the last day but for some practical reasons when we were asked to choose between getting a two-hour luxury foot massage or touring the Grand Palace on a bright, scorching November afternoon, majority of our group members chose the former. I couldn't blame them since we were all tired after days of roaming around the city.
What I meant in my story was, perhaps that was a sign that I would come back someday in Thailand. Before leaving Bangkok five years ago, Tommy told me not to feel sorry for not seeing The Grand Palace since we could go back again to see it some other time. Who would have really thought that we would be living here after a few years?
So, after a day's rest from our escapade to Bang Pa-In, the day that I've been waiting for had come. The Grand Palace, as grand as its name, stood mightily in the heart of Bangkok... waiting for my return. (Hah!)
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| The Phra Siratana Chedi (The Golden Chedi) and The Temple Guard |
I couldn't resist but to admire the seemingly intricate details of each eddifices found inside the palace. And our dear Chloe couldn't resist taking pictures with them, too!
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| The Naga (Serpent) Stairs at Phra Mondop |
The Grand Palace consists of not only the Royal Residence, but also the renowned Temple of the Emerald Buddha, and some government offices as well.
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| The Chakri Maha Prasat Hall behind us |
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| Tommy busy browsing the map |
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| The Lotus Flower Blessing |
Just a few reminders:
* Entrance fee: 400 Baht
* Visiting Hours: 8:30 ~ 16:30* Wear appropriate clothes (No short pants, sleeveless shirts, see-throughs)
* Wide brimmed hats and a bottle of COLD water are a must! (Remember to put on your sunblock too!)
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| Daddy's Little Hungry Girl Dinner Buffet at a Korean Restaurant |
Comments
P.S. Chloe looked damn cute in those shades.
Chloe's saying thank you. They are actually really kid's glasses (Porroro) that were bought by her dad as a gift from his last visit to Korea.