We got up and headed to the Grand Palace. We did not realize that you could not wear shorts onto the grounds, so we had to rent "pants" from one of the vendors exploiting the tourists (I say exploit, but it only cost about $0.50 to rent the pants). I guess it made the experience a little different. Heather's long skirt was a lot more fashionable than the pants I was provided.
The Grand Palace is a complex of buildings that housed the Kings of Siam/Thailand since the late 1700's up until 1925. Now it is only used for official events. The compound includes the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, which houses, surprisingly enough, the Emerald Buddha, a 26 inch tall Buddha actually made of a single Jade stone. Only the King is allowed to ever touch it, and he does so, changing the cloak around the statue three times a year in an official ceremony designed to bring good luck to Thailand.
After our visit to the Grand Palace, we walked to the docks for a boat ride down the Chao Phraya river, including a stop off at Wat Arun. With Sophie held tightly in Heather's arms (plus the hip hammock) and Ryan by my side (Katie and Ashley were effectively on their own), we all braved the steep steps to the top of the Temple. These stairs were VERY steep and required a tight grasp to the hand rails, both on the way up as well as the way down. But it was worth the danger, as the view was fantastic from there.
Once we were back on dry land, we walked from the river dock to the Wat Pho, or Temple of the Reclining Buddha. Wat Pho is named after the monastery in India that Buddha was supposed to have lived. The reclining Buddha, the largest reclining Buddha in the world, is 15 meters high and 43 meters long, as the Buddha statue lays horizontal to the ground and is enclosed in a small temple.
After visiting Wat Pho, we were done for the day.
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