MangoVine - The Grand Palace and Temple of the Emerald Buddha in Bangkok

03 December, 2009
Thursday

The Grand Palace was one of those landmark attractions that we had to see in Bangkok. Offering a taste of some gloriously traditional Thai design and architecture, its apparently one of the most photographed spots in the city.

Grand-Palace1

It houses the royal residence and throne halls as well as some government offices and the renowned Temple of the Emerald Buddha.

Since there was no skytrain or metro station near the Palace, Linh and I got there with a taxi from the nearest station. It still took more than half an hour, although our taxi driver wasn't initially sure where we wanted to get to.

Grand-Palace2

Unscrupulous Tuk-Tuk Touts

Outside the gates to the main entrance of The Grand Palace, there were plenty of tuk-tuk drivers trying to snag tourist fares. We read that some unscrupulous touts outside tourist attractions would claim that the place was closed and then offer to take tourists on a shopping trip that would invariably lead to shops where they'd earn commission and or where tourists would be ripped off.

At the Grand Palace gates, being able to look right into the grounds and see all the crowds, it was obvious that the place was open. However, I also remembered that tuk-tuk drivers here would try to get fares to the nearby Wat Pho and charge an arm and a leg for it. Tourists most likely plan to visit both The Grand Palace and Wat Pho on the same day, but where tuk-tuk drivers would claim they're a fair distance apart, a short walk around the corner would easily take you there.

The Grand Palace and Temple of the Emerald Buddha

Not all parts of The Grand Palace were accessible to the public, but there was still a multitude of buildings to look around and there was a rough path to follow which takes visitors past them. Here's what we saw.

Grand-Palace3