(which includes Wat Phra Kaew) and Wat Pho.We're not sure if it was the novelty factor of Thai architecture for us be we were totally blown away. The grounds of Wat Phra Kaew, or 'Temple of the Emerald Buddha' was a sight to behold. The architecture is amazing and the the buildings are lavishly decorated with glass mosaic, most of them in their entirety. The individuals fragments are no bigger than a square centimetre, and they cover a number of the buildings in their entirety. I could not help but wonder if someone ever did the math to estimate how many glass pieces there are; it must be in the millions.
Within the
main temple itself was, of course, the Emerald Buddha. Not imposing in size itself, the alter it was on was massive and incredibly ornate. Actually made of Jade, and though of no special pedigree, at one point it was covered up in plaster to conceal it from potential looters and forgotten. Only much later on, when it was accidentally chipped and the inner treasure revealed, did it attained the special significance it has today. Finally we went to Wat Pho, or Temple of the Reclining Buddha. The large temple building seemed to barely squeeze in the Buddha, which
is 46m long and 15m high. I found the expression of the Buddha very soothing (not sure if that's the right word, but the facial impression does strike the emotions in a way that's hard to describe.)We then took a water taxi back to our guesthouse, which was quite the experience: Chaos on water.
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