A GRAND Palace Adventure

INTERNATIONAL DESTINATIONS, SOLO TRAVEL, Thailand

After a few days of living a pretty normal life in BKK, it was time to get touristy! On Friday, I set off to hit one of the places that I missed on my first trip to Thailand and have thought about since: The Grand Palace!

I used the BTS and Tourist Boat to get there, full details and some pics from that here.

By the time I entered the Grand Palace, I was hot, sweaty, hungry, and not enthused about the number of people rushing about virtually all with iphones and cameras out (present company included). I knew it was going to be very touristy but I hadn’t quite expected it to feel quite so cramped. I resisted the urge to rush around and instead took my time viewing the grounds and taking time to note some of the interesting small details. I am glad I did.

My tourist uniform.

I was glad that no photos were allowed in Wat Phra Kaew temple, the one with the emerald Buddha that is considered to be the most sacred temple in Thailand. A photo prohibition for the entire Grand Palace might not be a bad idea. It could weed out a few people who just want to get the shot and it would make it easier to take in how grand what is around you really is.

But since there isn’t such a policy, and I enjoy taking photos, I took a number of them! I made sure to stop after a point and just enjoy what I was taking in. I think it’s easy to get too wrapped up in capturing the moment and forget to live in the moment.

There were also quite a large number of mourners of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej who were dressed in all black, many with silver pins of some type on.

I don’t feel a desire to go back to the Grand Palace anytime soon but I’m still glad I went. I also feel lucky that it was open when I did since it had been closed for a while out of respect during the official mourning period for His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej (info on that here)

I’d def. recommend a visit to the Grand Palace with the caveat that you should just expect that it is going to be a very touristy venture so just do what you can to make it your own.

Here are some mo’ photos: