Thailand: Grand Palace & Wat Phra Kaew

After our morning at Wat Po, we walked next door to the Grand Palace.  Next door being a rough estimate, it was really a fifteen minute walk.  We only had a few minutes before they closed, so we went straight to Wat Phra Kaew, the temple in the Grand Palace compound and home to the Emerald Buddha.  This Buddha, which is actually jadeite and not emerald, is clothed in seasonal robes.  These robes are changed by the king three times a year, to correspond to summer, winter, and the rainy season.  Photos weren't allowed inside the temple, so just imagine a small, green Buddha statue set atop a massive gold pedestal.  The statue itself might have been minuscule compared to the Reclining Buddha, but the overall image was equally impressive. Following our visit to the temple, we walked through the grounds by the Grand Palace.  The royal family lived here up until 1946, when they moved to another palace nearby.