great grand daddy

grand palace & temple of the emerald buddha

here comes the requisite grand palace post. since the grand palace is on almost everyone's tourist check-off list, here are my 2 cents (or 2 salung).

grand palace. we have nothing of this scale in the west. for some reason, it's more grand from a distance than up close, but it's beautiful and stunning nonetheless. if you want to know more of the history of the grand palace, here's a little history article.there are several buildings that make up the campus, the most notable being the temple of the emerald buddha (wat pra kaew) and the grand palace hall (chakri maha prasat). it demonstrates so much of thai culture and mentality in the layout and architecture. for one, this former political center has a temple as one of its main features, pointing to thais' nationalist buddhism. also interesting is the grand palace hall, built in european style, illustrating thailand's history of initiating diplomacy with the west and subsequently avoiding western imperialism. i suggest getting either a guidebook or hiring a guide there (perhaps a couple hundred baht, you can bargain) - it makes it so much more interesting. unlike historic sites in the west, the grand palace doesn't have too much in the way of informational and educational signs. the walls of some of the buildings are beautifully decorated murals of thailand's history and buddha's life(s). be prepared for intricate detail and lots of gooooold.

if you're a foreigner, the entrance fee costs you 300B, but also gets you into the vimanmek royal teakwood mansion (formerly dusit palace) the same day. free if you're thai.
appropriate dress: if you're skanky (or wearing something sleeveless or above the knee), you'll have to borrow (with cash deposit) some of their clothing to wear over your daisy dukes.
hours: 8:30-3:30
*watch out for scammers telling you it's closed and trying to take you to some other sites.