Archive for March, 2007
Buddha Monk At Wat Traimit Temple Doing His Thing..
Posted by: | CommentsThis post may be slightly pointless but I had to include it on this blog purely because I had never seen a Buddha monk doing their thing in a temple before, especially with this one here at Wat Traimit Temple.
The monk wasn’t ‘working’ inside the temple (which I belief that most Monks do…) but he was busy working in a small shed like a guard house just outside the temple. There were loads of little tiny Buddhas around him and I didn’t dare ask him why it was the case. I hope that if you’re a Buddhist or from Thailand and understood why the monk did what he did then I’d love to hear from you and hoping that you could share some light to the whole Buddhist cultural norms….
I then walked a distance away from the monk and recorded this video, so he wouldn’t see me zooming in on him. Hehehehe
How The 5 Tons Solid Gold Buddha Was Found…
Posted by: | CommentsThe Golden Buddha wasn’t found in its original glory like it is now. Hundreds of years ago the Buddha was all covered up with cement and no one knew that the cement Buddha had a big Golden Buddha hidden in it until one of the pieces of the cement fell off.
The pieces of the cement or the Buddha’s ‘stone structure’ can be seen in this next video. My tour guide explained it in her own way so its up to you to really interpret what she was saying.. LOL…
The Worlds Biggest Golden Buddha – 5 Tons in Gold!
Posted by: | CommentsThe following day, the tour people brought me to visit some of the great temples of Bangkok. The first stop was this smallish temple called Wat Traimit – or in English – ‘The Temple of Golden Buddha’
For obvious reasons, the temple has 1 major focal tourist point and thats the Golden Buddha.
The Golden Buddha weighs over 5 tons and its all made in real solid gold and it’s huge! It was amazing. I was sure that it must have been really difficult to make it, particularly during those early days. Heres the video of the Golden Buddha (probably in 24K Gold 
)
and heres me with the Golden Buddha in the background
Traditional Thai (Siamese) Dance Performed In Public.
Posted by: | CommentsOh now before I forget, I must share with you this next video because I was quite sure that it would be of interest to so many people interested in visiting Thailand.
I found this group of traditional Thai dancers at the Erawan Shrine while I was walking away looking for my dinner in Siam (which is at the Ratchaprasong intersection of Ratchadamri Road in Pathum Wan district and an area where you can find a ton of shopping malls) and I thought that it was very interesting to see so I recorded it. They were wearing the Siamese traditional gear and all were dancing away in the temple.
You can also watch the mad traffic next to the temple. I just had to tape it 
This Jade Buddha Is Huge!
Posted by: | CommentsI then walked towards another temple that had a huge Jade Buddha in it. I’d been told that its one of the biggest Buddha that was made in Jade. So I guess it has great £$$ value
The Jade Buddha in the video below may look slightly tiny as I took the whole thing through the door looking in from the outside. The people inside the temple didn’t allow me to record any videos inside the building, so I guess what I did here is semi- illegal. Hehehe
Here you go…
Picture below is not that overly clear. But I did my best
This next video will show one of my favourite bits in the palace and that was the park. I thought it was a really beautiful sight and it reminded me of the Palace’s gardens in Tokyo. The trees there looked more like bigger version of Bonsai trees and well ‘manicured’. Hence, why I liked the gardens here.
Also, you can also see some of the official buildings where the current Thai King go to entertain his guests. Have a watch…
and this is me again with the Palace in the background. I then left the Palace and headed back into the hotel. Had a quick rest and wandered about in the streets of Bangkok. More exciting tours tomorrow
More Surprises At Bangkok Palace
Posted by: | CommentsI was pleasantly surprised when I got to see a real smaller version / model of Angkor Wat. I had always wanted to see it but didn’t get the chance to get there so seeing a real smaller sized version of Angkor Wat in Bangkok Palace was a real treat. I didn’t quite get the idea on why they have a model of Angkor Wat in Bangkok Palace but hey, I ain’t complaining probably its the Buddhist thing…
… and here is the video of the Angkor Wat model..
Each Thai kings have their own unique emblem and that acts as a signature to their rule and in the next video, you get to see the royal emblem from the previous Thai rulers. Most of them were the Ramas.
and more great pictures..
You can watch the fabulous Buddha temples and its surrounding buildings in this next video..
Bangkok Palace At Its Best!
Posted by: | CommentsI had my well deserved rest from last night and I was ready for my first tour of the day and that was a trip to Bangkok Palace.
I had already booked a bus loads of tours yesterday for each day that I was here. I just couldn’t be asked going and venturing things on my own particularly after the bad traffic experience and being stuck in the cab for hours on end which I had to endure upon my arrival here in Bangkok…so never again. Precaution is always great. Hehe
Anyway, I hired a tour guide to take me to Bangkok Palace. This time, I preferred to hire a tour guide because I was certain that I would require a ton of questions that needed explanations especially with all the history and all. A big tour group would be very difficult to really grasp all the important information so I was sure that the decision was good.
I arrived at Bangkok Palace just an hour before noon and the sun was already shining above our heads but despite all that, I could see a throng of tourists who were patiently queing to get into the palace. I could also see the golden pagodas from the outside gates of the palace. It was all really exciting.
Here is a picture of the cheeky me taken outside Bangkok Palace..
I saw a bunch of Thai Royal Palace Guards marching away and yes, for your sakes, I did captured the ‘marching moments’ on video.
No, it wasn’t really like the change of the guards at Buckingham Palace..well at least not yet…LOL…
Bangkok Palace did not let me down. It was truly an awesome sight. There were golden temples everywhere, beautiful pagodas and lots of Buddhas. Beautiful.
Here are some of the pictures that I took. I hope you like it.
and here are more pictures with me in it. Of course, I had to be in it
And here is a video excerpts with my helpful tour guide explaining things and the history of Bangkok Palace…
I think that’s it for now. I will continue with more pictures and videos in the second section for Bangkok Palace blog post. There are just too many pictures and videos to show. So..watch out for my next post shortly
