Royal Palace, Emerald Buddha and other attractions of Bangkok

Many tourists, arriving in Thailand, regard Bangkok exclusively as a staging point for travel to the coast or to the islands. But in vain, because in the capital of Thailand has something to see. In Bangkok, there are many temples worthy of admiration, palaces surprising with its architectural style, boldly skyrocketing skyscrapers, labyrinths of narrow ancient streets, canals, parks and chic shopping centers. But first things first.

First of all, you need to make a reservation: no old age in Bangkok you will not find. The city was founded in 1782 by King Rama I. When the Laotians attacked the north of the country and plundered the capital city of Ayutthaya, the king moved the capital of the kingdom of Siam to the banks of the Chaopraya River. And Bangkok, called the City of Angels, arose. And since the river in this place is poured into many sleeves, the first townspeople settled in houses on stilts, and along the streets-canals they moved by boat. Bangkok for a long time called "Asian Venice" - so similar was the way of life of the townspeople to the way of life in the Queen of the Adriatic. Therefore, the clones (channels) are in themselves the sights of Bangkok. Streets began to be paved only in the second half of the XIX century, but in the riverine area the clones remained. It is good to take a ride on them by public transport - a long boat, and watch the everyday life of the townspeople, who used to live in wooden houses on stilts. By the way, on the boat you can get to the Bo Bae market.

The main attractions of Bangkok, as in all cities, are concentrated in its oldest part. In Bangkok, this is the Rattanakosin area. It can be recognized immediately by a huge accumulation of gold spiers of "Watts" (Buddhist temples-monasteries). Acquaintance with the old Bangkok is advised to begin with a visit to the Royal Palace. Although the royal family does not live here, nevertheless, out of respect for the king, it is required to follow the dress code: closed shoulders and knees. If you get out of the house wearing a T-shirt in straps or shorts, do not rush to buy shirts and trousers / skirts from the sellers crowding at the entrance: next to the cashier there is a rental room for proper clothing, where you can take the necessary item for free (only with bail). The palace is a whole complex of buildings, consisting of living quarters and pavilions, as well as from the most sacred temple of the country - Wat Phra Kaew. In it is a statue of the Emerald Buddha, made of a single piece of jade. The statue is not allowed to approach anyone except the king, who himself changes the Buddha's garment three times a year.

The following attractions of Bangkok - Wat Pho and a huge statue of the Reclining Buddha - are located near the Temple of the Emerald Buddha. Wat Pho is the oldest and largest temple in the city, and the figure of Buddha, 46 m long and 15 m high, covered with gold leaf, is impressive. At Wat Pho there is also the oldest school of massage. We advise you not to regret money and enjoy a professional massage here. Opposite Wat Pho, on the other bank of the river, is Wat Arun (the temple of the Morning Dawn). He has extremely beautiful spiers that look equally luxurious both at dawn, sunset, and night illumination. And in Wat Traimit there is the Golden Buddha - a statue of pure gold, which is more than 700 years old. This sculpture has a rather interesting story: in order to protect the statue from the Burmese attacks, it was covered with plaster in 1767. The Burmese killed the monks, but they did not touch the statue of Buddha. Two centuries it was in plaster, and only in 1955 by sheer accident (when transported to the temple of Bangkok, it fell and a piece of gypsum flew away), everyone opened a golden core. This is the largest statue of the Buddha in gold (5 tons). Gypsum pieces are also on display.

But the attractions of Bangkok are not only temples and palaces. Look in Chinatown, the Chinese quarter, which is a continuous market. It's always crowded, fun, especially in the days of celebrating the Chinese New Year and at the vegetarian festival in October.

Night markets and shops in Bangkok - just a paradise for shopaholics. You can wander all day on the similar shopping malls Ma Bun Krong (MVK), Emporium, Siam Discovery, Siam Paragon and the recently opened shopping center Central World.