The star attraction in Bangkok is the Grand Palace. We learned that it’s best to visit early in the day before the crowds become too dense — it’s that popular.
And it is stunning.
This palace complex exists because the founders of Thailand’s current royal dynasty, the Chakri, wanted to demonstrate their power, as well as to reestablish Thailand as a political and religious power in the region. This was in the late 18th century. For about 400 years before this time, the Ayutthaya Kingdom had been the powerhouse in Southeast Asia. But in 1767, Burmese forces conquered and essentially destroyed the Ayutthaya Kingdom. A few years later, Thai forces regained control, although the Burmese had destroyed and looted so much of Ayutthaya that the new King, Rama I, decided to establish a new capital that became Bangkok. Construction of his new, grand palace broadcast that Thailand was back, strong, and linked to its glorious Ayutthaya past.
Construction of the Grand Palace complex began in 1782. Additions and renovations have been continuous ever since. The most recent addition was completed in 2006. The king no longer lives at this site of the Grand Palace. The Grand Palace is used for ceremonial purposes today.
And to welcome about 8 million visitors each year — including quite a few Buddhist monks.
Most of the buildings in this complex are examples of what’s called the Rattanakosin style. It’s characterized by a blend of Thai, Chinese and even European architectural elements. Some key features of this style include:
- Elaborate roof structures with multiple tiers and ornate decorations
- Use of vibrant colors, particularly in roof tiles (green and orange)
- Intricate murals depicting Buddhist stories and Thai mythology
- Combination of traditional Thai designs with Chinese-style elements, especially during King Rama III’s reign
- Use of brick and stone instead of wood for major buildings
- Ornate facades with detailed craftsmanship
- Incorporation of symbolic elements reflecting Thai cosmological beliefs
Yakshas, or giant demon guardians, ring the temples for protection.
Yakshas also stand guard throughout the complex.
The roof forms with multiple tiers of steep roofs evolved for a few reasons. They harken back to simpler antecedents from the valued Ayutthaya period. The stacking of tiers of roofs reflects some Buddhist cosmological beliefs about the structure of the universe. Practically, they encourage good air circulation in this hot climate as well as effective drainage of heavy rains. And, they look light, elegant and beautiful.
The flame figures at the eaves are called lamyong. They evoke the nāga, the important protective serpents that are pervasive throughout southeast Asia.
One delightful aspect of the decoration of these buildings is the skin of little colored mirrors. The mirrors reflect sunlight to create a dazzling effect. But they’re also symbolically important. They represent wisdom and enlightenment in Buddhist philosophy; the reflective quality of the mirrors also symbolizes self-reflection and spiritual clarity.
One story is that King Rama IV, in his passion to demonstrate that his kingdom had mastered all his neighbors, directed his engineers to dismantle Angkor Wat and bring it to Bangkok. A wise advisor proposed an impressive replica instead — a bit smaller than the original.
178 long panels depict scenes from the Ramekien, which is a Thai adaptation of the Indian epic Ramayana. The stories in the murals emphasize values like honesty, faith, and devotion.
There’s just so much to look at!
In our last few days of our holiday in Thailand, we treated ourselves to two fine dinners in Bangkok.
The flow of winter wind from the north of Thailand to the south inspired the menu.
Special rich spicy seafood soup from a formerly lost recipe.
The main finale course is “traditional Thai Sumrub, where a selection of dishes [from all over Thailand] is served with rice and Gubkao.” Gubkao means something like “with rice.” Everything in Thailand goes well with rice!
Two young women attended to us during this dinner service. They explained the ideas behind each dish. As we experienced throughout Thailand, they were friendly, smiling, and kind.
As we were finishing dessert, they wanted to chat a little about wine. Since living in France, we’ve developed the habit and pleasure of red wine with our dinner. In most of the restaurants we enjoyed in Thailand, wine was available, but it was obvious that it wasn’t that often ordered. The options were usually from Chile, South Africa, and even Languedoc, where we live! Our friendly servers wanted to know more about wines and how they go with food. We were able to share a bit of what we’ve learned in recent years. (Thank you, Emma!) It was fun to see their interest and enthusiasm.
The chef at TAAN took a geographical approach to the menu a bit like the chef at Chim.
But this chef played more with the food, getting a bit more abstract with her creations — all to very attractive and tasty results. All the portions might look small, but by the end of the meal, we were plenty full.
When we asked for the wine list, our server strongly recommended choosing a Thai wine. Earlier in our trip, we’d tried a couple red wines from Thailand, and we found them a little too odd for our taste. But in this case, we decided to follow the restaurant’s recommendation. This syrah from Granmonte was really nice, with attractive nose and tastes. The vineyards are located about 150 km northeast of Bangkok at about 350 m altitude, adjacent to a national park. We were surprised that really nice wines can be produced in tropical environments. Always good to try new things!
January 2025