Above, the former King of Thailand in his youth as seen on the wall of a restaurant here in A’dam where I had dinner with an old friend last month. Below, his son the current King of Thailand as seen from my boat en route to Wat Arun :-).
We’re sharing the rest of our Wat Arun photos in this post. I’m staring with the photo above so that you understand just how remarkable all the big buildings you’re seeing in the gallerie below are: they’re pretty much all faced with this level of delicate and beautiful terra cotta. This was perhaps my eighth visit to Bangkok since 2005, yet for some reason my first ever exploration of this fabulous place. Just outside the main pedestrian / street entrance are several stores that rent period costumes, which you can see many people wearing as they do their tour. It’s a photo opportunity for social media folks. 🙂
Thailand’s King Rama IV is recognized for many things including the accurate prediction of a total solar eclipse in August 1868, indicative, one reads, of his ability to move Thailand towards modernity and resist Western colonial expansionism through diplomacy. Amongst many legacies, he’s remembered in this statue at Bangkok’s Lumphini Park, and, yes, The King & I. 🙂
(so much world, so little time....) 