Day 04 – The Grand Palace

We got up early today so we could grab some breakfast in the Montien Riverside Hotels Cafe before heading to a VIP tour of The  Grand Palace by the King’s head of Security Pisit aka Johnny and a Military Officer in the King’s Army.  We we able to drive directly into the palace where we were greeted by hosts.  We then made our way past the hundreds of people waiting in line to get in and were lead directly into the main entrance.  What an absolutely breathtaking sight.  There are almost no words to describe how beautiful everything is.  The gold you see in all the pictures of The Grand Palace is actually 24 carat gold, the blue, red and green stones are actually hand laid gemstones.  We were unable to take pictures in some very exclusive areas of The Grand Palace, but in the temple there were actually solid 24 carat gold statues that must have been 6 – 8 ft. tall.  As we were taken from structure to structure, we were given the history and stories behind how everything there came to be, how it was made and what it takes to maintain it.  Every gold, ceramic or acrylic tile was hand cut and hand-made and hand laid.  The workmanship that went into building Yje Grand Palace was incredible.  The pictures, in most cases, cannot do it justice.  The paintings on the walls were all done by hand in watercolors.  It was an incredible experience and a place that has to be visited when in Thailand.  After we were done with our tour, Johnny treated us to lunch at the Deck Amorosa where we were joined by his lovely wife Usa who is the Director and CEO of Energy Save www.psjenergysave.com  and his good friend Jack, who is employed by the King and a Restauranteur.  The food and company were absolutely amazing.  After lunch, Johnny again did his magic and got us into the Arts of the Kingdom where all the crowning glory of the King and Queens prized items are on display.  Again, the craftsmanship of these items was so detailed and intricate, it’s hard to imagine how they were made.  They would not allow us to take pictures inside, but we got a few pics of the outside.  After all the crowning adventures of the day, Chaweewan, a friend of Nat and Elizabeth who runs a hair care product company Audace www.audace-lauris.com,  Johnny and his wife Usa treated all of us to an Italian Dinner at Bacco.  We had terrific appetizers, artisan pizza and of course vino and desert.  It was an incredible day.  I hope you like the photos as much as we enjoyed taking them!!  Be sure and visit The Grand Palace when you get to Thailand.

By now you know, this picture gallery contains more foods from Bangkok.