reveals a mosaic of porcelain tiles covering the imposing 82m (270ft) Khmer-style praang (spire). The tiles were left behind by Chinese merchant ships no longer needing them as ballast.
Wat Benchamabophit
Address cnr Th Si Ayuthaya & Th Phra Ram V, city centre Transport bus: 503, 72 Hours 08:00 – 17:30 Keyword religious/spiritual Wat Benchamabophit, built under Rama V in 1899, is made of white Carrara marble and is a stunning example of modern temple architecture. The real treasure here is a rear courtyard containing a large collection of Buddha images from all periods of Thai Buddhist art.
Wat Chiang Man
Address Chiang Mai Keyword religious/spiritual The oldest wát (temple or monastery) in the city, Wat Chiang Man was founded by King Mengrai in 1296 and features typical Northern Thai temple architecture with massive teak columns inside the bòt (central sanctuary).
There are two important Buddha images in a cabinet to the right of this area. The first, Phra Sila, stands about 25cm (10in) tall, and reputedly came from Sri Lanka or India 2500 years ago. Chances are it isn’t quite that old (Buddha images weren’t created for about another 500 years), but it’s still an extremely impressive and revered artefact. The other, a crystal seated Buddha only 10cm (4in) in height is about 1800 years old. Known as the Phra Satang Man, it was shunted back and forth between Thailand and Laos for centuries before finding a permanent home here at Chiang Man. The wát is in the northeast corner of the old city.
Wat Phra Kaew & Grand Palace
Address Th Na Phra Lan, Ko Ratanakosin, Bangkok Phone tel: 0 2623 5500 (info) Transport ferry: Tha Chang
bus: 508, 512 Hours 08:30 – 15:30 Web www.palaces.thai.net Keyword monument, religious/spiritual Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha) is an architectural wonder of gilded chedi (stupas) seemingly levitating above the ground, polished orange and green roof tiles piercing the humid sky, mosaic-encrusted pillars and rich marble pediments. One of the city’s holiest and most spectacular sites, the temple inspires awe in even the most jaded traveller.
It’s quite easy to tour the grounds in a sort of daze, enamoured and confused by Thai Buddhism, and not realise until much later that you didn’t see the eponymous figure. Here’s why: the Emerald Buddha is only 66cm (26in) high and sits so far above worshippers in the main temple building that the gilded shrine is more striking than the small figure it cradles.
Adjoining Wat Phra Kaew is the Grand Palace (Phra Borom Maharatchawong), a former royal residence (the current monarch lives in Chitralada Palace). The exteriors of the four Grand Palace buildings are well worth a swift perusal, if only for their royal bombast.
Wat Traimit (Temple of the Golden Buddha)
Address cnr Th Yaowarat & Th Charoen Krung, Phahurat, Bangkok Phone tel: 0 2623 1226 (info) Hours 09:00 – 17:00 Keyword religious/spiritual Wat Traimit shelters a 3m-tall, 5.5-tonne, solid-gold Buddha image – an impressive sight. This gleaming figure was once covered in stucco, but during efforts to move it in the 1960s, the figure fell, cracking the stucco and revealing the treasure inside. The covering was probably intended to hide it during one of Burma’s many invasions.
Thailand: Money & Costs
For buying baht, US dollars are the most readily acceptable currency and travellers cheques get a better rate than cash. British pounds are the next-best option. Credit cards are becoming increasingly acceptable in