After the river boat, I found myself in the midst of an amulet market. I picked through for a bit, but wasn't really in the mood for trinkets yet. My goal was to check out Wat Phra Kaew, or Temple of the Emerald Buddha. I shed my shoes and donned a pair of borrowed pants (dress code for wats includes bare feet and no shorts).

The Emerald Buddha is a sacred relic which was discovered in Northern Thailand about 500 years ago. As the story goes, lightning struck a temple, causing it to crumble, and the Emerald Buddha was found amongst the debris. Since then the statue has been moved around Thailand, captured and taken to Laos, recaptured by Siam, etc, etc, and is now on this site in Bangkok. The statue itself is actually made of jasper, and stands about 18 inches high. However, it sits atop this 20-foot tower of golden Buddha paraphenalia within the main temple. (I'd show a pic, but taking pix inside is really frowned upon.) Furthermore, the statue has three different outfits, one for each of the three seasons here, and it is the king himself who climbs up the tower to change Buddha's outfit. I'm fighting the urge to crack a Barbie joke in order to stay in the country.

Also on the grouns is the Grand Palace, the old home of the Royal Family, and now a place to stay for visiting dignitaries, a library, and site for ashes of the royal deceased.