Palaces
This is the Grand Palace complex in Bangkok as seen from the Chao Praya River.
 
The Golden structure is what is called a Chedi and usually is claimed to hold some relic of Buddha. Some of the other spires are also chedis.
 
This is a large hall called Chakri Maha Prasat. It is used primarily for diplomatic receptions.
 
The Dusit Maha Prasat Throne Hall. This Hall exists as a place for the lying-in-state of kings and queens and honored members of the Royal family. It is also used for the annual Coronation Day ceremony.
 
In the foreground is a model of Angkor Wat, which is in Cambodia. One former king was so enthralled with Angkor Wat that he had a model built so that he could look at it often.
 
This "guardian" statue is from China. The story goes that after Thai people delivered boatloads of rice and other commodities to China, they needed ballast for the bottoms of their boats in order to get back to Thailand without being blown about by storms; so they purchased these statues for this purpose.
 
This mural depicts the history of the country, and it goes all around the palace walls. Our guide suggested it was a sizeable information database!
 
The water container to the right in this picture contains holy water that people may dip out.
 
A little elephantine topiary!
 
We didn't know if we would see any real elephants, so we "hedged" our bets!
 
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