Bangkok, with 12 million populations, is the capital and also the biggest city in Thailand. Similar with Los Angeles in the U.S., it is also known as “city of angles” in Thai. Its fast growth modernization, which likes other fast-growing cities of developing countries, has decorated the city with many skyscrapers over the skyline and neon light flashing at night. Fortunately, although Thailand has gone through many incidents, either political riot or natural disaster that raise the instability of the society, Thailand’s beautiful historical sites and temples are preserved well and have become the cultural touch of its tourist attractions.

I have been to Bangkok once around 5.5 years ago.  I am not convinced that the Sky Bar, which is one of the most popular places to visit in Bangkok now, is worthwhile to spend 2.5 hours by plane from Singapore just for seeing the city skyline at night, so I am going to focus on the temples and historical buildings that is representative for Bangkok. Amid those numerous historical or religious sites in Bangkok, I would like to recommend the following places as the “must-go” ones that may not blow your mind away with modernity or advanced technology but may let you obtain some inner peace during your visit and be “wowed” by the delicate arts.

Grand Palace (Phra Boromma Maha Ratcha Wang)

Built in 1782, The Grand Palace is a complex of buildings, halls and pavilions at the Chao Phraya River bank. The total area is 218,400 square meters, about 30 soccer fields big. There are 22 (some say 28) buildings in this complex. It includes not only the residence for the kings of Siam (Thailand) since 1782, but also the government offices and another popular tourist attraction – the Chapel Royal of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaeo). Although there is only one government office left in the Grand Palace, and the current King of Thailand, Bhumibol Adulyadej (Rama IX), moved out after his brother King Rama VIII who was assasinated there in 1946, many official events, royal ceremonies and national functions are still held inside the Palace every year.

Before going to the Grand Palace, make sure that you dress properly, meaning that your clothes have to be long-sleeved, your pants or skirt must be long enough to cover your legs, and no slippers or low-collar clothes are allowed. It is also better to wear shoes that cover your toes. We all know it is challenging to wear in such tire all day and walk around in a city that is famous for its warm weather. The alternatives are you can either wait in a long line to borrow and return the free clothes to cover yourself or to pay rent at stores nearby and save your time to more beautiful sceneries.

The architecture style of The Grand Palace encompasses different cultural touches from Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, and even Britain. The Grand Palace is a beautiful combination of traditional Thai architecture, paintings, sculptures and decorations.

The Grand Palace ranks the 5^th among the 217 tourist attractions in Bangkok on TripAdvisor, but I would rank it as the 1^st place!

 The Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaeo)

The Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaeo) is one of the buildings in The Grand Palace complex and was built in 1783. It locates in the northern side of The Grand Palace and is the temple for Thai royal families. As what is said on the name, Wat Phra Kaeo is famous for its precious emerald Buddha statue, and no one but the King is allowed to touch the statue. The King changes the cloak around the Buddha 3 times a year respectively in summer, winter, and rainy seasons, praying for fortune and wellness for the country.

As the most sacred and well-known temple in Thailand, it is not of my surprise that The Temple of the Emerald Buddha is full of people for most of the time, meaning that you should be prepared for some crowdedness, because not only tourists but religious local Thai also flourish to The Temple of Emerald Buddha every day. However, photos are not allowed taken inside the chapel. For your reference, the Temple of the Emerald Buddha ranks slightly higher than The Grand Palace at 4^th place on TripAdvisor.

Temple of the Reclining Buddha (Wat Pho)

The statue of Buddha in this temple is not presented in a non-traditional way – the Buddha is lying with its one hand supporting its head, and the facial expression is relaxed with a grin. “Wat Pho” is the largest reclining Buddha statue and also the most Buddha images in the temple in Thailand and famous for its huge and gold-plated statue. This Buddha statue is 46 meters long and 15 meters high, much bigger than the Emerald Buddha. With such laid-back position, interestingly, the Temple of the Reclining Buddha is actually an image that depicts the Buddha’s passing into Nirvana. Its eyes and feet are decorated with mother-of-pearl, and 108 characteristics of Buddha are carved in the feet.

With such a unique, laid-back position for the Buddha statue, the area of Temple of the Reclining Buddha is also the center of traditional Thai Massage. It is also considered the first public university in Thailand.

The temples in Bangkok tell the history of the city, or even the country. I hope you are not bored by the above Buddhism related introductions, and everyone can have time exploring some of the temples, and finally you may find out how religion is influencing the people in this country.