rloke

The last stop of the tour was at a government-approved "jewelry factory" before we were driven back to Sriracha. By then, we were deep in the crazy rush hour traffic...so it was a long slog, almost 3 hours, back to the ship...

Some snapshots of the Palace...

There was a special event and we were not allowed to enter the building to get a closer look at the statue... Did not have my long zoom lens with me, so had to make do with the following heavily cropped photo...

The building that houses the national treasure...the Emerald Buddha...

A few more snapshots...

Some snapshots of the Grand Palace temple buildings...

After the fabulous lunch, we were bussed to the Grand Palace. Approaching the Grand Palace... It was a short 5 minute walk from where the tour bus dropped us off. The dress code is very strict here and there were some vendors along the way that sell long trousers and cover-ups at around USD3-5 I believe...the tour guide did a headcount of those who needed them and transacted with the vendor...

Thanks @liptastic Just something for us to look back on...

After Wat Arun, the river boat cruise ended with lunch at the Royal Orchid Sheraton. A very nice buffet with a good mix of traditional Thai as well as western dishes including a carving station and made-to-order pasta…

Not "the" Emerald Buddha...but emerald-ish nonetheless...

One is allowed to climb up to the top but be forewarned that the steps are steep...very steep...

Some snapshots...

Wat Arun is one of the most beautiful temple. Small pieces of colored glass and ceramics were used in its intricate designs. The Emerald Buddha, which is considered a national treasure, used to be housed here. The statue had been moved to the Grand Palace.

Regent was punted from the Laem Chabang Port due to port congestion. We were redirected to the Sriracha deep sea harbor instead. We took the upcharge excursion "Bangkok in a day". After a long drive into Bangkok, which thankfully included a quick rest stop by the highway where we saw lots of Celebrity cruise tour bus as well, our first stop was at the River City mall to board a river boat. Very impressive, big, noisy turbo Nissan diesel engines on these boats. A quick cruise into the canals to observe some local houses by the canal edge. The next stop was Wat Arun. Near the Wat Arun pier, we were given bread to feed the fish, tons of catfish, I believe, which were, of course waiting for the meal...

Thanks @venicecruiser...hope you had or will be having a good trip...😀