Bangkok and surrounding area We spent some time in Bangkok and the surrounding area, but most of our time was spent on the island of Ko Samui. These pictures were taken at the Grand Palace in Bangkok, a short walk from our hotel. These status seekers surprised us. We were walking around the Grand Palace in Bangkok when I heard, "Good morning Mr. Rodgers." I turned to find the stewardesses from the airline. I'm sure they just wanted to be in a photo with me. These shots were taken at Wat Sai floating market in Thonburi, near Bangkok. We rode in one of these boats, called longtails, through the city's extensive network of canals.   The gold Buddha at Wat Trimitr, Bangkok (we missed this but you shouldn't) The Golden Buddha statue is the largest golden Buddha statue in the world. It was created (13th century) when Sukhothai was the capital of Thailand. It is made of pure gold. The figure is unrivalled in beauty, measuring 12 feet 5 inches in width, height of 15 feet 9 inches from the base to the crown and weighing approximately 5 tons. Now more than 700 years old, it is a valuable treasure of Thailand and of Buddhism. When the Burmese were about to sack the city of Ayuttaya, it was covered in plaster to hide its value. Two centuries later, still in plaster, it was thought to be worth very little. But in 1957, when the image was being moved to a new temple in Bangkok, it slipped from a crane and was left in the mud by workmen. In the morning, a temple monk, who had dreamed that the statue was divinely inspired, went to see the Buddha image. Through a crack in the plaster he saw a glint of yellow, and discovered that the statue was pure gold. I don't know where this flea bitten varmit came from but he sure looks cute holding that monkey.   Back to Geno's Home