Bangkok, Thailand
One thing to keep in mind before you make the climb is that once you reach the top, there's an admission charge of 10 Baht (about US$ 0.25) to enter the building and gain access to the rooftop terrace. The interior is a large, rather plain and undecorated room with windows along the outside walls while in the center lies the square outer walls of the shrine. A short stairway in the center of each side leads up to the shrine holding the Buddha relic, which lies directly under the chedi on the roof. The shrine is encased in many layers of gold leaf applied by the devout for more than 100 years.
A unified Thai kingdom was established in the mid-14th century. Known as Siam until 1939, Thailand is the only Southeast Asian country never to have been taken over by a European power. A bloodless revolution in 1932 led to a constitutional monarchy.... ... read more 
