Bangkok has a lot of everything, temples, traffic, tacky shops, street food, scams, tourists etc. There are plenty of gems to find in amongst the mayhem. The temple of the emerald Buddha is one of the gems. It is a complex of buildings, not just one temple. As you walk towards it there is a view from afar across the royal field with the gold glinting and winking at you in the morning sun. The emerald Buddha is made of jade, not emerald. It is surrounded by legend and much revered by the Thai people. Interestingly this jade Buddha was in Laos for a long time in Luang Prubang until Vientiane was captured by Thailand in 1778. The emerald Buddha has different costumes for different seasons. Although all the surrounding buildings are not open to the
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