As I mentioned previously, most Thais are Buddhist. Buddhist sites are treated with great respect throughout the country, and the Temple of the Emerald Buddha is one of the most revered temples. It is part of a large complex on the grounds of the Grand Palace, and the pictures in this post show some of those structures. There is also a large push to encourage tourists to demonstrate the proper respect for the Buddha, both at the temples themselves and in not purchasing souvenir Buddha images, which is the purpose of the signs from which I took today’s title quote.

When ST and I were at the Grand Palace, it was not surprising the site was extremely crowded as it is the main tourist site in Bangkok, if not all of Thailand. There were people everywhere. But the crowds did not detract from the elaborately beautiful buildings and art in the Emerald Temple complex: chedis of immense height; mythological creatures in all their decorative glory; spectacularly detailed temples adorned with shining, bright colors; imposing guardians looming over the sea of people, fulfilling their age-old observational duties. And this was all before we went in to see the Emerald Buddha. Check back tomorrow for details of the Emerald Buddha Temple itself.

Title quote: Signs all over the Emerald Buddha temple complex