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Bangkok's Grand Palace


I haven't had the chance to see the royal palaces in Denmark and in the UK but I finally was able to see the Thai Grand Palace. This was where the royal family used to live in this building. From 1926 onwards, however, the royals have taken up residency in other palaces, leaving the Grand Palace as the venue for various official events.

I was hoping that we'd be able to see the interiors but it appeared to be closed to the public when we visited. Instead, Reianne and I drooped by one of the buildings in the outer court which featured Queen Sirikit's collection of clothes designed by Parisian couturier Balmain. While everybody else typically tries to pack light to avoid excess baggage charges in flights, the royal luggage on display was extensive. There were 24 Louis Vuitton trunks containing clothes, coats, hats, shoes, jewellery, and other accessories. Balmain and his collaborators definitely did not scrimp on the details. Of course, the royal family probably did not fly commercial so there's no strict rule on luggage weight limits. The number of trunks reminded me of one of Kris Aquino's airport check-in Instagram photos where there was a lot of Rimowa luggage strewn on the floor waiting to be checked in. 

Another building was made public. It was transformed into a museum for Wat Phra Kaew, where documentation of the restoration process is on display. It showed that the royal family is committed in keeping Thai culture alive and constantly relevant. 

The visit to the Grand Palace and the other buildings definitely gave me a glimpse of what royal life must be like. Is it like living the life of the Disney princesses? Probably not. I have seen Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn in IRRI. I've seen her open the FAO conference last year too. And I've seen her name associated with the Bangkok Herbarium. In these occasions, she demonstrated that she's an intellectual.
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