The Most Touristy Spot of Bangkok: Temple of the Emerald Buddha

Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha) is very beautiful and popular to tourists. The temple is an inspiring pieces of art. Every time I visit, I can’t help but imagine how much work the artists must have put into this. This architecture style, known as Rattanakosin, is relatively new compared to other temples of Thailand.

A Yaksha at Wat Phra Kaew. Think of it as an equivalent of an ogre in Buddhist literature

I had a difficult time taking photos because there were too many tourists walking around. They weren’t the interesting kind of tourists who travel alone or in small groups. Most tourists are part of Asian group tours of about 20 people per group. They tend to stay together and block a large part of a view, making it very hard for me to capture the images of the temple. So I aimed my camera high to avoid having people in the photo.

Making Touristy Spots Interesting

To make my photos stand out, I like shooting long exposure when the sky is moderately cloudy to show the motion of the clouds. Each picture takes a total of two to eight minutes to take depending on how fast the clouds move. I had to stand next to my camera, in the sun waiting. Had I brought an umbrella with me, I would be less tan.

But the sacrifice is needed so that you all can see the place in a more beautiful way.

Here are some normal photos too.


Unfortunately, I didn't have much time to explore the place much. I will have to go back there for sure.

Just outside the temple, I saw this police writing what I assume to be a ticket. I didn’t expect him to smile at my camera. If this is in the US, he would not be smiling. This shows how friendly Thai people are, even the police. I think the policeman in this photo was happy also because he was writing a ticket to a motorcycle taxi who parked in a restricted space.

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