Notice the fresh offerings in front of the guardian. These are ubiquitous throughout Thailand. Buddhism is a living faith here.

View of the golden domes over the walls of the Palace complex.

King Rama V (not the king of "Anna and the King" fame, but his predecessor), started to build his palace in the European style. There was an uproar. So, he finished off the palace in typical Thai style. To the left was the building where the women lived. Like Turkish harems, no men could enter.

This is one of the old Thai houses made of teakwood that Jim Thompson, an American, bought & relocated to Bangkok. Thompson almost single-handely reinvigorated the Thai silk industry. He disappeared in 1969.

Notice the Spirit House at Thompson's place. Every Thai house & business has a spirit house. Offerings of fruit & flowers are made daily. I tried everywhere (all throughout Thailand) to buy a spirit house, but all I saw were mass-produced ones. I returned home without a house (can I adapt a bird-house, do you think? Would a spirit come to live in a converted bird-house?)

This is the view across the river from Jim Thompson's house(s).

This is a house-grouping of a Prince & Princess. They were avid antique collectors & their houses are filled with material dating back to the Neolithic (Ban Chiang, ca. 5800 B.C.) folk. Notice how modern-day Bangkok has encroached upon this spot.

This is actually 2 houses in 1. In any event, it's beautiful. The inside house is a sort of temple, while the outside one is a protector of the temple. Somehow that made sense when I was hearing it.

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