With the rain moving away, I continued my exploration around the pavilions of the wat phra Kaew which lies within the walls of the grand Palace in Bangkok. It's the home of the Emerald Buddha, not that I actually got to see that sacred carving on this particular day. Given the semi-tropical climate, despite the downpour that had ceased only a short while earlier, the heat retained within the slabs on the floor was already causing the puddles to evaporate and the stones to dry off. It never really occurred to me to wonder why there were all these military types standing around.
