BANG PA - IN PLACE SUMMER PALACE

On  09 May 2015, Elder Meeker drove 6-Senior couples to the Bang PA - Summer Palace.  The Senior Couples were:  Meekers, Moleffs, Seppis, Smiths, Ures, and the Valentines from Nepal.

The Summer Palace [ Bang Pa-In Palace ] is located 30 kilometers south of Ayutthaya on route to Ayutthaya and is on a small island called Bang Pa-In in the Chao Phraya River. The Palace was commissioned in 1632 by King Prasat Thong in the late Ayutthaya Period.

Bang Pa-In Royal Palace (Thai: พระราชวังบางปะอิน), also known as the Summer Palace, is a palace complex formerly used by the Thai kings. It lies beside the Chao Phraya River in Bang Pa-In district, Ayutthaya Province.

King Prasat Thong constructed the original complex in 1632, but it fell into disuse and became overgrown in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, until King Mongkut began to restore the site in the mid-19th century. Most of the present buildings were constructed between 1872 and 1889 by King Chulalongkorn.

Amidst vast gardens and landscaping stand the following buildings: Wehart Chamrunt (Heavenly Light), a Chinese-style royal palace and throne room; the Warophat Phiman (Excellent and Shining Heavenly Abode), a royal residence; Ho Withun Thasana (Sages' Lookout), a brightly painted lookout tower; and the Aisawan Thiphya-Art (Divine Seat of Personal Freedom), a pavilion constructed in the middle of a pond.

The palace remains largely open to visitors, as King Bhumibol Adulyadej and his family use it only rarely for banquets and special occasions.

Entrance sign.  If you look closely, you can see the character who took the picture

We were  not allowed to take pictures inside the Summer Palace, nor are short skirts, jeans hats or shoes allowed inside.  One could rent the proper attire.  The sanctity of the Palace was to be preserved.  The side of the palace was magnificent befitting of royalty.

Sign outside of Palace.  Notice that the photographer is having trouble keeping out of the pictures.  We left our shoes and hats outside.

Lighthouse where Elder Ure and I walked up to the 2nd observation point.

The inside of a building.

If that tree could talk, what stories it would tell.  No matter what country we are in, all dogs and cats speak the same, without accent.  What language does the tree speak?