Frescoes, elephants and chedis

Thai frescos

One of the best moments in Bangkok came on my tour of the Grand Palace complex.
I had taken a boat tour all that morning and was hot, tired and sweaty. But I really wanted to see the royal compound and especially the Emerald Buddha housed in a beautiful wat within.
The place was crowded with tourists and I wasn't feeling the experience at all.
But then I came to the marble galleries built all around the courtyard. I found a secluded spot, sat down on the cool marble, listened to some birds singing in the shaded eaves above me, and drank in the gold leafed frescos all around.
I was a happy man once again.

White Elephants

You see images of elephants everywhere in Thailand.
In antiquity, the king of Siam would give away rare white elephants as gifts. But he only gave such presents to his enemies or people who had displeased him. The white elephant demands so much costly special attention that feeding and caring for the animal would often bankrupt the receiver of the king's 'kindness'.
That's why we now use the term 'white elephant' to describe impressive stadiums and airports that a government builds for a town, but that the town really doesn't need and cannot afford to keep up.

Golden Chedi, Bangkok

A chedi is a repository for Buddhist scriptures - Dad and Mam, I hope that one comes up for you in The Irish Times crossword.