Friends at Bang Pa-In Palace
Bang Pa-In Palace was originally built in the Ayutthaya era in Thai history, but was built into what we see here by the famed king Rama V, who had a taste not only for native Thai, but also for European, architecture.
Depicted here are my daughter plus several fellow travellers, Baas and Benz (who visited us in the US during the 2001-2002 academic year), and their Aunt Daeng, who was our host for this portion of our stay in Thailand.
Off in the distance, in the middle of the pond, is, I believe, the Aisawan Thiphya-Art (Divine Seat of Personal Freedom), a pavilion constructed to look like the Aphonphimok Pavilion, which sits on the wall surrounding the Dusit Maha Prasat (Grand Palace). The original pavilion was built by Rama V's father, King Mongkut/Rama IV, as a place to change his attire before mounting a litter. I'm not sure why King Chulalongkorn put this one in the middle of a pond. Anyway, the structure now houses a bronze statue of King Chulalongkorn. It was erected by his son, King Vajaravudh/Rama VI.