Long Live King Rama X

It’s been a long time coming and was worth the wait.

This weekend saw the Coronation of King Rama X, the new King of Thailand and your Little Wandering Wren wore her yellow t-shirt with pride and took to the streets of Bangkok, to join in the celebrations.

King Maha Vajiralongkorn (Rama X of the Chakri dynasty) has been King since the death of his much loved Father,  King Bhumibol the Great (Rama IX) who died in October 2016.

WHY WAS THE CORONATION DELAYED SO LONG?

The official reason was that the country and his son, needed time to grieve King Bhumibol who reigned for over 70 years.  King Rama IX was the world longest-reigning Head of State at the time of his death.

No wonder this Coronation took years to plan. We watched the three-day lavish celebration, mostly on the television, as it was largely conducted within the privacy of the most esteem rooms within the Grand Palace.

THAILAND MOURNS:

We arrived to live in Thailand, to find a country in mourning. The Land of Smiles people wore black. Most social engagements, weddings, and many events were cancelled as the Country came to terms with the death of their adored monarch.

“You’re going to love living in Thailand,” everyone said.

In life, timing is everything.

This is an era of massive change for Thailand and it is fascinating to witness. With the lèse majesté rules so strict this is all that can be written, except to say we are happy to see the Country moving forward and thrilled to be able to join in the celebration.

Thailand Celebrates:

Getting to the Royal Procession:
Given that more than 40 roads had been closed for days in old Bangkok where the land procession would occur, it was helpful to arrive by the Chao Praya river.

Our journey on the orange flag Chao Praya ferry gave us a unique insight into security and some of the behind-the-scenes preparations. As we were ordered to slow to a crawl past the Grand Palace it gave us an incredible view of the spectacular gold Royal Barge complete with red-uniformed oarsmen. Later in the year, there will be the Royal Barge Procession, which will surely be another wow in Thailand moment!.

Apart from our ferry boat of yellow t-shirted supporters, the only other boats on the river were the Thai Navy. It was all very peaceful and surreal amidst some rather large guns!

THE ROYAL PROCESSION ROUTE:

Leaving nothing to chance, we also previously took a reconnaissance walk and Tuk Tuk tour around as much of the 7 km route as possible. You can read about it in the post: Thailand Celebrates King Rama X Procession.

Our city which I often think of for its chaos a mass of tangled cables and its potholes looks absolutely stunning. Against the backdrop of golden palaces and glittering palace temples, Bangkok was looking at it’s awesome best.

THE ROYAL SECURITY:

When we arrived into the security clearance area we were all photographed holding our passports or ID. Our details were then checked by the police, and any pens and scissors were removed from our backpacks. It was a pretty intense security clearance and we missed what we thought was the start of the parade.

Little realising was that what we’d missed was the start of the 1300 personnel leaving the palace gates!

There was an air of excitement and all the security staff were as upbeat as I’d ever seen. We joined a small group of tourists and a massive queue of locals, it was one big sea of yellow t-shirts.

THE BLISTERING HEAT:

Through the security screening, we find ourselves trapped in a cordoned area looking down to the start of the procession, at the end of the route, it was 5 pm we were invited to join others already sitting on the pavement.

However, the sun was burning even at this time. Those in the know had cleverly thought to bring a piece of cardboard to save themselves from the scorching pavement.

It was a perfect clear weather day. Pollution levels seemed low and the temperature hovered at 37 degrees Celsius, add in the humidity and we were in the mid 40’s.

It’s possibly not my best look dressed in yellow with a bright red face. But I blended in, despite being a head height above most Thai’s!

ALL THE KINGS PEOPLE :

We watched the King’s procession from a distance leave the Grand Palace and start its 7 km journey. The drums rhythmic beat filled the air. This would have been an amazing spot to witness the last few steps, but it entailed waiting for a further five hours.

We are dedicated Royal watchers but… we figure there might be another way.

We set off through the back streets with the help of google maps which has auto downloaded the entire route in purple onto our phones. Between this and free transport around the city, there was no excuse not to be able to enjoy the celebration.

Free buses were laid on from the provinces. There was an expectation of a crowd of 200,000 people, with 100,000 loyal supporters to come in from outside Bangkok.

… AND ALL THE KINGS MEN:

The procession had been set for late afternoon to reduce the impact of the heat. All around us were the military in full uniform with all their medals. Some people had been camping out all night. Whilst the crowd may have found things a tad uncomfortable, no one was going to complain.

Thailand’s Monarchy is one of the wealthiest in the world and it was as if no expense had been spared to make the Thai people feel proud of their new King (some reports say up to $30 Million USD)

KING RAMA X LAND PROCESSION:

You couldn’t miss the King. He was a vision in gold seated on a gilded Palanquin carried by 16 men, who swapped every 500 meters. To Thai people, he is a revered in Thailand as a living deity.

King Rama X with a heavy bejewelled gold coat, bright red socks and wearing a large black hat with a white feather on the top. Seated under a large umbrella was the motionless King. There was an occasional wave and a smile. He was probably very glad not to be wearing the 7 kg gold crown from the previous day.

That was a massive effort to sit still for five hours in that heat or indeed to be one of the honoured soldiers who marched the route.

The crowd were amazing too, there was a sense of witnessing a historic event. I am sure I will remember it for the rest of my life.

As we walked back through the crowds’ free water and a dinner of chicken and rice was on offer to anyone who wanted. We had a number of people who stopped to thank us for our respect towards the king.

Long LIve The King!

Linking with thanks to Lady Fi and all the hosts at Our World Tuesday

Thank you for joining me today part of the  Blogging from A-Z challenge 

Wren’s Worldwide Wanderings:

X is for King Rama X