What's interesting to me about classical Thai architecture is the balance between frenzied detail and strong gesture, between clean lines & spaces and riotous color.

I also enjoyed the multitieredness of the place, something that you often find in these temples. You can stand on the ground and gape, or you can glide along an elevated path, among the spires.

Plum in the middle of this 18th-century paradise, a replica of Angkor Wat.

In the palace built at the turn of the century, Chulalongkhorn's legacy is summed up architecturally here: he wanted to take the best ideas, art, law, and customs of the West and utilize them in a way that made sense in the East, bringing things up to date while preserving the inimitable Thai character. So, behind those exotic topiaries, we see Ionic columns, loggia, lovely balustrades: Edwardian pomp, topped off with Thai spires.