Thailand honours a great king

Mourners wait for the start of the funeral procession for Thailand's late King Bhumibol Adulyadej before the Royal Cremation Ceremony in front of the Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand, October 26, 2017. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha.

BANGKOK: It was a week before the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej's funeral when I arrived in Thailand for a conference and I did not expect that my world would turn black for the next week.

On my first morning (Oct 15) in Bangkok, I was awoken by the sounds of blasting cannons coming from the Grand Palace where the late king's body has lain in state since his death.