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Published: December 17th 2009
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Tuesday December 15, 2009, Ayutthaya, Super Hot & Humid Day
So we left Bangkok this morning to begin the second leg of our trip, Ayutthaya and Chiang Mai (Northern Thailand). We got off to an early start, and we were on our way out of Bangkok by about 9am. Leaving Bangkok was a little sad, only because the city has so much to offer, particularly with the amount of diversified travelers coming through. We felt that we were finally starting to get comfortable with the city, especially the Sky Tram service, which makes getting around so much easier, and more affordable, considering you don’t have to worry about getting ripped off by a Tuk Tuk driver (mini cab driver), lol! We’ll be back in Bangkok on Friday night to meet up with some of Mike’s flight attendant friends, for a night of Frank Da Tank, and then off again towards the tail end of our trip, possibly 2 or 3 days. It’ll all depend on how hard it’ll be to leave Phuket, but ‘m looking forward to it regardless.
We arrived in Ayutthaya at about 10:30am. Like I mentioned in my previous entry, we made arrangements to have a driver/guide
for the day just to make getting around easier. Ayutthaya was the capital city of Thailand from 1350 to 1767. The sacred city, the sacked city, as mentioned in the Lonely Planet Guide, Ayutthaya earned the emerging Thai nation a place among the great empires of Southeast Asia, because it was courted by the Dutch, Portuguese, French, English, Chinese and Japanese merchants. The population reached 1 million by the end on the 17th century, and all foreign visitors claimed it to be the most illustrious city they had ever seen!!
In 1767 the Burmese invaded, sacked, and looted Ayutthaya. The Ayutthaya royals were taken away as prisoners, and during the invasion, Buddha monuments and statues were beheaded for foreign collectors, and the whole city was set on fire. Despite the obvious destruction, once we got there, one could only wonder what this place must have been like back in the day!!
Our first stop was Wat Yai Chaya Mongkol:
This temple was the place of many important historical events. It was the seat of the Buddhist patriarchs and monks for the Forest Tradition (Aranyavasi School), which was noted for the practice of meditation and insight.
On our second stop, our
guide/driver decided to take us to view a temple as we rode an elephant! I’m thinking that it must have been someone that he was related too, but whatever. I was looking forward to riding one anyway, so what the heck. Elephants are HUGE. When I got on top of mine I got a little woozy. These animals seem extremely peaceful and tame. Our guides really seemed to have a handle on them. They responded to them like dogs. Sit, stand, drink, take the tip, lift me up, etc… I didn’t get to much info on this temple, couldn’t find it in the guide. We also got to see a baby tiger get fed milk.
Third stop, Wat Mahathat:
Located in the centre of this old sacred city, Wat Mahathat is famous today because of the Buddha head embedded in twisted tree roots, see picture. The intertwining of a sacred image with nature is extremely lucky in Thai Buddhism.
Lunch Break:
Lunch was great. Our guide took us to a little Thai restaurant by a river, where we got to sit in the shade, enjoy some delicious/cheap food and relax for 45. I think he was
related to this place too.
Fourth Stop, Wat Chai Wattanaram:
This temple was built in the 17th Century by King Prasat, in honor of his mother. What a nice son, must be nice to have that kind of pull. The word is that it is one of Ayutthaya’s most impressive designs, see pics! It also makes for a beautiful sunset.
Fifth, last stop, Wat Ratburana:
Now called “The Complex of The Ancienet Royal Family”, or at least it said so on the ticket, this place retains one of the best preserved prang (pointy building) in this region. One King built 2 prang’s in honor of 2 brothers that were lost in battle, and the tradition seemed to continue on. Huge prangs built on the ashes of former Kings. It’s quite the sight.
That was that. We were all done at about 3:30pm. The driver/guide was nice enough to drop us off at the train station, where we’ll be catching the train to Chiang Mai at 9:00pm. I know, that’s a 6 hour wait, know you’ll all understand why this entry was so long. We got 2nd class sleepers, so it should make for an interesting ride. Not sure
what to expect, but I’ll be sure to fill everyone in. It’s 5:15pm, and the sun seems like it’s finally setting. The plan know is; check our bags into the storage room, freshen up somehow someway, go for a walk, dinner, cold beers, then on the train.
Tomorrow is going to be another long shift.
Cheers!!
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David
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WOW
I can't believe how awesome the pictures are. To be there must be unbelievable to see those structures. How was sleeping on the train?? Chow