Ayutthaya, Kanchanaburi... and Bangkok again!

---

The last few days have been very busy! On Monday morning we caught the bus from Bangkok to Ayutthaya... late on Monday afternoon we arrived there! It's only a two hour bus ride but we spend about two hours getting to the bus station (we got on a bus that was going in the wrong direction)! So much for all our public bus savviness! I learnt my lesson, that night in Ayutthaya I spent a good hour scrutinising my map of Bangkok and learning the useful bus numbers!

Ayutthaya is north of Bangkok. It is the former capital of Thailand (apparently a thriving metropolis in the 1500-1700s). It has many Khmer-like ruins from the 14-1600s, which were destroyed in 1767 in a Burmese attack on the (then) capital of Thailand. The temples are impressive... but I probably would have appreciated them more if I had seen them before visiting Angkor Wat et al.

The most exciting thing that happened in Ayutthaya was finding out, from an English couple, that Lou from Neighbours was in Bangkok with a Thai prostitute! They were 110 per cent sure it was him!

The next day we caught two public buses to Kanchanaburi (famous for the bridge over River Kwai) - a total of 5.5 hours of non-aircon bus travelling. It wasn't too bad because all the windows AND DOORS were wide open... but I was glad to get off (and quickly drink two litres of water).

We visited the Kanchanaburi War Cemetry - for allied soldiers in WWII. Most of those buried there died as POWs working on the Death Railway (Thailand-Burma Railway). The cemetery is very peaceful and well-maintained. I became a bit patriotic, as there were many ANZACs buried there. I even shed a tear reading some of the headstones (but I do that at any cemetery!).

I really liked Kanchanaburi and I recommend staying there if you need to get away from the BKK smog for a day or two. We stayed in a great guesthouse, with a room floating on the River Kwai, and excellent views (all for 400 baht! - approx $13).

Now I'm back in Bangkok and procrastinating studying for job interviews! Sorry if this was too much reading for you. I'll try not to be offended if you didn't get through it! I've uploaded lots of photos to my facebook. I'm too lazy to upload them twice... the link to more photos is: coming soon!

Keep in touch!!

---

Photos

Con
Another con on Khao Sahn Road!?
I HAD to share this photo!

Bus travellers
The bus to Kanchanaburi

Fish farmer, River Kwai
This photo was taken from the balcony of our room, floating on the river.

Comments

[Gerbs]

suwaricrap
or something like that means hello in thai yeah? sounds like you are having a good time!! enjoy bangkok..have you been to patpong? or the big outdoor markets? fun fun fun! gerbs