Day 6

---

Day 6 – We left for Ayutthaya around nineish for the two hour (80km) drive with Mika and Gareth. The trip aside from the crawl out of Bangkok CBD was quite quick and relatively traffic-free once we were 20kms or so outside Bangkok. We had a quick stop for drinks and whilst Mika and Gareth had a late breakfast we visited the first of three historical sites of ancient monuments Wat Mahathat which is famous for its Buddha head entwined in tree roots and most popular for tourists but we felt the other two we visited, Wat Chai Watthana Ram (here - in one of the towers Gareth pointed out numerous bats hanging from the ceiling) and Wat Phra Si Sanphet had more to offer. It was a very warm day but a breeze and overcast skies meant it wasn’t totally unbearable. All the grounds were well maintained and some of the monuments in great condition, many have crumbled over time or as a result of the Burmese occupation in 1762, but totally different to the modern temples. Well worth the visit. I was expecting Ayutthaya to be a mini Bangkok but it was a typical Thai rural town, only bigger. Much more relaxed and easy to get around. We returned mid-afternoon and relaxed for a couple of hours (John went for a swim and a gym session) before we tried to find a Laundromat without success. Gareth volunteered to wash the clothes and dry them overnight. Mika and Gareth came over for takeaways around 8:30. Looking forward to a sleep-in tomorrow.

---