Of Wats And Ruins

---

I apologize for the massive blog lag. It seems I've inadvertently made sitting on my ass my New Years resolution, and I'm quite successful at it so far. Some s-l-o-w computers and a healthy dose of writers block during the trip didn't help things along either. And if you're not getting spat on, well...life just isn't that exciting to write about.

Back to business...

Every country has a city like Ayutthaya, the historical heart of a nation, home to towering monuments and relics from times of peace and prosperity. Sadly, as is all too often the fate of these places, they are destroyed during some silly war and left to crumble. Forgotten for decades, even centuries, they are finally reconstructed when someone realizes they can make a quick buck off a couple of tourists.

While some sites are left to waste away, others are excessively restored - I guess the whole point is to keep the sites in the same state of repair in which they were found. Finding a city that maintains a balance between the two extremes is the most rewarding, I think, because you get a glimpse into the past but can still appreciate them in all their historical grandeur. That said, the UNESCO World Heritage Ayutthaya Historical Park presents its past as well as any other city I've seen. Wats Ratchaburana, Phra Mahathat, and Chamacallit are badly damaged and overgrown, but still retain much of their charm. Wat Chaiwatthanaram received an extensive facelift in 1992 and looks just as imposing now as it did 400 years ago.

About 80km north of Bangkok by train, Ayutthaya is quiet and much more relaxed than the pulsating capital, and makes for a very satisfying day trip. Although, I'd recommend two full days to explore the city if you prefer a slower pace, as we felt a little rushed late in the day trying to beat the sunset. Thankfully, we don't feel too guilty about omitting giant seated Buddhas. All told, we visited seven sites and still managed some shopping and a nice dinner on the river despite rolling into town a couple of hours later than we had orignally intended. But like I said, two full days would do the trick.

On a side note, I'd like to talk (rant?) about the trains for a minute. It happens in Japan all the time, and has come up in Taiwan and Thailand. Nobody wants to sit next to the white folks on the trains. It's like we've been sprayed with Asian repellent. The seats next to us are always the last to go. People choose to stand rather than sit next to us. Old ladies would rather stand than sit next to us. People enter the train and make a bid for the open seat, only to recoil when they see whitey and his big fat ass. I told you it was discrimination, and getting spat on was only the beginning!

You've been warned...

For the last two hours of sunlight, we hired a tuk-tuk driver to whisk us around town to a couple of distant sites off the main island. He was a friendly fellow who did his best to take us for every last penny by giving us some crap sob story about how expensive it is to raise his daughter (apparently he's not married!). In the end, we paid what we thought was a fair price for his services, and he acted like we held him at gunpoint. Bloody vultures!

Overall, the day was very low-key as most of it was spent wandering amongst timeless ruins by ourselves at a leisurely pace. And to answer a question that's been popping up recently, Denise takes about 99%!o(MISSING)f the photos for the blog. I offer direction at times to ensure the blogability of the photos taken. Afterall, I don't take my job lightly as Quality Control Manager here at The Sushi Cowboy Blog. It's serious business!

Camille & Denise

---

Photos

Wat Phra Si Sanphet
Built to house the remains of the Royal Family members. Sure beats a vase on the mantel.

Wat Chaiwatthanaram
Possibly built to commemorate the King's victory over Cambodia.

Phu Khao Thong
Also known as the 'Golden Mount Chedi', the top is actually quite crooked and looks like it might topple at any moment.

Framed Prang
Another one of these 'proving we were here' photos. Lovely couple, don't you think?

Wat Phra Si Sanphet
Triple the phallacies!

Khmer-type Prang
The style is similar to that of Angkor Wat.

Wat Chaiwatthanaram
Looting and the decapitation of Buddhas (lower left of the picture) took place in 1767 when the Burmese sacked the city.

Wat Ratchaburana
Constructed around 1424 in memory of two sons of the King that died in battle.

Wat Phra Si Sanphet
Originally the site of the Royal Palace, in 1448 it was converted to a monastery.

Lesser Prangs
Three of eight surrounding the main tower of Wat Chaiwatthanaram.

Wat Phra Si Sanphet
With more chedis than you can shake a stick at.

Wat Ratchaburana
The main prang was looted in 1957. The suspects were later arrested and sodomized in prison.

Comments

[Franco]

Hi Sushi. Long time no hear. Nice photos again.

[Cheryl]

What's worse: having them not sit next to you... or sitting next to you?

[brynna]

hey
hey guys sounds like you are still really enjoying your time over there--thats great! glad you missed the bangkok bombings too! yikes! thats crazy that you think youve been discriminated against so much. ive never had that happen to me in all the time ive been there. guess ill have to pay more attention. anyways glad your doing well. talk to you soon! brynna

[Fitchel]

Is there a plaque near the prang stating that the suspects were sodomized? That seems an odd thing to inform people of in such a beautiful, historic place.

[Franco]

Don't let the discrimanition issue bother you, or it'll distract from your enjoyment of the trip. It's really their problem, not yours. Perhaps because they are taught their civilization goes back before the Europeans, there may be a subconscious chauvinistic attitude. Of course, the colonisation of many of their countries by the West, doesn't help either.

[Cor]

Haha, I always thought you were kind of repellent :)