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Published: March 6th 2007
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Allison, Lesley, and myself on the bus to Phitsanulok
This was an eccentric form of transportation to say the least--you will never see another bus like this one again. The tuk tuk is connected to the bus station, the bus station is connected to Phitsanulok, Phitsanulok is connected to a seven hour, 3rd class, non air conditioned train ride to Ayutthaya. To sum up
that experience: after three hours I was ready to kill someone--but the eating was good. Despite the agonizing heat it was hard not to marvel at the incredible selection of food! Dozens of vendors carrying trays of fried chicken with basil, beef, tangy pork chunks on skewers, coconut balls filled with gelatin, mango and sticky rice, coconut pita bread, dollops of melting ice cream in styrofoam cups, bags of ice filled with coffee, pink milk, and coca cola, and endless amounts of other sweets. But, unfortunately the human stomach can only hold so much.
We arrived in Ayutthaya, irritable and hot, but nonethless ready for a fresh experience. The following day we took a taxi to the Ayutthaya historical park.
Ayutthaya was the Siamese royal capital from 1350 to 1767, when its former status as a political powerhouse ended when the Burmese captured the province. Although the Sukhothai period is often referred to as the "golden age" of Thailand, in many ways
the Ayutthaya era was the kingdoms true historical apex. It was also an important trade centre from the 14th to the 18th centuries. Despite this, Ayutthaya's relations with its neighbors were not always pleasant. Wars were fought against Laos, Cambodia, Pattani, Lanna, and above all Burma--who ultimately sacked and burnt the city.
The first site we visted was Wat Yai Chai-Mongkol, the popular name of Wat Phra Chao Phraya--built by King U-Thong in 1357 AD for the use of the monks. It is known for the large statue of the Reclining Buddha located there.
From Sodahead's previous travels I had seen pictures of the incredible Buddha head at Wat Mahathat and have been eager to see it ever since! The Wat's construction began in 1374 and the exact completion date is unknown but is suspected to be between 1388-1395. King Songtham (1610-1628 AD) was in power when the main prang collapsed. It was restored once again during the reign of King Borommakot (1732-1758 AD)
In 1424 Wat Ratchaburana's ruler, King Intharachathirat, passed away. His two sons met in battle as each desired the throne, this took place at the approach to Pa-Than Bridge in Ayutthaya and ended
A gorgeous buddha head
This was by far one of my favorite moments at Ayutthaya. with the death of both of them. A third son came down from Phitsanulok and acceded to the throne. In September 1957 AD, looters dug into a two level crypt inside the main prang and stole a great quantity of valuable material. Police arrested some of them, and the Fine Arts Department proceeded to excavate the site. The treasures have been contributed to the Chao Sam Phraya National Museum. The main prang at Wat Ratchaburana was one of my favorite experiences of our visit--the structure of it is absolutely breathtaking and it's hard to describe with words how amazing it was to see it from up close.
The city was founded on an island at the junction of three rivers the Lop Buri River, the Pa Sak River and, most importantly, the Chao Phraya River. This was very significant for transport, trade, and commerce.
Today’s Ayutthaya has been on UNESCO’s World Heritage List since 1991, and is full of important reminders of the area’s former glory. With the three rivers encircling Ayutthaya, unsteady longtails represent an ideal way to access the city’s various historical sites. Towards late afternoon we boarded one ourselves and soon discovered that even a
slight movement such as coughing was enough to nearly upset our tiny boat. Besides the ever present threat capsizing, the voyage was thoroughly enjoyable. During the journey our driver pointed out UCO's (unidentified crawling objects) that resembled big lizards--a bit unnerving when their head is as high as the edge of the boat. I was delighted at how friendly the people on the river were! As soon as our longtail was sighted there was excited screams from young children as they rushed to the banks to wave at us. I don't have many pictures of this expedition because before we knew it, night had struck and the camera flash began malfunctioning.
We took a mere hour train ride to return to Bangkok, where Lesley and Allison were departing from the following day. Upon arriving we picked up a Bangkok Post and were amazed at what greeted us from the front page:
"Fish farmers in Ang Thong and Ayutthaya suffered major losses when their farmed fish in pens died in large numbers in the polluted Chao Phraya river. In Ang Thong, the pollution affected a total of 90 fish farmers and killed fish in 587 pens, worth about 14.9
million baht.
A total of 108 fish farmers in Ayutthaya lost fish in 481 pens, valued at about 12.3 million baht. A monosodium glutamate factory on the Ayutthaya-Ang Thong road was accused of causing the pollution."
Bangkok Post The moral of this news story? Stick with chicken--oh wait, bird flu. Eat beef .. oops, mad cow. Vegetables? Shoot, pesticides. So, er--candy?
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