Ayutthaya 25th - 27th July

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After a long journey back from Cambodia we were all in need of a lie in so set off for Ayutthaya late morning on Friday 25th July. We travelled from Bangkok by bus for 1.5 hours and when we arrived we were then able to walk to the main strip of guesthouses.

After a leisurely lunch we decided to have a walk around the former capital of Thailand and caught a tuk tuk to the Elephant Kraal. The Elephant Kraal consisted of a huge fence of teak logs where wild elephants were once held under the observation of the king. Whilst we were there we also got to see some adult and baby elephants feeding and bathing. It was a surprise to see some young boys swimming in the lake which was used as a bath and a toilet for the elephants - rather them than us!

Night River Cruise

In the evening we hired a long boat to take us on a cruise around the canal which encircles the main city centre. Despite the rain it was nice to see some of the ancient temples (wats) lit up. However some parts of the canal were cast in complete darkness and it felt a bit eerie at times! After the boat trip we were told we could grab some food from the night market, but unfortunately it had closed by the time we finished our tour. However we found a nice Thai restaurant near our guesthouse to have dinner.

The Ancient City

On Saturday we hired bikes and cycled to some of the wats 'on the island' (within the boundaries of the river). The wats were spaced out throughout the central zone and it was a bit precarious cycling on the main roads to get to them whilst dodging buses and scooters. In the afternoon we went to the Ayutthaya Historical Study Centre to learn about the history of this ancient city.

As it was Siân's last night we all got dressed up and enjoyed pre-dinner cocktails at Moon's Bar. Mike and I tired Mango Mojitos which were very tasty and then we ate a restaurant overlooking Wat Ratburana.

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Photos

Siân's Last Night
All dressed up in our new dresses.

Yummy ice cream sundaes
Ice cream eating was a constant theme!