Ancient Kingdoms

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Visited Ayutthaya today -- an ancient city and UNESCO World Heritage Site that was home to 33 kings from various dynasties. It was the capital of Siam from 1353 - 1767. The Wat Yai Chai Mongkol (temple) was spectacular where there are Buddha statues everywhere. It is peaceful as the site is nestled among greenery, in a park-like setting. If I lived here it is where I would enjoy coming to meditate and simply hang out in the serene setting. We also visited the ruins at Wat Phra Sri Sanphet which is a temple complex that was burned down by the Burmese back in 1767. The left-over remains consist of bricks that outline what used to be there. War is so devastating and senseless!!

After lunch we boarded a boat for an afternoon cruise where we viewed homes & small businesses from the water. We stopped at Wattana Village where 600 families (2,000 persons) live and is mostly Muslim. 60% of the residents work in manufacturing, 30% private enterprises and 10% in government offices. At the local school 70% of the children are muslim so the school has areas where the children can pray during school time. We met with the Iman's brother for a long Q & A which was informative, There were no questions not suitable to ask and I believe our group asked them all -- including their opinions of ISIS. A 70 year old man had died that a.m. which is why the Iman was not available to us. While we were there townsfolk and family gathered at the mosque to celebrate his life and then to bury him. It was a marvelous opportunity to see and hear how they handle death. The man was carried away in a colorfully painted coffin and will be laid to rest that afternoon. He will face north (women face south) with Mecca being to the west from Thailand. They bury their dead within 24 hours.

After the regular school day, muslim children meet at the mosque from 4 - 6 p.m. to study their religion and they also spend 3 hours on Saturday and Sunday doing the same. One interesting discussion when speaking in the group was --- what is their biggest headache (regarding children). Answer: Boys --- keeping them away from drugs. Girls ---- they are constantly asking to relax dress standards. They now have to TV & internet and see other teens dressed in short skirts etc...... I believe child-raising and teenage issues are the same everywhere!

Joe (guide) shared his story of spending 2 months as a monk. He lived in a remote area where he climbed up and down 2,280 steps each morning to collect alms. They had just one meal a day, at 8:00 a.m.

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Photos

Wat Yai Chai Mongkol
Diane among the beautiful flowers.

Wat Yai Chai Mongkol
Saffron draped Buddha statues are everywhere!!!!

Wat Phra Sri Sanphet
This is the site of ruins of a temple complex that was within the former Royal Palace grounds. It was destroyed by the Burmese in the late 1700's.

Thai home
At first, we thought they were hanging their laundry to dry. We now think this is their closet.

Muslim women.
Girls wear the heyab from age 7. These are women who had gathered for funeral prayers at the mosque. The men are in the mosque with statuary. The women were in a side room with no statuary or decoration.

Mosque
Gathering to pray for the deceased. This is the main chamber of the mosque. By the time the townsfolk gathered, this room was full. We sat just outside and heard the prayers as we had our Q & A.

With Iman's brother in Mosque
After the funeral service and the body was taken to the cemetery the mosque emptied. We were then invited to enter. Diane, Ray and I are pictured with the Iman's brother who handled our Q & A.

Gold leaf
This is where people were putting gold leaf on the feet of the reclining Buddha. I considered purchasing gold leaf to do the same but then decided to just fake it.

Elephant ride
With Diane, enjoying an elephant ride.

Comments

[Brother Tom]

Little Sister
Diane: keep tabs on wild Brenda. Nothing more dangerous than the elephant ride!

[BrendaH]

Brother Tom
Yes, there is something we did today that is more dangerous than the elephant ride. Picture being surrounded by monkeys, ready to attack for the bananas we had on board a very tippy boat.