Our Time in Ayutthaya

We absolutely loved our time at Ayutthaya; where most people just visit for the day, we ended up extending our trip, and staying four days.

We took the train out of Bangkok- we decided to travel second class rather than third, because a) we're still new to this travelling thing, and b) we wanted guaranteed seats. The whole journey cost us 358 bhat, and took about two and a half hours (an hour longer than expected, but as far as we can tell, this is fairly standard for Thailand).

Once  we had arrived,  we took a tuk tuk over to our hotel, The Tamarind. At the time of writing,  this remains the best place we have stayed so far. The decor was impeccable, the rooms clean, the beds comfortable, and the staff were so so lovely. They were so helpful, both when we managed to lock ourselves out of our room (totally my fault), and when we deided we wanted to stay an extra night.

The hotel even had a little balcony space, where we spent several  lovely evenings, with beers, and our books. Very happy campers.

The Tamarind

On the advice of the guesthouse, we enjoyed several meals at both Coffee Old City, and Malakor, both of which are very conveniently located for The Tamarind, and provide fab views over the ruins (ya know, in case you get to the end of your day, and feel like you haven't seen enough of them..).

The balcony at Malakor

In terms of drinking, and night life, we found a few bars that were nice enough,  but nothing to write home about..
To be honest,  we found the evenings in Ayutthaya a little quiet -which is saying something, coming from me- there just never seemed to be any people about.. perhaps this is a result of the coup, or perhaps it is simply that the dogs own the streets, or maybe we were just looking in the wrong places.. whatever it is, if you're heading to Ayutthaya for the nightlife, I wouldn't bother, you'd be better off just coming for the day.

If however,  you've found Bangkok to be just a little bit to much, and you're looking for a place to chill, and see some history,  then this is definitely the place for you, and I can only hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Much Love, 

Jess

xxxx

The Ruins at Ayutthaya, final day

On our last day in the city, we decided to head out beyond the river, to Wat Chaiwatthanram.

The journey is doable on a bike, though for a road novice like myself,  it was pretty terrifying, as we had to cycle along one of Ayutthaya's bussiest roads.. so it is probably easier to take a tuk tuk.*

The terrifying journey asside, it became clear to us on arrival at the temple, that this Wat was something different again; the complext here was bigger that many we had seen at Ayutthaya,  and better preserved too.

Wat Chaiwatthanram

Constructed in 1630, in the Khmer style (the same as is used in Cambodia at Angkor Wat), the complex consisted of a 35 meter high central Prang,  surrounded by various Chedis, and Chappels, and 120 sitting Buddha statues (mostly headless after the sacking).

Headless Buddha's

As is the case in many of the temples at Ayutthaya,  this place was dotted with evidence of modern devotion; small Buddha's, and miniature horses (2014 is the year of the horse) were scattered about throughout the complex.

An elephant.. I don't know the relevance of elephant's..

Wat Chaiwatthanram is a little off the main tourist route, so is quieter than places like Wat Mahathat, and definitely worth a trip if you can make the time (most people do just the one day in Ayutthaya, but we ended up staying three).

Typically, Joe wanted to climb the central Prang, so up up we climbed.. all good fun till I realised I had to climb back down again..

The Central Prang | Tiny Buddha's at the top

Having survived that ordeal, we headed off again, back to the bikes, and the dreaded duel carriage way.. eek!!

Much Love, 

Jess

xxxx

*I also read somewhere that you can get to the temple by boat, which sounds very scenic, but since we didn't use that option, I can offer too much advice on that front..

The Ruins at Ayutthaya, part 2

On our second day in the Ayutthaya, we had seen enough of the city to realise we would need bikes if we wanted to see more of it in one day.

Thankfully,  bikes are available to rent pretty much everywhere (and don't worry mum, I don't mean motorbikes, I mean good old fashioned single speed, sit-up-and-beg push bikes). The bike was probably older than me, and rattled worryingly as I cycled about,  but Ayutthaya is so flat, and I'm so bad at cycling this really didn't impact my performance at all.

Having rented bikes from our guesthouse for 50 bhat for the day, we headed off into the morning in search of some more of those ruins.

Wat Ratchaburana

Situated next too Wat Mahathat, Ratchaburana is smaller than its contemporary,  but probably just as interesting,  if you know where to look.

We spent a few minutes wandering round the grounds of the complex (and enjoyed our picnic breakfast in the shade of a tree growing up between the ruined walls), before Joe came over all Indianna Jones,  and wanted to climb up the central Prang.

The Central Prang | A palm Tree

Views

The Prang itself used to contain relics of the brothers of King Borommaracha II (since stollen), and now contains probably one of the most exciting things we saw at Ayutthaya.

Once we had reached the top of the Prang, we took a moment to enjoy the views over the city, before turning to discover a dark chamber full of bats and murals (pretty creepy), and a deep dark hole in the ground, through the mouth of which,  we could see about 3 stairs, before everything went black (very creepy).

Joe (Indianna Jones) boldly took out his torch, and plunged straight in. Five or so minutes later (pretty sure it felt like forever to me..) he returns triumphant, and after much persuasion, draggs me down with him.

It was very hot, very very dark, and very very steep, and at the bottom you have to contort yourself to fit into the reliquary but the worst was saw was one very big cokroach,  and inside the chamber was the most beautifully preserved fresco. *

If you can bear to squeeze yourself down the stairs into the unknown, it is very worth it!

Wat Phra Si Sanphet

Having emerged alive from the depths of Wat Ratchaburana, we headed off in search of something different again.

Constructed in 1448 to hold the ashes of Kimg Boromatrailokanat and his two sons, this complex is one of the best preserved in the city.

Three chedis, containing the three kings 

Another large complex, Phra Si Sanphet is sandwiched between the heavily restored Viharn Phra Mongkol Bophit, and what remains of the royal palace (only the foundations survived the Burmese sacking). Its surroundings really gave me a feel for the city, and how it came to exsist in the form it takes today; the old next to the new, the well preserved next to a crumbling ruin, it really was fascinating to see.

Much Love,

Jess

xxxx

*Credit for that photo goes to Diana Bradshaw,
unfortunately the only photos we took of the space were on Joes camera, and we have no access to them untill we get home

The Ruins at Ayutthaya, part 1

On our first day out of the big city we found ourselves in Ayutthaya.

Just a couple of hours outside of Bangkok,  Ayutthaya really couldn't feel any different from the capital.  Where Bangkok was huge, and loud and intimidating,  Ayutthaya was quiet, and calm, and filled with history. *

Founded in 1350, by King U Thong, Ayutthaya was the second capital of Siam (Thailand before it became the country we recognise today). Its geographical location made it an important trade hub both within Asia, and also the wider world. Indeed, by the 1700's it is beleived to have been the largest city in the world.

Sadly, the city was sacked in 1767 by the Burmese, leaving nothing but the ruins the city is so famous for today.

On our first day in the city we headed out on foot to explore those ruins closest to the new city.

Wat Phra Mahathat

Built in 1374, Wat Mahathat was right on the edge of the ruined town,  so is one of the easiest to visit. The complex was probably one of the largest we visited, and it contained the largest amount of surviving architecture.

The biggest draw for most tourists is the Buddha head, which has been absorbed into the root system of a huge Bodhi tree (the same species under which the Buddha is beleived to have achieved enlightenment).

Besides that, the complex contains a central Prang surrounded by 4 secondary Prangs, and a number of smaller Chedis,  all constructed in the traditional Khmer style.

The complex also provides good acess into the Phra Ram Park,  inside which are the remains of further temples, too ruined to be worth charging to see, but still worth a gander if you have the time.

Through the park we discovered serveral things that excited us.. Firstly,  elephant's!! And also, more ruins, yay! (At this point in the trip, we were pretty new to the ruins, and this being only the second we'd seen, it was pretty exciting stuff..)

Wat Phra Ram

Whilst the construction date, and reason for construction of this temple appear to be unclear, it is undeniable that it must once have been a fairly spectacular sight. Consisting of a central Prang, and several Chedis,  it is still worth a quick visit, especially if you're still new to the sight of a crumbling red brick tower, framed perfectly against a bright blue sky.

Much Love,

Jess

xxxx

*and dogs. It was also full of dogs. Everywhere.  Especially at night. A lot of people have offered advice on ways to stay safe in the city, but to be honest,  so long as we stuck to the main streets, we never felt too threatened (we noticed that they did tend to gather in packs down the side streets,  and guarded those spaces more fiercely than the main streets).