On Saturday we visited Ayutthaya.
We got the Skytrain to Asok, then the subway to Hua Lamphong then got the 09.35 train to Ayutthaya. We wanted to visit the Temple Ruins and have a daytrip outside of Bangers and start exploring this amazing country! Armed with reading material and my Dunkin Donut Breakfast, I settled in for the 2hr train trip. The train was packed with tourists heading on day trips and backpacking, luckily we got seats and the heat of the day was not out in full force so it wasn't too bad! There is no aircon on the overground trains here - so finding a spot under the fan and near a window is essential!
We arrived in Ayutthaya at 11.30 and headed to the river crossing, (most of the sites are on what they call 'the island') it cost 5 bht each to cross (i would have paid more!) - saving us from a long and very hot (it had reached 37 degrees at this stage) walk across the bridge! Loads of us crammed onto a very unstable looking boat and took all of 2 min to cross, once on the other side we stocked up on an ice frappe and headed toward the temple ruins.
Ayutthaya was the capital city of the old Kingdom of Siam, it was destroyed in the late 1700's by the Burmese and in doing so they cut off all the Buddah heads from the statues and Temples. Some have been re-attached but most are still missing so you have endless rows of decapitated Buddhas - creepy - yes! We visited the Wat Phra Si Sanphet, Wat Phanan Choeng and Wat Phra Mahathat ruins, entry was 50 bht per person. There are quite a few signs around the sites for Do's and Don't and guards are present to make sure that no-one climbs or disrespects the temple or Buddah ruins.
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The Buddha head in the tree is probably one of the most famous images from Ayutthaya. Believed to have been hidden in the roots by a thief trying to steal the head, the tree roots then grew around it. Its considered quite sacred amongst the Thai people... it's quite amazing how the roots are entertwined around Buddha's face A security guard sits close by to ensure no-one touches it and if you pose next to it you are under strict instructions to kneel so your head is not higher than that of Buddha.
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| Buddha Head in Tree Roots - Wat Mahathat |
   
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After visiting the ruins we headed into the Temple to have a wonder and pay respects to the the 17m bronze Buddha that apparently gets struck by lighting quite often! We then got a tuk-tuk as i was not walking anywhere - it had gone up to 40 degrees, i was melting and in no state to walk the 10 min back to town. We had lunch at Tony's Place - a Guesthouse that also serves food, western and thai! After a few ice-cold cokes and delicious chicken phad-thai we headed back to the train station and back to Bangers! Again the train was packed, hot and uncomfortable, but after such an awesome day out it was really not a biggie. We've still so much to explore - must plan a day-trip every few weeks to make sure we see as much as possible. Watch this space for more day trip adventures...
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