Ayutthaya is an hour away from Bangkok. It’s a province of Thailand wherein you can find the ruins of the old city. I had didn’t know about this place until I saw it one of the must see places in Thailand. The amazing pictures I’ve seen and reviews I’ve heard enticed me to see the place.
However, it was almost scraped out of the itinerary when I couldn’t find a tour package I liked. Knowing the troubles of going out on your own in a foreign country where you can’t speak and understand the language, I wasn’t about to go off alone. Fortunately, I discovered Tour with Tong and her reasonable packages. And despite the short notice (just 3 days before the actual tour date), I was able to book a car and driver to take us to Ayutthaya.
We would've been so lost if we did this tour on our own.
On the actual date, Tong’s driver arrived at the hotel on time. Unfortunately, the driver she sent spoke very little English. Thus, it took us quite some time to communicate with him where we wanted to go. Conversing was really like a game of charades. The pictures I downloaded off the net to identify the places didn’t help either. In the end, we just told him to bring us where he usually brings tourists.
at the Bang Pa In Palace
The ride to Ayutthaya was about an hour long. The first place our driver took us was Bang Pa In Palace. It’s the summer palace of the Royal Family. The place was enormous. The area was probably the same area size of the Grand Palace. The architecture of the whole place has a very European feel to it. Though there were still some landmarks where you could see traces of Thai culture.
The sights at Bang Pa In Palace
When we were satisfied that we’ve got to see the whole place, we decided to head back to our driver and go to our next destination. I very much wanted to visit the Floating Market and the Elephant Village but we didn’t know how to communicate that to our driver. Fortunately, we met an English speaking tour guide. He was kind enough to tell our driver where we wanted to go.
The Elephant Village
The Elephant Village and Floating Market experience was quite fascinating. Riding an elephant was scary but you’ll just have to trust the elephant guide and the elephant itself.
Elephant Ride!
The route was relatively short; they just took us around the ruins area. The whole ride probably just lasted around 30 minutes. It was still well worth it.
trying to look calm while the tiger munches the bottle
After the elephant ride, I also got to carry and feed a tiger cub. A very VERY HUNGRY tiger cub. The cub was going on a feeding frenzy the whole time I was carrying it.
Ayutthaya's Floating Market
Afterwards, we checked out the Floating Market. It wasn’t exactly the floating market I imagined, but it was still amazing. It was more of open area food court, where you’ll find normal stalls, and boat stalls. Here, we got to eat one of the best thai desserts ever. I also found one of the most deliciously spicy bagoong (shrimp paste) I’ve ever tasted. If I ever get the chance, I’ll go back here again just for that.
Food food food!
We went crazy trying to taste everything. It didn’t hurt that the food prices were relatively cheap.
The Sights at Wat Maha That
Once our stomachs were satisfied from the food trip, we continued on with our tour. The next stop was Wat Maha That. You’ll find here the head of a buddha sticking out of the roots of a tree. The image was fascinating. It’s curious how the head got there, and the body just disappeared.
Wat Lokaya Sutha / Reclining Buddha
Then we went to Wat Lokaya Sutharam, where we found another huge reclining buddha, which faces to the east. This particular reclining buddha is called Phra Buddhasaiyart (based from research I did online). There wasn’t really anything else there aside from the buddha and the altar for offerings.
The chedi at Wat Yai Chaimongkhon
Afterwards, we went to Wat Yai Chaimongkhon. The main highlight of the place is the giant chedi where you can climb up and explore. Still, there were interesting sights in the area.
Interesting sights at Wat Yai Chaimongkhon
Here, we found the 3rd reclining buddha. It wasn’t as big as the others when compared to the first two we’ve seen. Moreover, people were sticking coins at the back of its feet.
We also discovered several rows of buddhas where the majority were wrapped in gold cloth. I wanted to ask someone what’s the significance of the gold cloth but finding someone who speaks English in this part of town was kind of rare.
Sights at Wat Yai Chaimongkhon
Then, we finally climbed the huge chedi. The stairs weren’t as steep as Wat Arun’s thus the climb was relatively easy. What was interesting about this one is that once you get to the top part, you’ll find a sort of cave. Inside, you’ll find a sort of well surrounded by buddhas. People were were getting strips of gold from the buddha, then trying to drop this strips of gold inside the well. We deduced that it was some sort of wishing well.
After we were able to see the whole area of Wat Yai Chaimongkhon, we decided that it was time to go. The temples, chedis and buddhas were starting to look alike; you see one you’ve practically seen it all. This was probably the effect of being templed out; it was overwhelming but amazing at the same time.
Overall, the whole Ayutthaya experience was definitely a one of a kind experience. Visiting this place is definitely a must if ever you find yourself in Thailand and with time to spare.
