A Tale of Two (Thai) Cities (Part 2): The Ancient Glory of Ayutthaya - and What's Left of It

- May 23-24, 2016, Monday to Tuesday.

- Shopping around Bangkok and watching a simple traditional Thai dance show was definitely a good way to start my Thailand trip with my best bud Ken (click here for Part 1 of my Thailand adventures series.) Our first two days gave us some time to settle in Thailand and familiarize ourselves with the people and the society of Thailand. After two days, Ken and I were ready to set out and discover more of Thailand's glorious and majestic past - the Kingdom of Ayutthaya.

- Most people staying in Bangkok only take a day trip to Ayutthaya, usually leaving Bangkok in the morning and returning in the early evening. However, Ken and I decided to take our time to appreciate Ayutthaya, so we decided to stay for two days and one night. At least, we'd get to see more places. After all, Ayutthaya is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, so why not stay a little longer and enjoy this world heritage, right?

- Ken and I took the BTS and MRT metro trains to Hua Lamphong MRT Station, which is located directly below the Hua Lamphong Railway Station, where people take trains to go to other provinces of Thailand, or other nearby countries like Lao PDR, Malaysia, or Singapore. Just a tip, for those planning to buy a ticket on the spot, do not entertain anyone who approaches you (even if they look like staff/personnel of the station); they might be scammers who will trick you into purchasing a tour package to wherever. Instead, go directly to the ticket counter and the person behind the counter will entertain you. Depending on the train, there are first, second, and third class tickets. Most tourists on a budget purchase the third class tickets (around 20 Baht from Bangkok to Ayutthaya or vice versa, one way,) but Ken and I bought second class tickets (around 490 Baht per person) so we can get a little bit of luxury in our 1.5-hour train ride to Ayutthaya; we wanted to be in an air-conditioned cabin with closed windows to protect us from the pollution and the rain (just in case the sky decides to rain; after all, it's a weird transition period to the rainy season these days.) First class cabins would usually have food and other amenities, second class would be simpler cabins with air conditioning and cushioned chairs, while third class cabins would have hard chairs without any air-conditioning at all. Moderately clean bathrooms can be found in the train. Also, since the train's last stop is Chiang Mai in the far north of Thailand, those taking the train should be very attentive so they can take note of next station and get off at the right station. The announcement through the speaker may or may not be in English, may or may not be clear. Not all train stations would have English names too, so the best thing to do would be to look at the arrival time in the ticket, and ask the train staff in the train what the next station is. (Ex. Ken and I were scheduled to arrive in Ayutthaya around 9:41AM. Around 9:20, we would start asking the train personnel what the next station would be, so we could prepare our luggages. The doors don't open for too long, so it's best to be ready when our stop was near.)

Leaving Bangkok for the meantime.

Old trains, but still pretty neat!!

Our second-class tickets.

Ken is tired.

A little crazy moment.

We're here!!

- We reached Ayutthaya around 10AM, and rode a Tuktuk to our nice guesthouse, Baan Tye Wang (read as "Ban Tai Wang.") It was around a 150-Baht ride since it was quite far from the train station; we also noticed that the tuktuks in Ayutthaya were slightly larger than those in Bangkok, and can seat up to 6 to 8 people, unlike the 2-seater tuktuks in Bangkok. Ayutthaya, in current Thai geography, is a province that has several districts, including the Ayutthaya District where most tourist spots are. The Ayutthaya island-city that served as the the center of the ancient Ayutthaya Kingdom is almost a hundred meters north of Bangkok, surrounded by Lopburi River, Chao Phraya River, and Pa Sak River. Other attractions are located off the island, including the train/railway station.

- Baan Tye Wang is a quiet guesthouse in the northwestern side of Ayutthaya Island. The guesthouse has eight rooms (4 at the ground floor, and 4 at the second floor,) and is owned by a nice Thai family. Free breakfast is served, and other amenities and services are also provided (like bicycle, tuktuk, and taxi/car rentals.) The view of the room is astounding - a small river canal with lotus flowers, sometimes with aquatic birds like herons visiting the canal, and the Chedi Suryothai at the far back. I had no hesitations in booking this guesthouse since it did not have any negative reviews when I looked it up in Trip Advisor. The Facebook page also had comments from tons of satisfied customers. I think it's also safe to say that Ken and I are new additions to these satisfied customers.

Our room. Take note that all rooms only have king-sized beds. The room is air-conditioned by the way.

Our lovely guesthouse.

Out in the front.

A heron visited our guesthouse.

- After leaving our things, we asked the nice lady at the front desk for a tuktuk for rent with driver for the day. After all, while Ayutthaya seems compact in the tourist map, going from one place to another can be too far by walking, so hiring a taxi or tuktuk for the day is highly suggested. The rate was 200 Baht per hour, and this is the standard rate for most, if not all, tuktuk services. Having our hotel ring up a tuktuk also gave us more ease than personally haggling with just any tuktuk driver from the streets (which, of course, is also possible and has been done by many tourists.) In less than 5 minutes, our tuktuk driver Wang arrived.

- Ayutthaya was the capital of the Kingdom of Ayutthaya, which was one of the most powerful kingdoms in ancient maritime Southeast Asia. The Ayutthayan Kingdom has territories in modern Thailand, China, Myanmar, Malaysia, Cambodia, and Lao PDR. The kingdom existed from the mid-1300s until the mid-1700s. It was routinely attacked by the Burmese, until the fall of Ayutthaya in 1761; by that time, many of Ayutthaya's palaces and temples were destroyed by the Burmese. After the fall of Ayutthaya, the Thai seat of power was transferred to Thonburi, and later on, across in river in Rattanakosin; Thonburi and Rattanakosin are located in present-day Bangkok. The name "Ayutthaya" was taken from the kingdom of "Ayodhya" in the Indian epic Ramayana; this, of course, shows the great Hindu-Buddhist influences in early Thailand. Ken and I were excited about visiting Ayutthaya not only because of its historical significance, but also because plenty of tourist spots in Ayutthaya were used as filming locations for the two Mortal Kombat movies in the mid-90s. (The films were not really too well made, but Ken and I are fans of the game itself. I myself grew up playing that game.)

- We asked our tuktuk driver to take us first to Wat Chaiwatthanaram. "Wat" refers to a Buddhist temple, and this term can be found in many Southeast-Asian Buddhist temples; more "wats" can be seen throughout this blog series. Wat Chaiwatthanaram is one of the famous sites associated with Ayutthaya, although it is really located off the island just across the Chao Phraya River, and therefore not a part of Ayutthaya per se. It was built by King Prasat Thong in 1630 and has a Cambodian/Khmer-style main stupa (i.e. corn-shaped stupa). This is because the Khmers of ancient Cambodia were very powerful in the pre-Ayutthaya days. The temple's entrance fee is 50 Baht per person; most temples in and around Aytthaya require a 50 Baht entrance.

Wat Chaiwatthanaram.

- The best time to go to Ayutthaya would be Wednesdays to Sundays, as some museums (but not the temples) are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. However, going to Ayutthaya on a Monday-Tuesday trip seemed to be a blessing in disguise, since there were far less tourists in Ayutthaya, and the local Thais who may want to visit Ayutthaya would have work or school on Mondays and Tuesdays. After all, the temples and shrines are the most important tourist sites in Ayutthaya, although the relics in the museums would be good supplements to the things seen in the temples and shrines. Because of this, most of the ruins that we visited did not have big crowds. It made doing photoshoots a bit easier.

Ken getting ready to be my photographer. He's wearing my necklace by the way. It's his first time to be my photographer (and well, it's our first time to travel with each other.)

Please take note, these are NOT authentic Buddhist clothes; I just grabbed stuff around the house that look like Buddhist monk clothes.

Plenty of red bricks.

A lot of these carvings depicting the Buddha's life or other scenes can be found in many temples.

One of the still intact ancient Buddhas. The statue is larger than it seems.

Headless Buddhas; a lot of the heads were stolen by robbers and were probably sold somewhere.

To one of the walkways.

A pigeon taking shelter in one of the holes in the stupa. 

Mandatory tourist photo.

- After going around the ruins, we asked our driver to drive us to Chedi Suriyothai, a stupa/chedi/Buddhist mound near our guesthouse. Chedi Suriyothai is a memorial in honor of Si Suriyothai, the queen consort of King Maha Chakkraphat. Si Suriyothai was said to have sacrificed herself during the war with the Burmese. This stupa/chedi is distinct as it is white at the bottom and gold at the top. There is no entrance fee.

The golden upper half looks more astounding in person.

- It was around noon after our visit to Chedi Suriyothai, and we asked our driver to drive us to a good restaurant that serves Thai food. I was foolish enough to not remember the name of this restaurant, especially since it served great Thai food. It is open air, and the best part was the view of the Chao Phraya River and the French-built St. Joseph Church across the river. Other Buddhist temples and mosques could also be seen farther away. For lunch, we had shrimp fried rice, snakehead fish cooked with vegetables, catfish salad (Ken's favorite,) and som tam (papaya salad.)

- After lunch we went to Viharn Phra Mongkhon Bophit, and Wat Phra Si Sanphet. Both are right beside each other. Viharn Phra Mongkhon Bophit is an active temple with a long history. Originally, the giant golden Buddha inside the temple (made in the 1500s and only made of stone without gold) was located in the eastern side of Ayutthaya, and was moved to the western side of the island. Throughout the years, the temple that housed the giant Buddha was damanged by the Burmese. The Thai-style structure that houses the Buddha today was an order by King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) in the 1800s. In the 1990s, the Buddha statue was covered with gold leaf.

Current structure. 

Giant gold-covered Buddha.

Very serene expression.

- To the left of the temple is a big souvenir bazaar for tourists. Most of the items, however, can be found in Bangkok (prices are usually similar as in Bangkok, and sometimes, the ones in Bangkok may even be cheaper!!) To the right of the temple is the entrance to the Wat Phra Si Sanphet. This wat was a royal temple which was located beside the ancient palace when it still stood. The wat was ordered to be built by King U-thong in the 1300s. As a royal temple, no monks lived there, unlike the other temples.

The three remaining stupas.

Parts of the old palace.

Ken and his face again.

The stupas from the other side.

Wat Phra Si Sanphet - what could have been.

- Across the road from Viharn Phra Mongkhon Bophit and Wat Phra Si Sanphet is Wat Phra Ram, a temple complex that was built by King Ramesuan after his father, King U-thong passed away. Like many wats, the main prang is also carved in the Khmer style.

Entrance to Wat Phra Ram.

Main prang.

See that detail??

Wat Phra Ram - its former glory.

- Next on our agenda was a visit to two adjacent temple complexes Wat Mahathat (read as "maha-that" with a soft "th" on "that") and Wat Ratchaburana to the north of Wat Mahathat. Wat Mahathat was constructed during the early Ayutthaya period, and was where great relics were kept ("mahathat" = "great relics.") Today, the most distinct must-see feature of the temple is the head of the Buddha being wrapped by the roots of an ancient tree. This reminds me of the Ta Prohm in Siem Reap, Cambodia (aka the "Tomb Raider Temple" as the part of the film starring Angelina Jolie was filmed in this temple; click here for my Cambodia and Vietnam trip) that is being wrapped/covered by giant tree roots.

Wat Mahathat - a temple in abundance.

The tree-wrapped Buddha.

Oh by the way, you need to bend down when taking a photo with the Buddha as a sign of respect.

One of the nicely-preserved sections of the wat.

Buddha carving with some golden leaves left.

- Our tuktuk driver Wang told us to come find him after our visit to Wat Mahathat so he could drive us to the Wat Ratchaburana entrance, even though the latter was just up north the former. I think it has something to do with the entrances facing opposite directions. Anyway, we reached Wat Ratchaburana in no time. Wat Ratchaburana is a temple built by King Borommarachathirat II in the 1400s on the cremation site of his brothers.

A detailed Garuda on the main prng.

Trying to imitate a khon masked dance pose.

Ken and me trying to look fierce.

Wat Ratchaburana - what once was.

- Ken and I had two more wats on our list before calling it a day. We were driven to Wat Phanan Choeng, which is at the southeastern part across the island. It was built in 1324, a few years before Ayutthaya became a powerful kingdom. It was built by Chinese migrants during the Song Dynasty. This temple was also visited by Zheng He's fleet. Zheng He is a powerful eunuch from the Ming Dynasty, and has gone around Asia and Africa to enhance trade with more places and more importantly, get more tributary states. Plenty of other temples and museums in honor of Zheng He can also be found in the neighboring Malaysia (click here for my trip to Malacca, Malaysia, where some temples were visited by Zheng He, and some museums are built in honor of him.) Going back to Wat Phanan Choeng, the main attraction would be its giant golden Buddha, and is said to be the guardian of mariners. Another interesting thing about this wat is that its temple (after restorations) look more modern, just like Viharn Chai Mongkhon Bophit.

Guardian of mariners.

Nice roofs of Wat Phanan Choeng.

A Ganesha statue outside the temple.

- Finally, we went to Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon as our last destination for the day. This temple/monastery was built by King U-thong in the mid-1300s. It is well-known for its rows and rows of yellow-robed stone Buddha statues, including one yellow-robed reclining Buddha. It was one of my personal favorites apart from Wat Chaiwatthanaram and Wat Ratchaburana.

Big reclining Buddha.

I don't know why they were offering Doraemon dolls.

Ordination hall full of golden Buddha statues. Each worshipper would place a small square of godl leaf on the Buddhas.

They do that to the nagas as well.

Yellow-robed Buddhas. 

Main prang.

The stairs were quite steep.

- Our driver Wang finally drove us to a 7-Eleven so Ken and I could buy some water and some after-dinner snacks. At around 6PM, we arrived in our guesthouse with some time to rest before dinner. We thanked Wang and paid 1400 Baht for the 7 hours that we were with him. He was a very good driver, and a patient one too.

With our driver Wang and our amazing blue tuktuk hahahaha.

- We decided to eat dinner at our quiet guesthouse since they served inexpensive authentic Thai dishes for dinner. The Chedi Suriyothai from afar can also be seen, illuminated with lights that changed colors every so often. The only sounds Ken and I could hear while eating dinner were our voices, the lizard in the trees, and the soft sound from the television from the front desk.

- The next morning, Ken and I booked a taxi for the day since we decided to go somewhere farther away. The rate was also 200 Baht per hour, but compared to a tuktuk, a taxi could make us go to our destination more efficiently. Our only agenda for the day was to visit Bang Pa-In Summer Palace. Bang Pa-In is a district south of Ayutthaya district in Ayutthaya province. The Bang Pa-In Palace was originally constructed in the 1600s, but was disused and later revived by King Mongkut. Today, the palace is still being used by the current royal family, though rarely and only during special occasions.

- Bang Pa-In Palace is quite unique because it has a mix of Thai, Chinese, and European architectural styles. This is because King Mongkut's era was a time when Thailand was slowly opening itself to Western influences. Since most of the halls are off limits to the public, they can only be appreciated from the outside. Some halls were converted into museums, but no photography is allowed inside.

A Greek goddess and the main hall behind.

It was under renovation, just like many parts in the rest of Thailand.

- While it is a less overwhelming place to roam around, as compared to the Grand Palace (in Part 3 of this blog series), there are also very strict rules when it comes to clothing. The usual no shorts, sleeveless, or indecent clothing rule is followed, and no wedding attire (for those planning to take pre-nup photos/videos.) Interestingly, I was told by a guard that traditional Thai attires are not allowed as well, which frustrated me a lot at first. I was told that it was because only the royal family was allowed to wear the traditional royal-style Thai outfit. In my case, I was only allowed to wear traditional Thai costumes if they do not resemble the royal Thai costume; the Thai formal costume resembles the Thai royal costume a bit. I found this a strange rule, and my Thai friends said that it was probably because someone in the past wore such costumes and took illegal pre-nup photos inside, or photographs for magazines. Formal photoshoots are not allowed as the palace is a private place, and some sort of permit is most likely needed for photoshoots. At first, I wasn't even allowed to wear just my Thai polo top with my normal pants, but after I showed my previous photos to the guard proving that I do not have "normal clothes" (as my casual clothes for everyday wear even back home are 99% cultural in some way,) I was allowed to wear my formal Thai polo but without any form of jewelry that will resemble/imitate the royal costume's accessories.

My peasant-style-and-totally-not-royal costume in front of the currently-renovating main hall.

Some royal Thai costumes (for women.)

The Sages' Lookout.

Heavenly Light temple.

From the back.

A cottage for one of the princesses.

Cottage for the queen.

The lookout and the temple from across the small lake.

One of the European-style reception halls.

Main hall, a miniature version from the one in the grand palace.

Was almost not able to take this photo.

- After visiting the Bangpa-In Palace, we went to Wat Niwet Thamaprawat, near the Bang Pa-In Palace. To get there, visitors would need to go out the palace, and go to parking lot beside the palace. At the parking lot, there are some cable cars that would take people from one side of the river to another. Interestingly, these cable cars are operated by monks! Across the river, there are arrows to the wat. Since I was able to look this place up before, I knew what the surprise was. Since Ken wasn't, able to, I first asked Ken what kind of structure he was looking at. He told me it was a church. We went inside the church, and to Ken's surprise, the gothic church - complete with stained-glass windows - was actually a Buddhist temple!! The three main Buddhas are seated at the center where Jesus Christ's cross is usually found, and all the statues inside are statues of Buddhas instead of angels and saints. What supposedly was a cross on top of the structure is a typical weather vane. This temple was an idea of King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) while he was continuing the restoration and revival of the Bang Pa-In Palace across the river. Just as with Bang Pa-In, the temple was built when Thailand was opening up to Western (mainly European) influences.  

Cable car to go to the other side.

Gothic church??

Seems like it.

Ken looking at a sundial.

In front of the structure, with a Buddhist monk walking beside.

Still looks like a church.

When when you look at the details up close....it's a Buddhist temple after all!!

Ken still couldn't believe his eyes.

- We left Wat Niwet Thamaprawat later on and went back across the river via cable car. We found our driver and off we went to have lunch in Baan Ice before trying to look for souvenirs (to no avail.) Finally, our driver dropped us off at the Ayutthaya Railway Station for our 3:30 trip to Bangkok Hua Lamphong Station. This time, I forgot to ask for second-class tickets, and so we were given third-class tickets that cost 20 Baht each. It was cheap, but it was a hot 1.5-hour ride back to Bangkok. It was home sweet home again at Saphaipae Hostel (they even gave us the same awesome room!!) After settling in our hostel and resting for a while from that long trip back, Ken and I were ready to conquer more of Bangkok!! (Please read Part 1 here and Part 3 here!!)

Goodbye Ayutthaya.