Friday, October 24, 2003

Ayutthaya - Exploring the Capitol of Ancient Siam

Our morning started slowly as we wanted to spend some extra time with Monkey. He was heading north on a flight to Chang Mai before he returned to New Zealand. At last though we were on the third class train to Ayutthaya.


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We passed small villages, Buddhist wats and flooded rice fields. All very picturesque. So much so that I took out my camera to get a few shots but sadly when I departed the train I left the camera sitting in my seat. By the time I realized my mistake the train was long gone but I still rushed back to the station in order to try to salvage my camera. It wasn't simply the loss of the camera that upset me but rather the more than three weeks worth of pictures still on the memory card. The man at the tourist information was super helpful as was the station conductor but as I suspected my camera was not to be recovered.


Determined not to let my stupid mistake ruin my time in Ayutthaya we headed out to explore the "archeological sites." There were many signs requesting that we not call the site ruins. Admittedly the remnants of ancient Siam were different than any ruins I had ever visited. The structures are more than 700 years old but they still feel very much alive. Buddhism is an ancient but still actively practiced religion. Thai people still visit the sites to pray and honour Buddha. As a part of this, every few months the Buddha statues are dressed in robes appropriate to the season. Since we were visiting in the rainy season the robes were large to provide maximum warmth.


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Nadine amongst the warmly clothed Buddhas

Around the sites were signs asking people not to stand behind the headless statues and in order to have their picture taken. We found these endlessly amusing since it triggered the question how many tourists before us had forgotten for a moment they were not at Disney Land.


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That day in Ayutthaya went from one of my worst travelling moments (losing my camera) to one that I will always remember. It was getting close to sunset when we decided to get some dinner. The sun was a giant red orb set behind the stupas. The entire sky was glowing pink and orange. Then as we walked along the road, out of seemingly nowhere, appeared a parade of elephants. In that moment I remembered that it is the small random occurrences that make travelling so worthwhile.


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Our accommodation in Ayutthaya was a lovely teak house. All of the rooms were decorated with antiques collected by the owner. On the ground floor, the restaurant was set on the bank of the river and on the second floor a balcony made for a nice spot to read and enjoy views of the river.


The next morning we visited several more sites and I had then decided that I had seen enough ancient statues for the moment and we headed back to Bangkok in the mid-afternoon. Before departing I gave the staff at the train station's tourist information some Canada pins to thank them for their kindness the day before.


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The bizarre head in the tree that is Ayutthaya's most famous photo op

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