In February 2008, I took the train from Bangkok to Ayutthaya, Thailand. I had wanted to visit this old Siam capital since the first time I had come on a holiday to Thailand back in December of 2005, but never got around to it.
It was tough trying to get on the train because I had two huge suitcases with me. I had left Korea at the end of my teaching contract, to tour through SEAsia for three months. My first stop was Thailand, and also my last stop.
View from my seat, and one of my big pink suitcases that took up a whole seat.
I had planned on meeting a friend I had met on ajarn (forum), and he was going to show me around a bit. Upon arrival, I booked in advance at the Baan Lotus Guesthouse.
The guesthouse cost me 800 baht, for an air-conditioned double bed room. As you can see it is made of teakwood. Anywhere you walked in the place it squeaked, but it was very quaint and quiet.
The day after I arrived, I awoke to a beautiful sunny day. My friend picked me up on his motorbike, and we went on a tour of some of the temples in the area. What a historical UNESCO world heritage city!
Wat Yai Chaimonkorn
The Reclining Buddha
Chedi at Wat Phu Khao Thong
The Ancient Ruins
Wat Phra Si Sanphet
I ran into quite a few elephants on the street giving tours. In fact, I nearly got trampled on by one of them while crossing the street.
My tour guide took me on a riverboat dinner cruise that evening. The food was great, and the views were okay (it was hard to see much though). There was a bit of a drag show on board which was a hoot to see.
Before we went on the boat, we saw guys cooking huge lobsters and prawns. We ordered a bunch of huge prawns to eat, yummy!
About to board the boat cruise.
Hello there, big prawn..you are about to be eaten!
I'm not quite sure of the name of this, but it was very spicy. I think I drank ten quarts of water and beer to cool my mouth down.
The food and drink were relatively cheap. It cost about $30.00 for the meal and quite a few drinks. I was impressed.
I really got a kick when they brought ice with my Singha beer. Who drinks ice with beer?? I guess they do that in Thailand.
The view as we are taking off from the shore. The sun was quickly going down.
The infamous drag show where a group of girls wearing dresses, wigs, and white makeup started singing western songs by beyonce, and parading around the guests. It was the funniest thing i've seen in awhile.
All in all, I really enjoyed Ayutthaya, and was happy I finally took a quick trip up there. It was nice to see the temples there before I headed to Angkor Wat not too long after that.