The riddle of Ayutthaya is finally solved.
This time, I made sure that torrential rains or being left out by the train will not get me, nor do the 1.5 hour delay of our private tour which we whiled with a breakfast of grilled pork and sticky rice.
Our Ayuthayya came with a price tag of $284 but then, this is for the family and I've burned more for less.
Ayutthaya was established in 1350 as the seat of the Kingdom of Siam after Sukothai (1238-1378) and before Thonburi (1767-1782) and Bangkok (1782-present day), and was Thailand's longest serving capital until it was sacked and destroyed during the Second Burmese Wars of 1767 after which the capital was moved to Thonburi.
The ruins of Ayutthaya was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991.
We arrived at our first destination, Wat Chai Yang Mongkhon [the Great Monastery of Auspicious Victory that was established in 1350 immediately after the founding of the Ayutthaya] by 11 am, and immediately rushed through a throng of people scaling the Phra Chedi Chaimongkhon hoping to be able to toss a coin into a small bowl some 100 feet below the summit for good fortune which I hopefully did so I can finally win the lotto jackpot and quit my job.
It was midday when we're done with Wat Chai Yang Mongkhon and taken to a fake floating market for a 10-minute ride in a real boat around an artifical lake, free-tasted authentic local delicacies [crispy fish skin, rice cakes, dried pork and squid, candies] sold in imitation traditional wooden houses, before succumbing to three types of bona fide Thai noodles for lunch at the aptly named Boat Noodles restaurant.
Our second temple is Wat Mahathat [the Monastery of the Great Relic that was established in 1374], known for its headless buddhas and famous for a buddha head wrapped in a tree as introduced to us by our guide who also pointed to a nearby tower where gold bars were allegedly discovered by looters, and then left us at the mercy of the burning sun to explore the ruins on our own.
We were parched and squinted a lot but we've got our photos and a sampling of grilled Thai sausage too!
The sun was kinder when we reached Wat Phra Si Sanphet [the Temple of the Holy Splendid Omniscient that was established in 1458], the holiest and most important temple of the Ayutthaya Kingdom whose main features were a 16-meter buddha image covered with 343 tons of gold and three stupas where the ashes of three kings were interred.
Then the Burmese invaded in 1767, looted the gold from the buddha and destroyed eveything except the three stupas where tourists today [like us] posed for photos, probably unmindful of Ayutthaya's glorious past and the royal relics that were enshrined inside.
It was past 4 pm and the fiery sun has mellowed when we reached our final destination, Wat Chaiwatthanaram [the Temple of Long Reign and Glorious Era], built in 1630 in the style of a Khmer mountain temple to commemorate the 199th year of Siam's conquest of the Khmer Empire, and sacked during the Burmese invasion of 1767.
Today, the ruins is a popular location for locals to take photos wearing their traditional dresses.
That was our Ayutthaya: scorched, parched, tired but happy feet, and the priceless memory of quality family time spent amidst "ruins of haunting loveliness".
We slept off most of the 80-kilometer return to Bangkok where we were supposed to have a tomyam mama noodle and salmon salad dinner at Jeh O Chula which unfortunately was closed for the holidays.
Just the same, our Indian dinner [buttered chicken, chicken kadhai, garlic naan] and the family's first encounter with mango and sticky rice at Asiatique turned out to be a good fall back option.
This time, I made sure that torrential rains or being left out by the train will not get me, nor do the 1.5 hour delay of our private tour which we whiled with a breakfast of grilled pork and sticky rice.
Our Ayuthayya came with a price tag of $284 but then, this is for the family and I've burned more for less.
Ayutthaya was established in 1350 as the seat of the Kingdom of Siam after Sukothai (1238-1378) and before Thonburi (1767-1782) and Bangkok (1782-present day), and was Thailand's longest serving capital until it was sacked and destroyed during the Second Burmese Wars of 1767 after which the capital was moved to Thonburi.
The ruins of Ayutthaya was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991.
We arrived at our first destination, Wat Chai Yang Mongkhon [the Great Monastery of Auspicious Victory that was established in 1350 immediately after the founding of the Ayutthaya] by 11 am, and immediately rushed through a throng of people scaling the Phra Chedi Chaimongkhon hoping to be able to toss a coin into a small bowl some 100 feet below the summit for good fortune which I hopefully did so I can finally win the lotto jackpot and quit my job.
It was midday when we're done with Wat Chai Yang Mongkhon and taken to a fake floating market for a 10-minute ride in a real boat around an artifical lake, free-tasted authentic local delicacies [crispy fish skin, rice cakes, dried pork and squid, candies] sold in imitation traditional wooden houses, before succumbing to three types of bona fide Thai noodles for lunch at the aptly named Boat Noodles restaurant.
Our second temple is Wat Mahathat [the Monastery of the Great Relic that was established in 1374], known for its headless buddhas and famous for a buddha head wrapped in a tree as introduced to us by our guide who also pointed to a nearby tower where gold bars were allegedly discovered by looters, and then left us at the mercy of the burning sun to explore the ruins on our own.
We were parched and squinted a lot but we've got our photos and a sampling of grilled Thai sausage too!
The sun was kinder when we reached Wat Phra Si Sanphet [the Temple of the Holy Splendid Omniscient that was established in 1458], the holiest and most important temple of the Ayutthaya Kingdom whose main features were a 16-meter buddha image covered with 343 tons of gold and three stupas where the ashes of three kings were interred.
Then the Burmese invaded in 1767, looted the gold from the buddha and destroyed eveything except the three stupas where tourists today [like us] posed for photos, probably unmindful of Ayutthaya's glorious past and the royal relics that were enshrined inside.
It was past 4 pm and the fiery sun has mellowed when we reached our final destination, Wat Chaiwatthanaram [the Temple of Long Reign and Glorious Era], built in 1630 in the style of a Khmer mountain temple to commemorate the 199th year of Siam's conquest of the Khmer Empire, and sacked during the Burmese invasion of 1767.
Today, the ruins is a popular location for locals to take photos wearing their traditional dresses.
That was our Ayutthaya: scorched, parched, tired but happy feet, and the priceless memory of quality family time spent amidst "ruins of haunting loveliness".
We slept off most of the 80-kilometer return to Bangkok where we were supposed to have a tomyam mama noodle and salmon salad dinner at Jeh O Chula which unfortunately was closed for the holidays.
Just the same, our Indian dinner [buttered chicken, chicken kadhai, garlic naan] and the family's first encounter with mango and sticky rice at Asiatique turned out to be a good fall back option.
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