Ayutthaya, Thailand
Ayutthaya, where do I begin? It's more than a year ago so, bear with my memory.
It was funny because, I was the one who wanted to go Ayutthaya but the friend ended up doing all the research and so on. We took the minibus, which is a van, and the journey is a little more than an hour. It really depends on the traffic and the van stops along the way to pick up or allow passengers to alight. There are a lot of vans that go to Ayutthaya from Bangkok, they can be easily found at the Victory Monument area, next to the big, new mall and the street market area. Can't remember how much we paid for the journey but doubt it cost a lot.
Well, I wanted to go to Ayutthaya because I was so fascinated with Asian ruins and UNESCO sites (if you haven't noticed) but I was rather disappointed by what I see in Ayutthaya. The stark different between Ayutthaya and Angkor is that the entire Ayutthaya is splattered with modern civilisation. How do I explain this... Perhaps Ayutthaya is much smaller than Angkor, it is more like travelling in a city to see ruins (like Rome), then seeing a city from ruins. And the mix of modern infrastructure, commerce, activities with the ruins can be rather confusing. I don't know which is more ancient... Hmmm... Anyway. The other disappointment was that I was expecting huge, massive structures like what I saw in Angkor. So my takeaway for you is, don't compare Ayutthaya with Angkor. They are totally different things. I should not even associate them in the first place.
Anyway, when you arrived at Ayutthaya, it is best to get a tuk-tuk for the day to take you around the city. If I'm not wrong, the standard ate is 1000 baht for a day's booking but we ended up paying 1500 baht due to my lack of bargaining skills. It was a large tuk-tuk that can easily sit between 4-6 people. Along the way, the driver even picked up someone he knows to her destination. Quite fun. :)
A view from the tuk-tuk making way to our first destination.
Nice, cushiony seats. Comfortable for a day's ride.
Wat Yai Chaimongkon
This is a temple with a massive reclining buddha and rows of buddha sculptures within the temple complex. As it is still a working temple, we got the chance to see people coming in to pray while we are there. It's a beautiful place actually and I think it is one of the most popular photography spots.
I really like this picture. If only it turns out sharper!
There are rows of sculptures in yellow robes around the complex. Rather atmospheric.
On the fingers of a larger buddha sculpture. Friend spotted this and found it rather cute.
School kids on an excursion.
This crowd of people suddenly turned up so we started snapping before missing the moment!
Wat Phra Mahathat
The next temple we went to is Wat Phra Mahathat, which is probably the most popular temple for the headless buddha sculptures and the tree which grows around a buddha's head. It is a magnificent area of ruins which are in bad condition.
One can take a photo with the tree but has to be on your knees, with your shoulders lower than the buddha's head.
Viharn Phra Mongkol Bopit
We weren't impressed so we took a few pictures, played with a squirrel, and left. LOL!
Unknown Wat
I honestly have no idea what Wat this is and can't seem to find it on Google images but I really loved this Wat! It is rather well preserved, with lots and lots of headless buddha sculptures around the Wat. It also has a couple of towers around and the complex is in a beautiful earth shade instead of colours of erosion.
I think this is a temple, there is one at every corner of the Wat so there are 4.
Wood ceiling.
I would say this is atmospheric!
Here is another "corner" temple.
Haha. Maybe lumoszoga can find our what Wat this is when she moved and explored Ayutthaya. :P
And, yes, that's all I have for Ayutthaya. Worth a half-day trip from Bangkok. We were done before 4pm and arrived back in Bangkok by 5-ish. It was a really hot day I remembered and there are no shelters in the sites.
------
Useful info:
- Van to Ayutthaya departs from Victory Monument area. Google around for exact location and latest prices. That was what we did!
- The rate for a day's tuk-tuk is between 1000-1200 baht. Try not to pay more than that.
It was funny because, I was the one who wanted to go Ayutthaya but the friend ended up doing all the research and so on. We took the minibus, which is a van, and the journey is a little more than an hour. It really depends on the traffic and the van stops along the way to pick up or allow passengers to alight. There are a lot of vans that go to Ayutthaya from Bangkok, they can be easily found at the Victory Monument area, next to the big, new mall and the street market area. Can't remember how much we paid for the journey but doubt it cost a lot.
Well, I wanted to go to Ayutthaya because I was so fascinated with Asian ruins and UNESCO sites (if you haven't noticed) but I was rather disappointed by what I see in Ayutthaya. The stark different between Ayutthaya and Angkor is that the entire Ayutthaya is splattered with modern civilisation. How do I explain this... Perhaps Ayutthaya is much smaller than Angkor, it is more like travelling in a city to see ruins (like Rome), then seeing a city from ruins. And the mix of modern infrastructure, commerce, activities with the ruins can be rather confusing. I don't know which is more ancient... Hmmm... Anyway. The other disappointment was that I was expecting huge, massive structures like what I saw in Angkor. So my takeaway for you is, don't compare Ayutthaya with Angkor. They are totally different things. I should not even associate them in the first place.
Anyway, when you arrived at Ayutthaya, it is best to get a tuk-tuk for the day to take you around the city. If I'm not wrong, the standard ate is 1000 baht for a day's booking but we ended up paying 1500 baht due to my lack of bargaining skills. It was a large tuk-tuk that can easily sit between 4-6 people. Along the way, the driver even picked up someone he knows to her destination. Quite fun. :)
A view from the tuk-tuk making way to our first destination.
Nice, cushiony seats. Comfortable for a day's ride.
Wat Yai Chaimongkon
This is a temple with a massive reclining buddha and rows of buddha sculptures within the temple complex. As it is still a working temple, we got the chance to see people coming in to pray while we are there. It's a beautiful place actually and I think it is one of the most popular photography spots.
I really like this picture. If only it turns out sharper!
There are rows of sculptures in yellow robes around the complex. Rather atmospheric.
On the fingers of a larger buddha sculpture. Friend spotted this and found it rather cute.
School kids on an excursion.
This crowd of people suddenly turned up so we started snapping before missing the moment!
Wat Phra Mahathat
The next temple we went to is Wat Phra Mahathat, which is probably the most popular temple for the headless buddha sculptures and the tree which grows around a buddha's head. It is a magnificent area of ruins which are in bad condition.
One can take a photo with the tree but has to be on your knees, with your shoulders lower than the buddha's head.
Viharn Phra Mongkol Bopit
We weren't impressed so we took a few pictures, played with a squirrel, and left. LOL!
Unknown Wat
I honestly have no idea what Wat this is and can't seem to find it on Google images but I really loved this Wat! It is rather well preserved, with lots and lots of headless buddha sculptures around the Wat. It also has a couple of towers around and the complex is in a beautiful earth shade instead of colours of erosion.
I think this is a temple, there is one at every corner of the Wat so there are 4.
Wood ceiling.
I would say this is atmospheric!
Here is another "corner" temple.
Haha. Maybe lumoszoga can find our what Wat this is when she moved and explored Ayutthaya. :P
And, yes, that's all I have for Ayutthaya. Worth a half-day trip from Bangkok. We were done before 4pm and arrived back in Bangkok by 5-ish. It was a really hot day I remembered and there are no shelters in the sites.
------
Useful info:
- Van to Ayutthaya departs from Victory Monument area. Google around for exact location and latest prices. That was what we did!
- The rate for a day's tuk-tuk is between 1000-1200 baht. Try not to pay more than that.