We were so excited to go searching for history in Ayutthaya. We had only visited this former capital on our first trip to Thailand way back in 2001, so with Dave & Anne in tow, we made a point to head a couple of hours outside of Bangkok.
Although only 81 km from our stay at New Siam II, as with all things involving Bangkok traffic, the 1-hour trip took closer to 2 hours +. Once we got out of the traffic jam of the big city, it was an enjoyable ride heading out into the plains north of town.
Quite honestly, it took us a minute to remember that back in 2001, we didn’t even spend the night in town, but rather continued to the UNESCO site at Sukhothai, which was the first capital of the Kingdom of Siam in the 13th & 14th centuries.
This time around, we wanted to make sure we had time to thoroughly search for the history of Ayutthaya, along with taking time to relax outside of the massiveness that is Bangkok. Luckily, my friends at Travelfish.org came through with the perfect spot! More on the splendid Baan Thai House in a bit!
Ayutthaya itself is also a UNESCO World Heritage site and was the 2nd capital of the Kingdom of Siam from 1350 AD into the 1800s. This thriving city became one of the world’s largest cities and a global center of commerce. Situated strategically on an island surrounded by three rivers, the city had easy access to the sea.
In 1767, the city was razed by the Burmese, and the population fled. Although a modern-day city now exists, the historical ruins were never rebuilt to their former glory and now remain only as a historical park.
After we dropped our bags at the stunning Baan Thai House, we immediately headed to the ruins to begin our search for history in Ayutthaya. Although Dave & Anne had seen dozens of temples and Wats during our first four days in the country, the architecture of the former capitals is quite dramatically different.
It was hot. And, I mean meltingly hot. Even after 24 years, we remembered how hot it was in the area and planned accordingly, carrying umbrellas to protect against the sun. We arrived by mid-morning, and we immediately were covered in sweat. Luckily, the ruins provided a bit of shade, and we wandered leisurely, taking in the hundreds of years of history.
Our cameras were all busy as we moved around the different temples of the city, admiring the systematic grid with moats and canals creating a lush, garden-like setting. After we had our fill of the main city, we went in search of the Buddha head in the tree, an iconic photo op. Set in the corner of Wat Mahathat, legend has it that when the Burmese army purposefully decapitated many of the Buddha’s images in the city, this head lay in the brush for years before a bodhi tree grew up around it. I am dubious of the claim since the Buddha head sits perfectly straight within the tree roots, but hey, it could be the miracle they say.
It is important to note that when photographing the Buddha head in the tree, or any Buddha, you must never look down on them, so squatting is required.
Boiling hot and feeling nearly done with ruins, we did catch a tuk-tuk to visit the Wat Chaiwatthanaram, scenically perched along the west bank of the Chao Phraya River, for one more temple. This wat is one of the most popular stops for tourists, and across the street were store after store of “chut Thai”, or traditional Thai attire that is often used for photo ops for tourists. Built in the Khmer fashion, this temple reminded us most of the iconic ruins in Cambodia at Angkor Wat.
Thoroughly done with ruins and melting in the heat, we collapsed in the coffee shop next door to the ruins after ordering fantastically refreshing kiwi and strawberry smoothies.
It was a lovely treat to spend a few hours searching for history in Ayutthaya once again. One of the joys of travel is walking in the footsteps of history while imagining how extraordinary this city was back in its heyday. Refreshed with our smoothies, we grabbed a tuk-tuk and headed back to Baan Thai House. We had earned some pool time!
Next time, a review of our lovely accommodations for our night in Ayutthaya.
With more than 10 temples and over 365 historical ruins available to discover, Ayutthaya Historical Park is best done over 2-3 days. The Historical Park is open daily from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, and while wandering the grounds is free, there is a small fee to visit each temple, which ranges from 20 TBT to 50 TBT.