Friday 16 May 2008
Part 5: Discovering Ayutthaya, the Ancient Capital
Day 6
The day before, we booked a guided tour to Ayutthaya, the ancient Siamese capital for over 400 years before it was conquered and destroyed by retreating Burmese forces in 1767.
Early at 6am, we waited outside our guesthouse for the prearranged transport to River City Shopping Complex where the coach bus awaited. But it did not come and we nearly had a heart attack because we were still at the same spot at the time when the coach was supposed to set off from River City (that was half an hour away).
Most fortunately we managed to arrive in time to catch it (unbelievable) with help from the kind folks of Suk 11, and a cab driver who drove us to River City in record time. He did so by zig zagging amongst vehicles at crazy speeds and driving on road shoulders at the highway. Yes I know; we are still very thankful that we are alive today.
Our 1st stop was Bangk Pa-in Summer Palace, built during the Ayutthaya era and used by royal families past and present as a summer retreat. It was supposedly "a charming collection of palaces and pavilions" but most of the architecture were really not that charming or magnificent. The waters in the lakes were a muddy, rusty brown which, according to my tour guide, was caused by the oppressing heat (?). Only the well-maintained lawns seemed fitting of a royal palace.
Aisawan Thipaya-art ("Divine Seat of Personal Freedom") sitting in the middle of the lake. It was designated as the archetype of the Thai pavilion ("sala Thai"), a national symbol of Thailand.
See the long, covered bridge behind the pavilion? Wives of the kings would peer through that louvered wall to see the outside world without being seen themselves, so said my tour guide.
"BREAD FOR FISH" for 15 baht per small loaf to feed the monstrous sized fishes and turtles in the lake.
A family of very nicely manicured elephants. Their neighbours, the rabbits, lived nearby.
Interesting: The Death of Queen Sunanda
At almost 11am, we finally reached Wat Maha That at Ayutthaya, some 89 kilometres to the north of Bangkok. Over 600 years old, Wat Maha That was the heart and soul of the Ayutthaya people. It was almost completely destroyed by the Burmese during Thai-Burmese war.
Chedis (Thai-style stupas) with the tops rebuilt. It once housed a 16-meter Buddha covered with 340 kg of gold, but the Burmese set fire to the statue to melt the gold and destroyed the temple in the process.
3 headless Buddha images and a ruined stupa
Remaining pillars of Wihan Phra Si Sanphet
Viharn Phra Mongkol Bopitah which housed a large bronze cast Buddha image.
Restored bronze cast Buddha image (painted?) in gold.
The famous sandstone Buddha head embedded in the roots of a bodhi tree. I found it eerie.
Remains of its previous splendor
A row of headless statues with only 1 of them restored.
Stupas
Later, we took a luxury cruise back to Bangkok, and had a scrumptious buffet lunch onboard as we sailed down Chao Phraya River. There were so many wats (Thai temples) during the 4-hour cruise that I lost count.
Nearing Bangkok, we saw the beautiful Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn).
That night, our young host forgot our pre-ordered homemade dinner and needless to say, I was pretty bummed. Starving by then, we had the none-too-tasty Subway for our last dinner of the trip.
*
Day 7
We made up for our poor dinner with a hearty brunch at UCC Café. We also shopped around for the last time, before we returned to Suk 11 to bid farewell and set off for the airport. Just before boarding the plane, I had a sampling of the mango sticky rice. It was, as I thought, heavenly, and the perfect sweet ending to our week long summer trip.
Posts in this series:
- Part 1: Arrival in the City of Angels
- Part 2: Sick in Bangkok
- Part 3: Main Activities - Shopping & Eating
- Part 4: Scaling the Heights - Golden Mount & The Dome
- Part 5: Discovering Ayutthaya, the Ancient Capital
Day 6
The day before, we booked a guided tour to Ayutthaya, the ancient Siamese capital for over 400 years before it was conquered and destroyed by retreating Burmese forces in 1767.
Early at 6am, we waited outside our guesthouse for the prearranged transport to River City Shopping Complex where the coach bus awaited. But it did not come and we nearly had a heart attack because we were still at the same spot at the time when the coach was supposed to set off from River City (that was half an hour away).
Most fortunately we managed to arrive in time to catch it (unbelievable) with help from the kind folks of Suk 11, and a cab driver who drove us to River City in record time. He did so by zig zagging amongst vehicles at crazy speeds and driving on road shoulders at the highway. Yes I know; we are still very thankful that we are alive today.
Our 1st stop was Bangk Pa-in Summer Palace, built during the Ayutthaya era and used by royal families past and present as a summer retreat. It was supposedly "a charming collection of palaces and pavilions" but most of the architecture were really not that charming or magnificent. The waters in the lakes were a muddy, rusty brown which, according to my tour guide, was caused by the oppressing heat (?). Only the well-maintained lawns seemed fitting of a royal palace.
Aisawan Thipaya-art ("Divine Seat of Personal Freedom") sitting in the middle of the lake. It was designated as the archetype of the Thai pavilion ("sala Thai"), a national symbol of Thailand.
See the long, covered bridge behind the pavilion? Wives of the kings would peer through that louvered wall to see the outside world without being seen themselves, so said my tour guide.
"BREAD FOR FISH" for 15 baht per small loaf to feed the monstrous sized fishes and turtles in the lake.
A family of very nicely manicured elephants. Their neighbours, the rabbits, lived nearby.
Interesting: The Death of Queen Sunanda
At almost 11am, we finally reached Wat Maha That at Ayutthaya, some 89 kilometres to the north of Bangkok. Over 600 years old, Wat Maha That was the heart and soul of the Ayutthaya people. It was almost completely destroyed by the Burmese during Thai-Burmese war.
Chedis (Thai-style stupas) with the tops rebuilt. It once housed a 16-meter Buddha covered with 340 kg of gold, but the Burmese set fire to the statue to melt the gold and destroyed the temple in the process.
3 headless Buddha images and a ruined stupa
Remaining pillars of Wihan Phra Si Sanphet
Viharn Phra Mongkol Bopitah which housed a large bronze cast Buddha image.
Restored bronze cast Buddha image (painted?) in gold.
The famous sandstone Buddha head embedded in the roots of a bodhi tree. I found it eerie.
Remains of its previous splendor
A row of headless statues with only 1 of them restored.
Stupas
Later, we took a luxury cruise back to Bangkok, and had a scrumptious buffet lunch onboard as we sailed down Chao Phraya River. There were so many wats (Thai temples) during the 4-hour cruise that I lost count.
Nearing Bangkok, we saw the beautiful Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn).
That night, our young host forgot our pre-ordered homemade dinner and needless to say, I was pretty bummed. Starving by then, we had the none-too-tasty Subway for our last dinner of the trip.
*
Day 7
We made up for our poor dinner with a hearty brunch at UCC Café. We also shopped around for the last time, before we returned to Suk 11 to bid farewell and set off for the airport. Just before boarding the plane, I had a sampling of the mango sticky rice. It was, as I thought, heavenly, and the perfect sweet ending to our week long summer trip.
posted by redshot on 16.5.08
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home