Ayutthaya, Thailand

For those who enjoyed the analogies section on the SAT Verbal, Ayutthaya:Thailand::Angkor Wat:Cambodia, or for those whom the SAT is a thing of the distant past, Ayutthaya is to Thailand as Angkor Wat is to Cambodia. For those who don't enjoy analogies, well, just look at the pictures, they are the best part anyways. Just 2 hours north of Bangkok, Ayuttaya was the capital of the ancient Thai empire several hundred years ago until the Burmese came and destroyed it. But a town has grown up around it and minor restoration work has returned some of the temples to their original glory so they are quite a great set of ruins. Like Angkor Wat, they are spread out, but not quite as much, making a bicycle the ideal vehicle for travel around to the different temples. I visited five in total, making it for quite a little adventure. Anyways, on to the temples: the first and closest to the train station is Wat Mahatat (left), famous for some tree roots growing all around a stone Buddha head in one area, but a cool temple otherwise as well. Just across the way is the more ornate Wat Rachaburana (right).

A bit further down the road is Wat Phra Mongkon Bophit, with its giant sitting Buddha statue (no photos allowed on the day I was there) and Wat Phra Si Sanphet, a threesome of large stuppas set in a nice courtyard.

The next was Wat Lokayasutharam, where a giant lying Buddha is visited by locals for prayer and is draped in orange silk.

Then, on to Wat Chaiwatthanaram, the true jewel of Ayutthaya and I passed some people riding elephants on the way. I arrive just before sunset and this wat was breathtaking.

Ayutthaya was quite the little treat as a daytrip from Bangkok, not nearly as impressive as Angkor Wat, but it has a certain charm and far fewer tourists. More pictures to come when I have faster connection.

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Details:
I took the train, though there are bus services that might be faster/better. It left from the main train station ($.50/15B) and took about 2.5 hours. They leave very frequently. During the middle of the day, it was quite nice, but the way back was packed with people, making it slightly less pleasant (standing room only), so try to avoid peak times if you can. Pick up the map from the info desk at the train station then head across the road to the ferry across the river ($.10/4B) and rent a bike at the guesthouse on the road leading away from the ferry to town ($1.50/50B per day). The wats all cost $1.5/50B to enter (except the tiny ones). Just pick a route using the map and follow it as best as the slightly inaccurate map allows.