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Changwat Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya

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    • Day 5

      Ayutthaya 🛕

      March 7 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 39 °C

      Rugzakken gaan weer mee en op naar de volgende plaats! Vanochtend hebben we na het ontbijt een taxi genomen naar het prachtige Ayutthaya. We hadden een keuze tussen een minivan of een taxi via Grab (soort Uber), dit scheelde ongeveer €5 en omdat we 1,5 uur moesten gaan reizen vonden we de taxi een stuk fijner. Eenmaal aangekomen hebben we hier een heel goedkoop hotelletje geboekt om onze tassen achter te laten, ook konden we onszelf hier voor de nachttrein nog even opfrissen. Toen we de tassen afgezet hadden in het hotel gingen we met de taxi naar de eerste ruïne in het historisch park, hier in Ayutthaya staan wel honderden ruïnes van tempels en paleizen, stuk voor stuk mega bijzonder. Wij hebben hier maar 1 dag dus hebben de mooiste moeten uitzoeken. Er gaat veel geschiedenis vooraf aan wat hier allemaal gebeurd is. Ayutthaya was lang geleden de hoofdstad van Siam. Totdat het werd aangevallen en is toen compleet verwoest. Maar wat er nog van over is was prachtig! We zijn in de middag wat gaan eten bij een leuk tentje tegenover een van de tempels, wat kunnen we hier genieten van het heerlijke eten. We hebben uiteindelijk 5 tempels bezocht en zijn toen terug gegaan naar ons hotel, hier hebben we even kunnen douchen. Jan ging opzoek naar avondeten en kwam terug met een klein zakje vol met pad Thai en een grote lach op zijn gezicht, buiten had een mevrouw hem naar een ander kraampje gestuurd omdat ze wist dat die hadden waar Jan opzoek naar was. Het zakje ging open en het zag er verrukkelijk uit, en dat voor maar 20 baht! (€0,52). Ik ben even los gegaan in 7/11 en heb daar heerlijke dingen gekocht en gegeten. Nadat we hadden gegeten hebben we uitgecheckt en wilde de eigenaar van het hotel ons graag een lift aanbieding naar het treinstation, super lief! Op dit moment zitten we in de nachttrein, waar we 13 uur in gaan reizen naar Chang mai. Een leuke ervaring, hopelijk slapen we ook wat haha! Morgen reizen we door naar Pai! Dagggg! 🚂👋🏼Read more

    • Day 8

      Day 7 - The Train to Ayutthaya

      December 17, 2019 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

      We both had a restless night and were wide awake before the 6am alarm call. We showered & packed & went down to breakfast at 7am.

      After coffee & croissants, we settled our bill & arranged for a taxi to take us to Chiang Mai Railway Station. The 15 minute journey cost us just 79 Baht (£2), so feeling generous, I let her keep the 100 Baht note I gave her.

      Jackie left me outside the station with the luggage whilst she went off to collect our rail tickets from a nearby hotel. She came back with a silly grin on her face so I knew we were definitely sitting together, we were.

      We walked up the platform & boarded our Special Express to Bangkok. We trooped up & down the carriage, accidentally crashing our rucksacks on literally every passenger that had already boarded.

      At 8.50am sharp, the train pulled out of Chiang Mai. It was only a quarter full, so we both moved to more favourable window seats & spread out. The majority of the passengers were Thai, who were very smiley & friendly. The train passed through initially jungle & mountainous scenery, which then flattened out to farm land and paddy fields.

      Shortly after boarding, a hostess came round with a trolley & supplied us with coffee & a banana custard filled bun. An hour later she was back with 3 cartons each, which contained 1. stir-fry chicken in basil leaves, 2. Fried baby clams & 3. sticky rice. It was disgusting, Jackie said that she wouldn’t have fed it to her cat......if she had one. The whole lot went in the bin. We had a ‘consolatory’ Hong Thong & some Lays! Later on our hostess returned with more coffee & a packet of fig rolls each.

      Throughout the journey we made several stops, where more people got on than got off & before long, we had been forced to return to our allocated seats. We both read our books, yes even Jackie! There is photographic evidence.

      We arrived at Ayutthaya at 7.15pm, almost exactly the same time it took us to fly from Heathrow to Bangkok. Overall the train journey had been a very pleasant experience, not bad for just £22.50 each!

      For 100 Baht we took a Tuk Tuk 🛺 to our new accommodation, Baan Kong Homestay on the island in Ayutthaya. We checked in & had to promise that we would pay later as we didn’t have enough cash to pay up front.

      We dumped our bags, changed into shorts, it is considerably hotter in Ayutthaya, then headed out for a beer & a snack. We firstly got out 10,000 Baht from an ATM, then selected a restaurant called Burinda Restaurant. I had a Pad Thai, whilst Jackie had a Nasi Goreng. It was the best food we had had on this trip other than maybe my Massaman curry in Chiang Mai.

      Feeling chilled, we returned to our Homestay, only to find we were locked out, until we managed to squeeze through a side gate, to break back in. We ended our night sat on our balcony listening to the soothing sounds of Nick Drake.

      Song of the Day - The Day We Caught The Train by Ocean Colour Scene.
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    • Day 9

      Day 8 - The Ruins of Ayutthaya

      December 18, 2019 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 34 °C

      Woke up around 6.00am in our comfortable new bed. Before 9.00am we were up & out. We 1st paid for our accommodation & add a fourth night. We then ordered egg on toast & coffee. I had scrambled, which was a bit runny & Jackie had fried eggs that weren’t sunny side up, more sunburnt. The coffee was ridiculously strong. We will be having breakfast out in future.

      Over breakfast, we booked a van that would take us down to Bangkok on Saturday. All the trains were fully booked! We then gave our Homestay hosts 2 bags of washing & then hired a little scooter from them and hit the road.

      We zipped about a bit on our scooter just getting our bearings around Ayutthaya. We did notice that every other western tourist was getting about on bicycles, maybe we will try that on Friday!

      The rivers of Mae Nam Chao Phraya & Mae Nam Lopburi surround Ayutthaya creating an Island. Ayutthaya was the capital of Siam from 1350 until 1767, when it was brutally ransacked & vandalised by the Burmese. In it’s heyday, Ayutthaya had more than 400 temples, but now they either lay in ruins or have only been partially restored. In 1991 it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s like a budget version of Siem Reap.

      After scooting around for about an hour, we stopped at Wat Maya That which is only just up the road from our Homestay. We paid our 50 Baht & joined the other tourists, mainly Thai or Chinese, we’re not sure which. Wat Maya That has the most photographed attraction in Ayutthaya, which is a sandstone Buddha head tangled within the entwined roots of a bodhi tree. Wat Maya That was built in 1373 and is the most important temple in the kingdom. It did have a 43 foot central ‘aptly named’ prang (Hindi/Khmer style stupa) but collapsed before the Burmese arrived & despite being rebuilt in more recent times, it collapsed again in 1911.

      Next stop was next door at Wat Ratchaburana, again 50 Baht, which had a prang that we were allowed to climb up to visit the crypt (apparently the largest in Thailand). We climbed to the top up the steep steps & climbed back down after seeing the roosting bats.

      We continued onwards stopping to see an enormous (at least 6ft) monitor lizard swim across a lake, then waddle out onto the bank. We then pulled up at Wat Phra Ra (50 Baht), constructed in 1369 on the burial site of King U Thong, Ayutthaya kingdom’s 1st sovereign. It wasn’t the best preserved, so I asked Jackie to stand behind a headless Buddha, so I could take a photo with her head on it. The photo was rubbish, but more importantly & funnier, Jackie got told off for being in area she wasn’t allowed to be!

      Moving on swiftly, we drove to Wihan Phra Mongkhon Bophit, a ‘free’ Buddhist Temple that houses one of Thailand’s largest bronze Buddhas, that dates back to 1538. It measures 12.5 metres high & coated in gold. It should have been called Lucky, because it caught fire after being struck by lightning, before the Burmese came along & damaged it.

      After, we went next door (50 Baht) to Wat Phra Si Sanphet, which turned out to be my favourite. The centrepiece was three towering stupas in a row, that for me were the most photogenic. We took quite a few photos, without getting in trouble.

      By now it was lunchtime, it was 34 degrees & we were hot & thirsty. We unashamedly followed the crowds to a restaurant opposite Wat Maya That & bagged ourselves an outside seat in the shade. The waitress came over & gave us the menus, but also her order pad & asked us to write down what we wanted. We ordered Tom Yum soup for Jackie & stir fried ginger & pork for me, with Chang Beer. It was all lovely, Jackie rated it one of her Tom Yums ever, but also one of the hottest.

      After dinner, we returned to our Homestay as a precaution so Jackie could use the loo, say no more. Whilst getting ourselves sorted, a maid turned up with our freshly laundered clothes, that we had given them just several hours earlier. Just 100 Baht, bargain!

      We headed back out & visited the Ayutthaya Tourist Center, where they had an interesting exhibition about life in Ayutthaya. We decided to do just one final ruin for the day, but somehow I got lost & couldn’t locate it. It’s quite hard reading a map whilst riding a scooter. Instead we ended up riding through a market that was teeming with children just out of school for the day. It was a tricky ride, but we managed not to hit anyone.

      After picking up some mosquito spray, the mossie’s are quite bad here, we returned to our Homestay. We have discovered that they don’t come in and clean the rooms, well they didn’t today.

      We returned to the Burinda Restaurant, where we shared a Pad Thai & a Green Curry. The evening was lovely, but was nearly ruined by a group of five foreign gap-year back packing tossers who shared a large bottle of water & each ordered the cheapest meal on the menu, but were so full of themselves. Several were typically vegetarians. Thank god we never ended up like that! Rant over.

      Song of the Day - Ruins by O. Children.
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    • Day 11

      Day 10 - According to Ayutthaya Annals

      December 20, 2019 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 34 °C

      Leisurely start to the morning, I returned the scooter & arranged for us to hire a couple of bicycles.

      Gone 9am we popped next door to the Malakor Kitchen & Cafe for Latte Frappes & a slice of rich fruit cake. With still aching buttocks, but reenergised, we collected our sit up & beg bicycles & hit the road.

      We aimlessly pedalled, but realised we were seeing things that we had missed on the scooter. Our 1st stop was Wat Thammikarat (20 Baht) that was built by Phraya Thammikarat before the establishment of Ayutthaya City. It was not like the other Wats, more like a jumble sale in and around various ruins and a temple. There were lots of monks & old ladies sitting behind stalls on their mobile phones.

      We continued along the main road passing Million Toy Museum, which I’m led to believe is as it says, then turned off finding Wat Wora Chet The Ram.

      At Wat Wora Chet The Ram, we were informed ‘According to Ayutthaya annals, the temple was built by King Eankthosarot circa yn A.D. 1593 the year King Naresuan the Great died whule leading an army to attact King Tong-U in Burma. in honour cf his eider brother, King Eankthosarot built a mighty crematorium here and some 10,000 monk were invited to the Royal cremation’.

      It was one of my more favourite places with a couple of Buddhas, one in a falling down building & there was a stupa with offerings, mainly half drank bottles of pop.

      It was boiling hot, so we cycled for about another half hour, through Krungsri Night Market to Chao Sam Phraya National Museum for some shelter from the sun & much needed air con. The entrance fee was quite steep 150 Baht each, but it housed a lot of their National Treasures, golden artefacts from the crypts in the Wats around Ayutthaya. There was limited photography allowed & some exhibitions we were only allowed to enter under escort. It probably meant & was appreciated more by Thais /Buddhists.

      By the time we had cooled down, it was approaching lunchtime. We took our chances & cycled across town to the river on the eastern side of the island & located a shabby restaurant with a great view of the river. It was the perfect place to sit in the shade & watch life on the river, including tugboats pulling massive barges. We had a couple of Changs, Jackie had fish cakes, whilst I had chicken noodles. It was lovely & we stayed for a relaxing couple of hours.

      We left & decided to return home for a siesta. We were pedalling furiously when a motorcyclist was beeping furiously behind. We stopped to discover it was the waiter with Jackie’s sunglasses that she had left behind.

      Back at our Homestay we had an extended siesta until 5pm, then we popped out to get provisions for our forthcoming rail journey, whilst we still had the bikes. We bought 2 bottles of Hong Thong causing the shop assistant to gasp “wow”.

      Returning home, we got ready & went out. I wore my rat infested t-shirt. We were walking down the road when we were accosted by a young couple who asked us if we could recommend any restaurants nearby. We certainly could, so we pointed them in the direction of Burinda.

      We then continued to a fabulous food market, with freshly cooked dishes of all descriptions. We eventually stopped at a Pad Thai stall for a lovely plate of food for just 40 Baht (£1) each.

      Later we headed home & said hello to the young couple who were still in Burinda. We sat down for a cold beer & a short time later the young couple came over and asked if they could join us & ask us some questions about Ayutthaya. They had only arrived that afternoon having just flown into Bangkok.

      Typically neither of us had our phones with us or a map, but we did our best to advise them as to the highlights. It turned out they were Stefan & Karina from Zurich, Switzerland & had only recently finished university. Karina had spent a lot of time in Oxford studying. Weirdly they were planning to spend Christmas in Koh Lanta, as are we, & they fly home from Bangkok the same day as us, 14th January.

      They took our contact details & insisted we contacted them if we ever visited Switzerland, even offering up their parent’s place as somewhere to stay. We said our goodbyes & returned home for a nightcap & early night.

      Song of the Day - The Annals by Frank Barile
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    • Day 4

      Tempelhopping in Ayutthaya

      January 16, 2020 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 32 °C

      Am dritten Tag ging es dann getreu dem Motto "Eine Zufahrt, die ist lustig...." in die alte Königsstätte Ayutthaya, eine kleine Stadt 140km nördlich von Bangkok. Die Zugfahrt hat uns für Hin- und Rückfahrt grandiose 60 Baht, also umgerechnet knappe 2 Euro gekostet :D.
      Der Stadtkern von Ayutthaya gehört seit 1991 zum Unesco-Weltkulturerbe und man findet dort zahlreiche, uralte Tempel, von denen wir uns natürlich so viele, wie möglich angeschaut haben, bis die Sonne allmählich unterging.
      Heute Abend (Freitag) fahren wir dann 10 Stunden über die Nacht mit dem Bus hoch in den Norden nach Chiang Mai, wo wir erstmal 5 weitere Nächte verbringen. Wir sind gespannt, was uns dort erwartet.
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    • Day 109

      Ayutthaya, ancienne capitale

      January 24, 2020 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 33 °C

      Sur les conseils avisés d'un français rencontré au Myanmar (et qu'on a revu pas mal de fois depuis), nous nous dirigeons vers Ayutthaya, à 2h environ de Bangkok. Cette fois on opte pour un truc organisé, avec minibus climatisé, déjeuner et guide compris 👍
      Et heureusement, car à 30°C ressenti 35 à 9h30, la climatisation du minibus est notre petit refuge à chaque fin de visite 🥵 !! Qui plus est, le déjeuner est un buffet à volonté dans un hôtel classe, avec des sushis, de la bonne viande, des légumes frais, et du dessert à foison 🤤🤤😁

      Ayutthaya, donc, est une ancienne capitale qui a beaucoup servi pour le commerce en son temps car elle est reculée dans les terres et donc à l'abri des pirates. Beaucoup d'expatriés de différents pays habitent par ici depuis cette époque.
      Malheureusement, elle a été en grande partie détruire par les birmans pendant une guerre, puis pillée par les locaux après coup...
      Il ne reste donc presque que des ruines, qui sont malgré tout classé à UNESCO 🤩

      Une très bonne journée de visite loin de l'agitation de Bangkok, et des vues presque aussi belles qu'à Bagan. Surtout la tête de Bouddha dans l'arbre ✨
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    • Day 32

      Tagesausflug nach Ayutthaya

      January 31, 2020 in Thailand ⋅ ☀️ 28 °C

      Nachdem wir gestern in Bangkok angekommen sind, haben wir heute gleich die Gelegenheit genutzt und von hier aus einen Ausflug in die Stadt Autthaya unternommen.
      Diese war früher einmal die zweite Hauptstadt Thailands und äußerst wichtig für das Land.
      Mittlerweile sind leider nur noch einige Reste der Bauwerke übrig, die daran erinnern lassen wie erhaben die Stadt einmal gewesen sein muss.

      Mein ganz persönliches Highlight spielte sich jedoch gestern Abend ab als wir uns nach dem Restaurantbesuch auf den Heimweg begaben und ich glatt mein lädiertes Bein vergessen hatte.
      Zum ersten Mal seit zwei Wochen bin ich wieder in ganz normaler Geschwindigkeit mit Tobi die Straßen entlang gelaufen 🤩
      Allerdings ist Tobi sich noch nicht ganz einig, was ihm besser gefallen hat - zu schleichen und davor bewahrt zu werden, sich bei der Hitze zu viel bewegen zu müssen oder sich beim Gehen nicht mehr ständig nach mir umdrehen zu müssen, dafür aber jedes Türmchen erklimmen zu dürfen, das uns begegnet 😉
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    • Day 166

      Remains of a Siamese kingdom

      September 13, 2022 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 30 °C

      What a breathtaking city this place must've been! I wanted to come here for years and finally I could see the old capital of the Ayutthaya kingdom with my own eyes. 😍

      Ayutthaya was the second capital of the Siamese kingdom and gained power during the decline of the Khmer empire in the fourteenth century. The Ayutthaya kingdom reigned over modern day Thailand as well as parts of Cambodia, Myanmar and Malaysia. In the eighteenth century, Ayutthaya was invaded by the Burmese, who burned the city to the ground.

      Foreigners called Ayutthaya Siam but the people of Ayutthaya called themselves Tai and their kingdom Krung Tai, meaning Thai country. The word Thai itself stems from the first Thai Kingdom Sukhothai, which reigned before the Ayutthaya kingdom emerged. Sukhothai was a transliteration of the Khmer word Sukhodaya which itself was taken from the Sanskrit sukha (सुख, 'lasting happiness') and udaya (उदय, 'rise' or 'emergence'). Together, the phrase can be interpreted as meaning "dawn of happiness".

      Although vast parts of the old capital have been destroyed, visiting this historical place is a magical experience. Especially if you're into history and ancient temples like me.
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    • Day 91

      Ayutthaya

      October 3, 2022 in Thailand ⋅ 🌧 28 °C

      Bevor wir Thailand auch schon wieder verlassen müssen, wollten wir uns noch die alten Tempel von Ayutthaya ansehen. Wir hätten das auch von Bangkok aus machen können, aber dann hätten wir nicht um 5Uhr morgens aus dem Nachtzug von Chiang Mai steigen können. 🥱😴 und das nach einer der Schlafkostesten Nachtfahrten. Unser Bett war direkt über dem Dieselaggregat und dadurch lagen wir wie auf einer vibrierenden, ruckelnden Waschmaschine- da helfen auch keine Oropax mehr 🫣 Morgens um 5uhr gab es leider kein offenes Café und dank der vielen Wolken auch keinen Sonnenaufgang zu sehen. Aber wir konnten unsere Rucksäcke immerhin schon um halb sieben bei der Unterkunft lassen. So konnten wir schon den ersten Tag voll für Erkundungen nutzen.
      Wir hatten eine Unterkunft die sogar Fahrräder verliehen hat, perfekt um in dieser kleinen Stadt von einem Tempel zum anderen zu kommen.
      Ayutthaya ist die alte Hauptstadt Thailands und die Tempel gehören zum alten Königshaus.
      Uns haben die Wats und Stupas sehr gut gefallen. Wir hatten so viel Spaß dabei zu entdecken, was hinter der nächsten Ecke liegt und Fotos zu machen.
      Nur einen Tempel konnten wir uns nicht ansehen, da die Straße hier unter Wasser stand. Der Fluss ist an mehreren Orten hier in Thailand übergelaufen, Durch die starken Regenfälle der letzten Tage.
      (Ich hoffe ihr seht genug Gesichter🤪)
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    • Day 7

      Resto oncle Lung Lek

      October 29, 2022 in Thailand ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C

      Resto authentique de nouilles.
      Depuis 4 décennies, oncle Lek sert une soupe de nouilles dans un bouillon de sang de porc et de sauce soja... Mais chuuuut... Ne pas le dire à milo.. Il se régale!😋

      Qui dit resto authentique dit WC authentique...
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    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Changwat Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, จังหวัดพระนครศรีอยุธยา

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