We travelled by car to Ayutthaya from Bang Pa-In using route 309, I think. A good road network. Ayutthaya, once Thailand capital city, became a UNESCO World Heritage Site, in 1991. I didn’t know what to expect from this ancient town but already heard of it and seen pictures in the Net. Entering the new part of town, via a bridge, we didn’t have to go far, for there was already a stupa in the middle of a roundabout. A picture of the King of Thailand adorned it with a piece of yellow cloth wrapped around. On the way, Paka pointed out the hotel, U-Thong Inn, where he put up for a few days earlier on. One thing that I noticed was the presence of lots of sign boards showing were the wats were.
Ayutthaya Historical Park wasn’t that difficult to find (oops, with the help of a map that Paka had). It’s right in the middle of the town! What we first saw were elephants and of course then came the complex where the stupas are located within an enclosed area (and yes, you need to buy tickets to enter the compound). Frankly telling it was something I haven’t seen before, the stupas, I mean.… The stupa resembles modern day wats, with pointed structure pointing to the sky. Some are higher than others. From far it looks brown-orangish in colour, something like the brick’s colour.
Other stand alone stupas were also found here and there, called the satellite stupas. And there were lots of them, almost everywhere in the city. One could even be found in the compound of a hospital! Suffice to say that the ruins were well-preserved. We drove around the city but saw some tourists on bikes.
Elephant rides are also available in the park. We didn’t take any though. Only watched them from afar. Instead, we spent time buying stuff from the stalls outside the complex!
There was also a mosque not far from the park.
We had dinner at a Muslim food stall near one of the roundabouts near the park. A row of shop houses is next to it. Try find the landmark, a Kumon Learning Centre if you want to go there for halal foods. Too bad though, the waitresses couldn’t converse in Yawi (a language that resembles the Malay language). However, the menu given was in English! Oh yes, Paka ordered tom yam goong for us!
Before we left Ayutthaya, we drove past the stupas again and we saw them basking in lights, giving them a magnificent sight.
