Bangkok to Ayuthaya

Up at the crack of dawn for our bus/boat cruise to Ayuthaya, the Thai capital from 1350 to 1767. Thirty-three kings reigned in Ayuthaya until it was conquered (and destroyed) by the Burmese. The bus ride was mercifully short- it was only about 86 km north of Bangkok- and a reverse commute from the rush hour traffic heading into Bangkok.

With only about 4 hours to see the sights, we stopped at Wat Phra Si Sanphet- the largest temple, used as both royal temple and palace by several kings. The compound was built in the 14th Century and once contained a 16-meter Buddha covered with 250 kg of gold, which was melted down by the Burmese conquerors.

The heat and humidity were oppressive- so it was a bit of walking and back on the A/C bus…and on to the next site, Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon. The site housed a temple (active) and a large stupa surrounded by hundreds of Buddha statues.

Then it was on to the summer palace of the king. It was a horrible conglomeration of Chinese Ming and French Renaissance architecture – and a lot of walking and not much to see. Plus, the obligatory walk through the gift shop to get into and out of the complex (although, it was the only A/C place on the site- and worth a few minutes just to cool down). Then we were off to the Oriental Queen boat cruise down the Chao Phraya River. They’ve got quite a tourist trap here- a double decker boat crammed with long tables and a less than impressive buffet.

John woke up with an inflamed eyelid—which seemed to be getting worse by the hour- so we hopped off the boat and headed immediately to the hotel to meet with the doctor. 500 baht – about $20 for a house call- and he had us off to the hospital for an exam at the eye clinic. The hospital was immaculate and efficient- we were in and out of the clinic with medication in less than 45 minutes and made it back to the hotel to have drinks with John and Jennifer at the hotel bar. A few drinks and mediocre appetizers for $100. We decided to stick to the local restaurants in the future.