One of the highlights of my time in Thailand was a day-trip to the ancient capital of Ayuttaya. Never heard of it? Neither had I, but my parents had recommended it having been there on a previous trip. Google maps calls the area Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya.
After an early morning drive in a packed minivan from Bangkok, we arrived. What a place! The complex of ancient ruins is vast, and you could spend hours wandering around. As my tour guide kept repeating - "many stupa, many temple!".
I took this photo with the timer on my very new digital camera, and is one of the very few of me on this trip. The price you pay for traveling alone BEFORE the advent of the Selfie Stick! The headless Buddhas were damaged in one of the wars between the old kingdom of Siam and their neighbours the Cambodians.
Many statues are smashed and the heads thrown to the ground, but the Thai still venerate them by draping them in cloth and flowers. It was a hot day but I bought a palm fan from a roadside seller and pressed on, taking in the history and spending a lot of time looking up at tall ruins.
For the purposes of this post, I'm only sharing one photo but if you're interested in SE Asian history, I recommend googling some more. The city ruins and stupas are truly amazing, as are the massive statues, still standing after so many centuries have passed.
This post is for the A-Z Guidebook linkup on Tiffin Bite Sized Food Adventures. Be sure and check out the other posts!
Hi, I'm Sarah! I'm 33 and searching for my passion.
Until then, I slog away in a cubicle working full-time and focus on enjoying my downtime with things like TV (my old friend), movies, twitter, (trying to) cook, reading and hanging out with my hubby. My head is turned by things like vintage homewares, stationery, chocolate and scrapbooking. I blog about whatever takes my fancy.
Just surviving the traffic out of Bangkok is amazing Sarah! I had no idea such ruins were a short day trip away, will check them out if I make it back over there, thanks for the info!
ReplyDeleteYou're quite welcome! And yes, that highway is quite an eye-opener:p
DeleteSarah - I love that photo. The way it's out of focus at the front and then extends in a long line until it gets to you. Well done with the timer. Laughed about your selfie stick comment - time flies and technology changes so fast. 'New' digital camera.... ha ha ha
ReplyDeleteI hadn't heard of Ayutthaya either so I'm glad you shared it with us. Thanks so much for joining in. I hope to see you back for 'B',
Why thank you! I think it's quite interesting too :) Lovely to join in with the linkup!
DeleteHi Sarah, Ah solo travel before the selfie stick, I remember that haha! It's a lovely picture, thanks for sharing! :)
ReplyDeletewhat a shame the statues were ruined
ReplyDelete