A-Z Guidebook: Ayutthaya

In 2006, I took off on a mad adventure. Inspired by my travels in Europe the year before, I decided a solo jaunt through SE Asia was in order. On my own. When I look back at it now, I can't help but think how worried my parents must have been. Heck, I worry just thinking about how crazy it was!

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!