Ayuthaya: Riverside Charm

Awestruck still from the dramatic bat display of the previous evening, we pitched up at the train station bright and early to check out another of Thailand’s cultural jewels, Ayuthaya. We also had the good fortune to meet some fellow friendly Brits, Pete and Kate, on the train to enjoy the journey with. Pete and Bradley got chatting straight away as they both work in the architecture industry, and we all had plenty to talk about as the Thai countryside rolled past and the sun dazzled us in our creaky carriage. It was quite luxurious to be on a train after weeks of cramped buses and minivans, but all too soon we were drawing in to Ayuthaya and saying goodbye to Pete and Kate, who were heading off towards Kanchanaburi. We exchanged details in case we might catch up with them there or in Bangkok (which we did), and hopped off the train.

Ayuthaya was the second Thai capital city, taking over from Sukothai in the 14th century. 400 years later, the city was sacked by the Burmese and the capital collapsed, eventually rising again in Bangkok. While Bangkok is a hectic, beautiful drama of a city, and Sukothai is set apart peacefully from its current town centre, the temples of Ayuthaya are scattered throughout the small town (which is cut out by an encircling wide river). To get across the river and into the heart of Ayuthaya from the train station, we had to cross this calm watercourse - but that was easy, as the ferry was moments away from the train.

Everything fell naturally into place as soon as we left the train: the ferry crossing was ready to go as soon as we shuffled over with our bags; the hostel was a simple five minute walk away from the other side of the river; there was a laundry opposite our hostel for us to offload our festering washing pile; and there was also a bus booking office for us to plan our next steps right next door. The best bit though was the funky bar a door or two down from the hostel – a live music place, Street Lamp, that had a proper pub feel to it (as much as was realistic this far from home). Street Lamp also boasted a decent menu, so that was lunch sorted (plus a cheeky beer or two). Ayuthaya was off to a great start!

Street Lamp bar

Bus booked, laundry in motion and bellies and hearts full, we decided to explore on foot for the rest of the afternoon. Ayuthaya is a bustling maze of tiny roads all knotted within the looping river. There was no shortage of convenience stores or food – eating would be easy here! After criss-crossing the main centre, we walked the inner loop of the river to Sai Thong, a riverside bar. It was a great place to relax and watch the sun set, before after-dark entertainment arrived in the form of multiple karaoke riverboats nipping past booming ‘Gangnam Style’ on repeat. Deciding that we’d experienced our limits of Psy, we beat a hasty retreat onto the darkened streets, and wandered home via the brightest road we could find, rewarded at one point with the illuminated sight of our first Ayuthayan temple.

Sai Thong restaurant

The next day we hired bikes from our hostel (convenient again – hurrah!). Most of the temples are located on the main ‘island’ of Ayuthaya, but a few can be located off-island, using bridges and ferry crossings.

We started out at Wat Phra Mahathat, where as well as several headless Buddha’s and partially-ruined temple buildings, there’s a Buddha head tangled up in the roots of a tree. Allegedly the most photographed point in Ayuthaya, this is quite an unusual and moving sight. Well, it would be moving if you weren’t surrounded by people taking photographs…The whole site is rather peaceful on the whole though, and offers plenty of opportunities to pause for thought at the sight of the many headless Buddhas lined up within.

The next stop was Wat Phra Si Sanphet, Ayuthaya’s largest temple, housed in the Ayuthaya Historical Park. This complex included some remarkable buildings, including the Old Royal Palace.

 

We tried to visit Wat Chai Wattanaran, located just off the central 'island' of Ayuthaya, but this was closed (though we could photograph the site from afar), so we headed back onto the island, cruising past the museum (also closed – we must have picked the wrong day!) and across the river on the other side of town to visit Wat Phanan Choeng. 

Wat Phanan Choeng was by far one of the most bizarre temples we’d ever visited – an onslaught of gold, with queues to view the central Buddha amidst people feeding fish in the surrounding ponds.

We escaped as another bus-load of people arrived (perhaps there was a festival of some sort happening, but from what we’ve read since it sounds like it’s often a dizzying experience) and returned to the main road and headed towards the floating market on the outskirts of town. Which was like going from mad to worse, as it was a terrible tourist trap sitting awkwardly alongside a surreal toy-town type venture, with wide-eyed plastic animals lining the walkways.

The sun was starting to set, so we ferried back into the island and returned our bikes, before collecting our freshly cleansed laundry. We couldn't resist another dinner at Street Lamp as the food was great and there was live music again, so that was our evening - a perfectly chilled end to a hot (and occasionally exasperating) day.

The next morning we had another early start to get to Kanchanaburi - back on the bus this time. Thanks Ayuthaya, sorry we couldn't stay longer to finish exploring!