The historical town of Ayutthaya used to be the capital town of Thailand before it was moved to Bangkok. The city is situated on an island formed by the confluence of 3 rivers flowing southward. The main reason for our visit was to explore the ruins that form part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Burmese Army sacked the capital in 1767 and left most of the grander sights in tatters, which makes it all the more interesting now!

The first temple on our route was Wat Phra Mahathat, just inside the historical park. Set inside nice parkland, it is less visited compared to some of the others in the area. The age of the ruins here was very easy to see, with all of the prangs or towers leaning precariously one way or another. Within the main complex there are rows and rows of headless Buddhas which make for quite an eery atmosphere, in a similar way to the Buddha head covered with tree routes.

A really pleasant walk through the park took us to Wat Phra Si Sanphet. There were a lot more people here and even some on tours on the back of elephants! Si Sanphet is the largest temple in Ayutthaya and is best known for its row of 3 large chedis. Housed within the grounds of the former royal palace, the wat was used only for royal religious ceremonies. It once housed a 16-meter Buddha covered with 340 kg of gold (!), but the Burmese set fire to the statue to melt the gold and destroyed the temple in the process. I tell you, these Burmese have a lot to answer for!

In the evening we thought we'd stop for a couple of drinks at the jazz bar just round the corner from our guest house. The band were actually really good, despite jazz not really being that widely listened to! The singer was the only exception, it sounded like he had a really bad cold! Hehe!

We're beginning to realise that everyone offering transport, whether tuk-tuk or sangthaew or taxi, asks the same question "Hello, where are you going?". At first, we just told them we were fine and now its getting a bit annoying! We've found that if you just say "We're walking" they seem to leave you alone. Its not like they want anyone foolish enough to walk around in the heat in the back of their taxi! I think if you ask them where they are going, that'll fox 'em!

-B