Ayuthaya & Bangkok

On Monday we visited Ayuthaya. This was the capital of the Kingdom of Thailand between 1350 and 1767. There were once 400 temples in this city which is about a 2 hour train trip out of Bangkok.

Ayuthaya is essentially an island and we wanted to hire bicycles to get us around so that we could see what remains of this once powerful city. But taking into consideration the heat and humidity, we decided to hire a Tuk Tuk and its friendly driver for the day.

The most memorable sights we saw that day were:

Wat Chai Wattanaram. This temple was covered in jungle 40 years ago and was built in 1630. The architecture is very similar to Angkor Wat in Cambodia and is now a UNESCO world heritage site.

Wat Phra Mahathat. The most iconic sight at this temple is the Buddha's head which, over time, has been surrounded by the roots of a tree. There are differing theories as to how the head got there. The story we were told by our Tuk Tuk driver is that the Burmese tried to steal it but the head was too heavy so they left it there.

After seeing the sights we got a couple of happy snaps with our driver and his wife and took the train back to Bangkok. When we arrived back in Bangkok we had a luxurious dinner which consisted of cocktails and cup of noodle soups … YUM

Tuesday, today, was the day for our Thai cooking class. We rode the Sky Train, following the directions of our teacher's email, to meet with the rest of the group. Surprisingly, in a group of about 13 there were only 2 other Aussies! We were given a tour of the fresh produce market, where we brought our ingredients, and were informed about the different types of Thai veg & herbs.

We were taught how to make; Chicken Galangal Coconut Soup, Spicy Mungbean Noodle Salad with Prawns, Chicken with Cashew Nut, Fried Fish Cakes, Red Curry Paste and Red Curry Chicken. Delicious! But by the time we got to eat the Red Curry Chicken, we were so full that we couldn't finish it.

After the class, while we were heading back to our hotel, we noticed we were passing a massive shopping centre. It was amazing and beats Westfield Bondi Junction by a mile. But, as per usual, Stuart was the only one to make any purchases. *sigh*

Now we are sitting at the hotel trying to decide what to do on our last night in Bangkok, because tomorrow it's off to Chiang Mai!

xoxo Jess & Stu