Wats, Wats everywhere, and lots of temples too. The historic city of Ayuttthaya is a UNESCO world heritage site, being a collection of ancient ruins from the time when Ayutthaya was a second capital of the Siamese kingdom. We were fortunate to find a small hostel type accommodation close to the centre of the historical area, which meant we were able the to walk around nod much of the area. The ruins are distributed over a large area, with a number of streams and lake areas flowing through, making ideal conditions for an abundance of wildlife. John likes history and exploring historical ruins ( no jokes at this point about that being why he hooked up with me! ) , whilst for me they just seem like a load of old bricks. I was however more than fully entertained by the host of birds and flowers, constantly challenging my photographic skills. The parkland was full of storks and bitterns, as well as various smaller birds, whose colours and songs were fascinating. Those of you who get my Facebook posts may have already seen a number of the pictures.

Having built up an appetite by walking we rounded off our first full day with a trip to the night market. I'm have to admit wasn't tempted by the fried bugs, although she was doing a roaring trade with the locals. Quite a few of the fish stalls did nothing to tempt me either, with crispy fish heads looking up at me with every turn. Nor the crispy little birds, complete with beaks but thankfully minus feathers, on the corner of another stall. In the end we settled for a selection of BBQ meats on sticks, some things which looked a bit like Bhajis, but were nowhere near as tasty, and some waffles. You can't say we don't balance our diet !

Today we resisted the temptation to buy a cage of birds from the wild bird seller. It seems to be an Asian practice to catch small birds, and then sell them to people so they can be released back to the wild. On the basis that buying them would likely encourage the guy to catch a few more we gave this a wide berth, although I did take a picture (it's the last one on here), whilst he was sorting his cages.

On the food front things have improved. I can report a liking for Tom Yum Soup, mango with sticky coconut rice, and Spicy Papaya Salad. Communication is still a bit tricky, as your average Thai doesn't speak English. Asking for a set of chopsticks produced a bowl of sweet and sour sauce today, but John seemed happy with that. We also managed to successfully post another parcel home today, and having watched a video in the foyer of the Post Office, whilst I was completing transactions, John has decided to put in for a transfer to Thai post. Apparently some of the posties deliver the post by boat, which for some reason seems more attractive than walking. I guess if the marina gets the go ahead he could to that in Daventry when he gets back, or he could ask the council to add some waterways from the country park through Ashby Fields estate.

We're off to Chiang Mai in a couple of days on the overnight bus........so best go and start planning/researching..