We decided that before getting on our overnight train to Chiang Mai we would take a day trip to Ayutthaya, which is 80km north of Bangkok.

We picked tickets up at the station which cost 30 baht (70p ish) for third class, which is what a lot of the locals use. Our train was scheduled to leave 10.05am. The board showed most of the other trains as delayed with no apparent reason. The delays were ranging from half an hour to over an hour. Nobody seemed bothered at all. I did think if this was London it would be a battlefield. A five minute delay in London is bad enough let alone any longer. The Thai people were very relaxed though, not in a hurry to get anywhere.

I have to be honest I was sitting there slightly smug that our train was on time. We headed out to the platform and waited. Karma hit me and my smugness quickly disappeared as the train didn't turn up till 10.45am. The train times are only shown in the train station, the platforms have no information so you just have to wait it out. We managed to get a seat and departed at 10.55am for our 1 hour 40 journey.

The train journey at the beginning was fine, just a bit hot but we had seats by a window so pulled it completely open and had a nice breeze. We went past some very poor areas, with makeshift houses right next to the tracks and jam packef together, pretty much on top of each other. I could have touched their houses if I put my hand out of the window - thats how close they were.

After a few stops the train was packed and so hot. We gave up our seats for a couple with a toddler and a baby to sit down only for a Thai man to insist on me taking his seat. I felt a bit bad as there was still another hour or so left! There were no windows by my new seat so it was very hot. The air I was breathing in was warm and humid. I ended up falling asleep and he kindly woke my sweaty self up when the stop was near.

I would definitely recommend using third class train travel if your journey isn't too long. You can pick the tickets up on the day and it is so cheap.

Getting off the train we had to walk across the train tracks on make shift wooden paths. We were able to leave our backpacks at the train station in secure storage until that evening.

The first thing I noticed was the amount of stray dogs. They didn't seem underfed as such, but wandered around on the roads unfazed by cars. It was very sad to see. Some were by the food stalls just waiting for someone to give them a bit. I picked up some meat on a stick and fed some of them.

As soon as we left the station we were harassed by tuktuk drivers trying to charge us 500 baht (£11) to take us around all of the attractions for the day. One driver said that there were no mopeds to rent so we would have to go with him. Directly behind him was a shop hiring out mopeds so we walked around him and went on our way to the shop. We hired a moped for 150 baht (£3.50) and visited a mixture of temples and old ruins from when Ayutthaya was the capital of Thailand. If you feel comfortable driving a moped I would recommend it. It is such an easy way to get around and complete freedom not having to rely on a driver. I say this although I was only the passenger so it was great fun for me!

The Kingdom of Ayutthaya (formerly known as Siam) existed from 1350 to 1767. The Burmese- Siamese War was from 1765 - 67. The Burmese finally made it over the city walls on 7 April 1767. Men were killed, women taken away, buildings burnt down, temples and Buddhas destroyed. The Siamese did not rebuild Ayutthaya, but chose to start over again with a new capital Bangkok.

Apart from the ruins and temples, Ayutthaya was not much to look at. It was pretty grim actually and I was glad to be leaving that evening. I actually ended up crying because I was so fed up of seeing homeless cats in Bangkok, then homeless dogs in Ayutthaya. It was heartbreaking to see but there isn't a lot you can do to help. That coupled with lack of sleep and feeling a bit homesick did it for me. I had to put my sunglasses on to hide my eyes and walk around some of the ruins with tears streaming down my face! God knows what people must have thought!

Over lunch I did a bit of research on the dogs and read an article that restored my faith a bit in humans...

"The Thai Society for the Protection of Cruelty to Animals (TSPCA) moved 500 stray dogs from a temple in Ayutthaya’s Bang Pahan district, to a new home.

These dogs are now free to roam on a 4-rai plot of land, just 100 meters from their old home at Tanod temple, reports Thai PBS.

The move came after the temple’s abbot came forward to say that he was no longer able to afford to care for all the abandoned dogs.

According to the abbot, feeding and caring for the stray dogs cost them temple THB30,000 a month. Apart from that, there are additional costs for vaccination and sterilization."

30,000 baht is £690, which is an awful lot of money in Thailand.

We finished visiting, returned the moped and then got some dinner opposite the train station before our train to Chiang Mai.

A short but not so sweet visit to Ayutthuya!