A day trip to Ayutthaya

Ayutthaya, a city about an hour and a half’s drive from Bangkok, was once the capital of Thailand, known then as Siam. It’s now known for its ruined temples.

It’s possible to reach Ayutthaya from Bangkok by train or minivan, but I decided to take a tour since they were cheap and it was only my second day in Thailand. How exciting! I’m a morning person, so there was no way I’d have trouble getting to the meeting point by 7:30, right?

The thing is, it’s easy to be a morning person when you’re just existing at home. It’s a different story when you’re jet lagged on holiday and got back way later than you meant to, then snoozed your alarm because you assumed 30 minutes would be enough to get ready and find a taxi… in Bangkok, during rush hour. I had no chance of getting one through Grab. I’d have to risk getting ripped off and hail one outside, so I ran out… but they were all taken. Oh no. Would I have to take one of the guaranteed rip-offs outside the hotel? It was looking like the only choice.

I was running back when I spotted my saviour. I’d heard all about Bangkok’s taxi drivers refusing to switch their metres on, but this guy was honest, even though he knew I was a foreigner (my Thai was apparently incomprehensible and he had to ask me for a map in English). I nervously watched our progress on Google Maps. I was sure I wasn’t going to make it, but thankfully, he got me there as the tour guide was about to shut the bus door. Disaster averted. Thank you, honest taxi driver! You made my day!

The first stop was Wat Chaiwatthanaram, a royal temple built in 1630 and destroyed by the Burmese in 1767. Restoration began quite recently, in 1987. The temple was once roofed, with paintings and sculptures of the life of Buddha. You can see small portions of remains of the sculptures. There were originally 120 Buddha statues, but there are hardly any left now and some are missing their heads.

We had plenty of time to wander around and take photos while the guide, Victor, told us all about the temple’s history. It’s right by the Chao Phraya River, but the photos you see of it reflected in the river are taken from the other side.

There was no shade from the midday sun, so it was hot out there. This was the only time during my 10 days in Thailand when I actually put my mask back in my bag. I wondered if I was being a bit overcautious when I took the internet’s advice and brought electrolyte tablets, but I was very glad for them that day.

The next stop was Wat Lokaya Sutha, famous for its reclining Buddha, which is 42 metres long – that’s 138 feet. For comparison, I’m about 1.7 m, or 5’7″ tall! Although the statue is charred, it’s actually one of the least damaged landmarks in Ayutthaya. The facial expression is still serene and details on the body are clear. Sometimes it’s covered by an orange cloth, but it wasn’t that day.

There’s also a miniature reclining Buddha in front of it, where offerings are left. The statue’s surroundings didn’t fare so well – only the temple floor and a single prang from the ordination hall remain.

The driver picked us all some berries off a tree which were actually nice. I think they were cotton candy berries, but I’m not sure. We were also offered some langsat. I saw others on the tour biting into them without peeling, so I did the same and was as disappointed as everyone else, because they seemed to taste of fart. I only found out later that they should be peeled and are actually delicious.

After Victor shared some of the history of the holiest temple, Wat Phra Si Sanphet, we had an hour to wander around. This was also once the grandest temple in Ayutthaya, inspiring Wat Phra Kaew (the Temple of the Emerald Buddha) at the Grand Palace in Bangkok. These three chedis were restored earlier than Wat Chaiwatthanaram, in 1956.

The complex’s viharn (hall of worship), Wihan Phra Mongkhon Bophit, was also damaged when Ayutthaya fell in 1767. This has been completely restored and the Buddha image inside, which sits at nearly 13 metres tall, preserved. It was so nice and cool in there with the fans on!

There was also ice-cold water available in exchange for donations to the temple, which was much appreciated. My eyeliner had turned to vague black smudges by then. I have been even hotter, though. There was an incident involving sitting in the ‘shade’ of a porta potty while waiting for a concert in a desert, but that’s a story for another day.

Before the final stop, we were driven to a riverside café for lunch. I ordered pad Thai with tofu and chatted with the other vegetarians – two blokes, from Denmark and India – about food, our travels and what else we planned to do in Thailand. I’ve learned a lot from queuing up for concerts, including the value of ice cubes not to cool your drink, but to use like you’d use hand warmers in the winter. We had a whole bucket of them! That was the coolest I felt all day.

So our final stop was Wat Phra Mahathat, a temple most famous for the Buddha head nestled in the roots of a banyan tree. The temple is believed to be one of Ayutthaya’s oldest and also one of its most important. It was the busiest of the temples we visited, but it wasn’t crazily busy.

On the drive back to Bangkok, we stopped at a stall where Victor bought us all some roti sai mai, a local specialty also known as Ayutthaya’s cotton candy. Strings of sugar are wrapped in thin flatbread (roti), which gets its green colour from pandan leaves. It was so good! My Togepi companion also enjoyed it. I could have kept eating it, but I didn’t want to be the only one to accept a second helping…

We were dropped off at the River City mall in Bangkok. It has amazing AC, like most of Bangkok’s malls. I sat in there for a while just enjoying the coolness. On the walk back to my hotel, I passed a pretty temple, a khlong (canal) and colourful buildings. I know some people find Bangkok overwhelming, but I’m a city kid who now lives in the countryside and I crave the bustle of cities like this. I loved just wandering around random streets. I don’t think I’d ever have got bored, even if I’d stayed longer. I really enjoyed my visit to Ayutthaya and would absolutely recommend it to anyone visiting Bangkok, but I was happy to see this big old city again.