This morning I got a chance to face time with mom, Christina, and Brian before I scooted downstairs to eat some quick breakfast.
We left at 9, on our way out to visit Ayudhaya (Ayutthaya), which is both a district and houses a world heritage site. The drive didn't feel long but I'm starting to notice my idea of "just around the corner" isn't always on par with others.
The first stop was seemingly unimpressive at first. We pulled up next to a giant reclining Buddha in front of a mostly flat brick complex. The Buddha itself was neat, and quite large. It had a giant orange blanket draped around it.
There was a small golden replica in front of the statue as well with various offerings.
Behind the Buddha are the remains of what I discovered to be a very impressive temple. Once I understood what used to stand there I could finally fully appreciate the site. Like some of the locations in Cambodia, this temple was built from brick and then was covered in stucco or sandstone. Most of the covering is gone at this time, as are apparently all the walls.
The temple used to be walled in and roofed, but was destroyed by the Burmese I believe. There was also a walled complex surrounding the Buddha in the past, all of which is no longer standing.
The remains of several smaller Buddhas could be seen along the ruins, and once you started to put the picture together you could finally start to see how grand this temple used to be.
After that we headed over to the World Heritage site of Wat Maha That.
When you first arrive, the place is surrounded by different market types. Both respectable distances from the temple, mind you. The sidewalk was basically a botanical garden, as tons and tons of flower shops decorated both directions. Past those, you come across various stalls selling everything from drinks, to clothing, to phallic symbols.
We shopped for a bit before entering the complex, as some of the group wanted to buy drinks and those aren't allowed in the area. I ended up buying myself two pants and a dress/shirt. All were cheap and will be great for the beach/weekend/ free time, and are basically my suvies for myself.
This Wat is a lot more impressive right off the bat, with a huge complex and several 'prangs' rising up in the distance. The temple is built mostly in the Khmer style, so it was like a gentle ease from Cambodia to Thailand temples.
One thing that stood out to me about this site was the sheer number of Buddha images within the complex. Most were in ruins, but you could imagine the majesty of the place in its prime.
In certain areas, there were just Buddha statues that lined the walls, completely surrounding you from the entrance in.
We also came across the Buddha image that is famous to everyone.
Some more photos from the site:
And just so you can appreciate it a little more, understand that all of this used to be roofed and walled. Below is a photo of the one remaining wall and support column. You can see some of the bases where previous columns once stood.
After that, we met with our driver, Benz, also a part of the CCS staff for lunch. He was saving a table for all of us at one of the open markets there.
One fun moment: RIGHT before they brought the food out, I pointed at the beams supporting the roof. Running along the main pole was a giant rat. Victoria thanked me for showing her that just before we ate. I insisted it was no problem as we passed all the bowls around.
We got a noodle dish, naturally, dry this time, no broth. I got vegetable, and it was great.
There were peanuts on it as well and just, ahhh. So good.
I only had one bowl, but some had four! Wooow, fast metabolism, fast metabolism. Benz shared a drink he ordered with me, which was soooo good. It was made from a fruit but it tasted like Sweet Tea. They told me the name but they might as well have given me the Latin name for it being as how I apparently immediately forgot.
Lunch was on the staff, and we thanked them as we walked back to the car. Benz stopped at a pineapple stand and bought some cute baby pineapples to eat.
Benz shared a piece of pineapple with Victoria and me, and just wooowwww. It was like a dessert, just naturally sweet and so so good. That's one thing I've noticed, there truly is food everywhere in Thailand.
Afterwards, we headed to the floating market which is called Atohada or something to that effect. It was a giant water way, connected by bridges and stalls, with food and boats and shops *everywhere.*
And look, I managed to find a bit of my heritage here in Thailand!
Authentic, I know. I bought some Christmas presents while there, and then we headed back. So now it's 3:50, here at the home base and done for the day as far as obligations go.
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Location:กรุงเทพ-นนทบุรี 46,Bang Sue,Thailand
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