J.Roy Adventures: Thailand: Ayutthaya

Thailand: Ayutthaya

After a long van ride we arrived at our hostel in Ayutthaya late at night. We got our room, found some food and went directly to bed. The following day we rented some bikes and rode round the city checking out different ruined temples. I had a very hard time remembering to sit on the remaining slope of the road.

The Burmese had come in and destroyed these temples and defaced the stone idols. Only some remain fully intact and many of the buildings have been reconstructed. These temples were all over the city. Each had an entry fee so we only visited a couple since they are all pretty similar. It was pretty amazing to pass around these ancient temples that had been there for hundreds of years. The photos give the better description.For lunch we establish a small cafe called At Coffee that offered vegetarian food. The daughter that was working the coffeehouse was very nice and friendly. She also spoke English really well. She made some delicious food. Follow the At Coffee link to Dayton's website, WasatchVeg for some more information on the restaurant and food. To get a respite from the afternoon heat we decided to guide back to our way and make a nap. Our way was as loud as they come, fan only. We were both just lying there sweating. I was running on a project for China and experiencing a lot of anxiety about where we should go and what we should do. I took a better and show The Alchemist. Then I take this business "If he pushed forward impulsively, he would go to see the signs and omens left by God on his path." These words hit me wish a cargo train. It was at this moment that I decided to forsake my plans and let the course of adventure guide our path. We spent Saturday night at the night market, walking around checking out the Ayutthaya nightlife. We found an outdoor cafe with live cowboy music which was awesome. We enjoyed a decent meal and listened to some country rock as we passed the eve before calling it a night. On Sunday we rented some bikes and rode to the outer portion of the metropolis to receive the church. On our way there we were passed by a small pickup truck with a lot of kids in white shirts in the back. We knew we were on the correct way and we were led straight there. If it weren't for seeing those kids I'm certain we would have ridden right by the church which was in a rented building. The house was so humble and in Thai, we never would have seen it. It was amazing how welcoming everyone was. It was light to look at place in a situation that was so far off from our real home. One of the missionaries translated the meetings for us and they gave us some good suggestions for places to eat and which Wats we should see. After church we had another sweltering nap. Dayton woke up in a dour mood which got even worse when he went to meet up his water bottle outside our hostel. There are water bottle filling stations all over Thailand. This one happened to be baking in the sun all day and when Dayton filled his bottle it was with hot water. Doesn't he just look so angry? The heart of Ayutthaya is encircled by a huge moat. We peddled our bikes to the outer piece of the moat and came across the Wat that was described to us by the missionaries. This Wat was alive and motionless in use. We spent our Sunday afternoon walking round the synagogue and admiring the craft and conduct of the worshipers. Everyone was so exposed to us being in their holy places and welcomed us with smiles everywhere we went. Just outside the temple we sat under a corner in the tone for a bite and had a large discussion about religion and the meaning of the experiences we were having. Dayton was then bombarded by a crew of middle-aged Thai women who wanted to take a movie with him. Once one was courageous enough to ask for one everybody in the group wanted one as well. He sat there as each took their turn. I told them we should be charging for these photos. We all had a good joke and so we headed out. After returning our bikes we went to a ballpark on the edge of the interior city and did some reading and relaxing in the shade. We swung by At Coffee again for some dinner then we walked round the city checking out more Wats. It was still better at night, the conditions was complete and all the Wats were lit up against the dark sky. This was a big way to pass our last night in Ayutthaya. Next stop: Sukhothai