Friday 4 October 2013 - Second Ayutthaya Day Trip

A New Season..... Arriving in Bangkok on the evening of Tuesday, 1 October, I am anxious to give myself 24 hours to recover, at least. It's odd that I find the last couple of days before my travels the most stressful and the thought of 12 hours in the air does not inspire me in the least. However, as I put that behind me, I can look forward to a new season of travels in South East Asia after an enjoyable and productive summer season in the UK. On Wednesday I make my way downtown to a money changer. The conversion rate at present is at its highest for several years and by avoiding the hefty commission that accompanies normal bank transactions, I am well pleased to walk away with a wad of notes which quickly find its way into a local bank account. That done I make my way to Bang Sue Junction train station just a short bus ride away (bus 52 from Pradipat Road). I spend some three hours on the platform noting the comings and goings of SRT locomotives as is my interest here in Thailand.
Returning to the suburbs of Bangkok Metropolis is not the most worthy of pastimes and I seem to have nodded off in the roht too (minivan) amid the traffic chaos that is the norm here. It's 7.30pm before this excursion ends and I have work to do. Tomorrow the tours start in earnest. I need to make a shopping list.
Touring Underway..... I am off on a day-trip out of Bangkok knowing that I am heading for a destination not exactly off the beaten track as is more normal for this website. In fact, I am avoiding the weekend which will attract crowds of visitors to one of the most famous archeological sites in the world. I am returning to a site I last visited in February 2012 well aware that I did not do it full justice on that occasion.
Ayutthaya Historical Park..... Ayutthaya Historical Park is just a couple of hours drive out of Bangkok and is a must visit for anyone spending time in the capital. The choice of taking a guided tour or using the DIY approach perhaps by train is up to the individual and there is no shortage of willing guides to assist you: Something I found out on my last visit. However I am taking a different perhaps wiser approach on this occasion. This trip will be longer and more extensive than the short tour I embarked on during the last visit. In the context of this major site I will be taking myself 'off the beaten track. This time I am dispensing with the 'slow' train out of Bangkok in favour of the speedier minivan but I shall be arriving at around the same time. Overnight it has rained non-stop and no doubt still in recovery mode I have overslept. At 7.45 am the rain seems to have stopped but I consider cancelling the trip for the day. However, I get myself organized and by 9 am I'm on my way. Keen to catch up, I take a motorbike taxi to the bus stop and then a minivan to the northern edge of the metropolis arriving in Rangsit. Quickly transferring to another minivan, I am soon on my way to Ayutthaya, 45 minutes away.
Arriving in a central location in Ayutthaya, I need to make another important change from my previous visit here. I am immediately confronted by tuk-tuk drivers but I'm in no mood to pay them for sleeping while I trudge around the ancient city walls. Besides, some of the sites are well outside the island; the old city being completely surrounded by the Chao Phraya River and its tributaries, no doubt one of the reasons it was founded here as a strategic location. A decision to employ a driver today would severely test his resolve and my pocket. The sensible option is to rent a motorbike. After a coffee at 7-Eleven I'm directed to a guesthouse which will provide me with one. Here the lady owner is more than helpful. I present her with my shopping list and she painstakingly goes through my list manufacturing an itinerary supported by a map. The end result resembles the crystal maze prompting me to jest 'can I bring the bike back on Monday?' I negotiate 200 baht till the end of the day. Now that is sorted I need to add fuel then I'm away. I have to mention that I never used a motorbike in the UK. However, Ayutthaya City is not a green field or a quiet beach road. Fortunately, neither is it Bangkok! Ayutthaya's city roads are hardly congested in the day time and the old city area boasts wide open boulevards seemingly a feature of the city's reconstruction. Therefore, this transport option should not test those who have some basic riding skills. The main test inevitably comes from orientation, but a glance at the map shows that the city is an island. Bridges therefore pin point location and there is a perimeter road the whole way around the city. I'm soon getting used to it.
My first port of call is to get some lunch. My lady has been thorough indicating the position of the petrol station but also suggestions of where to eat. I find myself opposite Wat Ratchaburana where there is a row of restaurants popular with Thais and foreigners. For lunch Thais often eat noodles as a lighter alternative to rice which is eaten as a main meal in the evening. It works for me too. There is a popular restaurant offering 'griteo rua' literally meaning boat noodles. Traditionally noodles were served from klong (canal) boats when this form of transport was more prevalent in Thailand and of course still is in the remaining floating markets. The cooking style has now been adopted more universally. There are a number of styles of noodles which I don't have time to go into here but my dish was ordered with phet (duck) and I have to admit they did not skimp with the duck meat which is invariably on the bone. Various condiments are provided, of course dried chili included, as well as fresh bean sprouts and horapah which is a variety of basil. Ice and fresh water is free and pork scratching is available to eat with the soup all for small change.
I now proceed to find the petrol station which seems more elusive than the sites on my shopping list. I eventually find one not far from the eastern city road bridge. Now my tour can start in earnest. I should have about 5 hours. The sites visited are covered in some detail in order of visit covered in Overview & Itinerary.

Wat Phanan Choeng, Dutch Settlement, Japanese Settlement, Wat Phra Ram, Wat Chaiwatthanaram, Wat Phattai Sawan, Wat Kasattratirat, Wat Lokayasutharam, Wat Na Phra Meru, Wat Salapoon Worawihan
As I move around the sites something becomes more apparent. I have arrived in Thailand still in the monsoon season which could last another month. Reports of flooding in a number of provinces make the headlines. Ayutthaya lies in the drainage basin of the Chao Phraya River and the river is close to bursting its banks. While there is confidence there will be no repeat of the great flood of 2011, there are nonetheless precautionary measures in place. Some of the temples are sodden in places with partial flooding. All this can do no good at all to the precious structures.
It's after 5.30 pm before I have to abandon this tour due to approaching dusk and site closure but I am well satisfied with this day's work. My shopping list was ambitious and a few sites proved impractical to visit due to time restrains but were replaced by others. I make my way east back via the northern circular road. It is here at the northeast edge of the city that many of the shops and restaurants can be found. I know it will be late arriving back in Bang Khen so I will take dinner now. A simple rice dish kow kha moo (boiled pork on rice) will suffice. It's dark as I return the motorbike then after enquiries; locate the pick-up point for a minivan back to Rangsit. There is evening congestion to contend with however, as a wait for city transport back. Eventually an air-conditioned bus 554 takes me from here.
Conclusion..... It has been a demanding day for a recent arrival. After the rainstorm overnight the cloud cover broke at times in the afternoon and the temperature rose considerably adding to the humidity so I felt I had reached the limits of what could be done. The sites I visited today are nowhere near exhaustive and I can reserve another day in future. However, in the two trips I have made recently means a much more representative picture has been obtained about the history and culture of this great civilization that so dominated central Thailand for four centuries.
I am able to reflect subsequently on whether these two visits should have been combined into one trip. Given the traffic congestion in and around Bangkok and the affordability of accommodation in Ayutthaya I guess the answer is positive but for readers that decision would be helped if luggage could be left in Bangkok with no duplicate accommodation charge. Overall any trip to Ayutthaya by whatever means is highly recommended.