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field trip to Ayutthaya

For Jacy's birthday, we took a little trip to Ayutthaya, which is about an hour and a half outside of Bangkok. It was so nice to get out of the city for a bit, and we had a fantastic time soaking up massive amounts of culture in just two days.  After meeting our guide at the Ayutthaya Study Center and getting a quick lesson in Ayutthaya's history (capital of Thailand from 1350 until the Burmese razed it in 1767), we were off to Wat Phra Sri Sanpeth.  This wat is now an immense and beautiful ruins with three aligned chedi (towers to house the remains of a royal person) which have been restored.  Wihan Phra Mongkhon Bophit is a short walk away, and houses an enormous bronze Buddha.  Next was Wat Na Phramen, which is a temple of very old Thai style, dating from before they used windows.  In a small wihan nearby, there is a 1500 year old Buddha image.  Our favorite stop of the day was Wat Chaiwatthanaram, which is an old temple in Cambodian style.  Jacy and I climbed to the top of the main stupa (on very steep and treacherous stairs- so steep, in fact, that we had to walk sideways, and I now have ONE very sore leg) where there was a small Buddha image and an overpowering odor of bat guano.  The wat was originally surrounded by 120 Buddha images along the walls, but theft has left them all headless.  We made a quick stop at Wat Lokayasuthram, a ruined monastery that now has a reclining Buddha image made of bricks and plaster.  Our last stop before dinner was Chedi Phra Si Suriyoth, built where historians believe a great Thai heroine was killed.  Phra Si Suriyoth was a Thai queen who rode an elephant into battle to defend her king and country and was cut down in the fighting.  After dinner on a river barge, we went back to the hotel, where we took the most pathetic showers ever. The showerhead reached about 4 feet off the ground, and there was no holder for it; by a combination of body contortions and the power of gravity, we each managed to get sort of clean.  Lots of fun...

And Happy Birthday, Jacy!

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