Ayutthaya by night...[Entry #16: July 5, 2011]

[Above: A really curious looking fruit, didn't write down the name though.]

Entry #16: July 5, 2011

        Today was my first excursion out of Bangkok, I chose to take a bit more then just a day trip and packed all my bags and left without any immediate plans to return. It's curious how that as soon as I left I felt like I could actually see myself living and working there, I am not entirely sure that I will do so, but I wouldn't entirely mind. I opted to travel via the train up to Ayutthaya, in fact there are two trains one is an 'express' train which costs around 300 baht I believe but only runs once a day and comes with more comfortable amenities such as air-conditioning. I opted for the hourly train which most locals used and was so shocked by the price to travel, 15 BAHT!!! that is .50 cents US for a 2 hour train ride! I had to ask the attendant twice, to make sure that they hadn't confused my broken Thai and were telling me the price of a different but similar sounding place. Sure enough only 15 baht, and about 2 hours later and I was at my stop. The trip was fun and fairly comfortable. It can get a little cramped at certain stages on the journey as at different stops along the way passengers are getting on/off, but I had secured a seat early and remained fairly comfortable. I am not sure though about taking the train for more then a couple hours as even though the windows are open and a cool breeze moves through the train, if I wouldn't get a bit too tired in my journey. It was fun watching the scenery turn from a urban jungle of corrugated metal roofs to green fields. The journey was pleasing and the attendants even made a point of informing me of my stop before I reached it, I think using Thai even a little bit goes a long way to gaining access to really excellent service.

        Once I arrived in Ayutthaya I opted to retire to my new hotel, I was feeling a bit run down from the travel and really just wanted to catch a quick nap before dinner or any other activities. A few hours later I was up and ready to explore. I looked online and via a map procured from the hotel main desk to see the general size of the city, and honestly it is a bit small. I have been so used to the grand size of Bangkok that Ayutthaya feels tiny by comparison. I opted to walk down one of the main roads to see if any of the Wat (temples) were lit up at night, Luckily Wat Maha That was lit, but the photographs did not turn out as well as I hoped, the gates had been closed and even though I could easily have jumped any number of spots of the wall I thought it best to be respectful and just photograph from behind the walls rather then trounce around. I then walked over to the night market and again was a bit surprised at how much smaller everything seemed since my experiences in Bangkok, but the market was filled with delicious smells and intoxicating sights of food. I walked up to several vendors and inquired about the fruits that they were selling, they all looked so odd, and several I had seen before but by some simple questioning about whether or not the fruit was really delicious every vendor readily sliced open the fruit to give me a sample. All the fruit was very good, not as sweet perhaps as some of the standard western fruits, but certainly delicious. Each fruit seems to hold such interesting flavor like a small gift of a new experience. By the way my absolute favorite part about Thailand, is that everywhere you go, there is cheap fresh fruit that is ice cold and extremely ripe. I don't know if it is like this year round, but I really hope so, because it is just an experience I have never had anywhere else. Everything cost about half as much as Bangkok, I got a fruit smoothie for 20 baht = .66 cents. And then after seeing lots of stands serving food but all looking like they were closing down decided just to head back to the hotel. 

        I had resigned just to take dinner at the hotel to see how the food was and was incredibly impressed. I have to say this much about the Ayutthaya Hotel, it may not be a 5 star, and the rooms may look a bit old, but the service is excellent and the food at a hotel restaurant couldn't be much better. I meet a friendly waiter who took the time to explain in perfect English what the dishes were, and which ones were favored by locals and even to help me a bit with my Thai. All the while there was live Karaoke being preformed and a local dance club was sashaying back and forth across the dance floor. I have to say, although I did not have anyone to share the meal with it was exceptional. The waiter was even so generous to bring me a local dish that he was curious if would be acceptable to 'Farang' (foreigner) tastes. The dish is called Yum-Ta-Klai (lemon Grass Salad) and is a really interesting complex blending of sweet and spicy. I told him I enjoyed the dish but not all foreigners would necessarily, that he ought to ask if they really like Thai food or to see if they are adventurous. I settled on Kai-Pad-Med Ma'muang (which is a stir fried chicken mango dish), it is extremely good! I must say life really feels grand when you are having a great meal, at the same time an elderly couple that have been married for years sing Karaoke a little off key. All you can do is sit back, smile and feel the world slow down a bit. Although Ayutthaya is not as big as Bangkok, it has it's own flavor and feels incredibly warm. Tomorrow is a big day of travel, as I will spend most of the day out traveling from temple to temple and seeing the sights.

[Side Note: I apologize for all the broken romanized Thai, I really want to go back and convert to actual Thai, but haven't yet figured out how. Tomorrow I will attempt to get the blog working so some of the key words can be in Thai.]