[Above: The coronation temple built for the King later ransacked.]
Entry #17: July 6, 2011
Today I am so proud of myself, I woke up a bit earlier to go on my sight seeing tour and had a fantastic time. When I arrived in Ayutthaya I got a lift to the hotel via a tuk-tuk (see earlier posts) and arranged with the driver to get privately driven around today. The total expense was 600 baht =$20 US for 3 hours of sightseeing, but was worth the while as I could easily go to each site and didn't have to barter at each leg of the journey. I visited 5 different sites all together, and it was an absolutely superb time. The reason however that I was proud of myself was that I remembered this time to snap a whole lot more photos then usual, I ended up with just under 100 really excellent photos of my excursions today. The above was just one that showed how clear and picturesque the day was. Unfortunately for me I had forgotten to grab my hat even though I set it out for the days travel and received a bit of a sun burn from my travels for the couple of hours. The sightseeing today really was fun, it is interesting to see how each Wat (Temple) has its own design, flair and even incorporation of other religious elements. For instance when I went to Wat Panan Choeng (which has a giant sitting golden Buddha) there were a whole array of Chinese Taoist and Confucian style temples surrounding the premises. The one thing I must say that I did not like so much which could be my western sensibilities kicking in is the extreme commercialization of the various temples. Many vendors set up shops outside the temples selling anything from refreshments (which is much appreciated) to the standard trinkets and amulets for protection. To me the small religious icons and the refreshments such as cold drinks make sense but the clothes, and toys and all the nonsense that you see seem a bit out of place.
After returning to the hotel I crashed for several hours, honestly I am not in nearly as good of shape as I thought it was because the heat really sapped my energy from me today. There was much good phone conversations, some emailing and deciding how exactly I will get to Sukhothai tomorrow all in the works. Lastly I went for a dip in the pool late in the evening, and it was absolutely glorious. Shortly after getting to the pool the lights mostly went out, and I just lay floating in the still warm water watching the stars shine above. Personally it is always a little funny feeling swimming at night especially in the dark, but the experience is sublime. It isn't often you get to reflect as deeply about your life, conversations and thoughts so clearly as having a beautiful clear night to enjoy. I was kept company by the flitting of bats swooping back and forth and several small geckos scampering around on the walls along the pool. I must say the air, and streets and just about everything is so much cleaner in Ayutthaya, I did not at all feel out of place walking around the city in sandals instead of my standard converse high-tops I was wearing everywhere in the city. For those of you who might consider coming to Thailand, spend a couple days in Ayutthaya, don't try to see every temple and structure as you will simply wear yourself out too fast, but the trip is worth the while a couple hours out of Bangkok! Hopefully tomorrow I will feel up to traveling, and not too sick from the sunburn, if I feel too nauseous in the morning I will opt to stay for another day rather then forcing forward progress. But the plan is Sukhothai by Bus tomorrow!
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