Ayutthaya was first settled by King U Thong in 1350 in his attempts to avoid a smallpox outbreak in Lop Buri. Very quickly he claimed the city as the capital of his kingdom, known as Siam or the Ayutthaya Kingdom. At the junction of 3 great rivers, the city was in a perfect geographic location to foster economic ties with other Asian kingdoms. From the 14th to 18th century, the city state flourished into the country of Thailand.
In 1767, Burma wreaked havoc on the people of Ayutthaya. They smashed the temples to ruins, melted down their golden-covered Buddhas to nothing, and stole all their marble. This once holy place was robbed clean in the blink of an eye, and the Siamese people suffered huge losses - some were enslaved and others murdered.
Although this city has seen much tragedy, it still holds glimpses of how magnificent this place must have looked at its peak in the 18th century. Surrounded by huge wats (temple complexes) in every direction, this city is quite a marvel...it is no surprise that the ancient capital area is claimed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
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| He was so cute! |
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| "I think I shall never see. A poem as lovely as a tree." - Joyce Kilmer |
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| Wat Ratchaburana |
Beyond our wat explorations, we took a side trip by bike to the Ayutthaya Floating Market. It was beautiful!
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| It's a bit dusty in the streets! |
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| We rode elephants. Jennifer is in love with them! |
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| One of the many cute shops in the market. |
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| Genius. |
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We couldn't go on the highway bridge. Solution: we carried our bikes up and down the bridge stairs
to the pedestrian walkway. Quite a good workout! |
We very much enjoy playing the game, "Spot the Monk"!
Besides that, we enjoyed more delicious Thai food.
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| Ok, so this isn't Thai but it was delicious. |
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| More delicious coffee! |
And explored the Chinese New Year market with all its festivities.
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| I loved this. And it was on the display! :) |
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| He cooked us some delicious Thai food. |
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| Everything for sale was adorable. |
Off to cross the border into Cambodia; our long journey awaits us!
All my love,
Emma
I have got to stop reading your posts before lunch. This food looks amazing and my Lean Cuisine pales in comparison! The ancient temples are so beautiful! How is the language barrier so far? Have you tried bargaining in the markets? The Georgia shirt cracked me up! And I do love a temple puppy :) Can't wait to see what's next!
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