Monday 14 May 2018

Thailand Part Two - Temples, Trains and Terrible Fortunes in Ayutthaya

As a nature girl at heart, I was looking forward to escaping the concrete jungle of Bangkok and heading somewhere a little greener. I'd enjoyed my time in the big city, but a bit of peace was needed. It was time to head up north!

After an evening slump feeling a bit sorry for myself for being back on my own again now that the Bangkok crew had split, I woke the next morning feeling energised and ready for the adventure ahead. I checked out of my hostel, shared a delicious bowl of spicy noodle soup for breakfast with an enthusiastic, elephant pant-wearing backpacker, before meeting the group I'd be travelling up north with.

For the duration of my time in north Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, I had booked onto a hop-on hop-off bus with Stray Asia. Feeling a bit nervous about travelling solo for the first time, I decided to ease myself in with an organised bus rather than jumping into the deep end completely on my own. This way, I could gradually get a feel for travel within South East Asia for the first couple of months, safe in the knowledge that I had a safety net should I need it, yet still have the freedom to book my own accommodation, choose my own activities, and leave the bus whenever and for however long I wanted. By the time my tour came to an end and I started my independently-arranged travels, I knew I'd be able to handle it.


Our first stop from Bangkok was to the ancient city of Ayutthaya, where, after a lunch of the spiciest tear-inducing Thai green curry I'd ever had in my life (just a head's up, the mild Thai green curry that is popular here in the UK is not a thing in Thailand), we boarded a wooden boat for a ride along the Chao Phraya River to visit some of Ayutthaya's famous temples.

Thailand's hidden archaeological gem, Ayutthaya is a treasure trove of stunning ancient Buddhist architecture dating back to 1350. The second capital of the Siamese Kingdom, it flourished from the 14th to the 18th centuries, growing to become one of the world's largest urban areas of the time. However, after an attack from the Burmese army in 1767, it was burned to the ground and completely abandoned. What was once the centre of global commerce, was left as a forgotten ruin. Though the city was never rebuilt in the same location, many of the ruined temples and monasteries remain, giving an insight into the splendour of the city's past.


We floated up the murky brown water of the river, passing by small ramshackle huts and stilted houses lining the banks as smiling locals waved to us, and made our way to our first temple: Wat Chaiwatthanaram.


As one of my first Buddhist temples, it certainly didn't disappoint. Rising from a lush green field, I immediately noted its similarity to Cambodia's Angkor Wat - no coincidence it turns out, as it was built in the same Khmer style popular during the times. Sitting on a raised platform with eight towering chapels ("chedis") surrounding a 35-metre-tall tower ("prang") and 120 Buddha statues, it was one of Ayutthaya's grandest temples and inspired the design of many others. However, along with the rest of the city, it fell into decay and became the site of much destruction and looting before it was finally protected and made a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991.


We wandered through the ruins, passing through secret passageways decorated with faded paintings of Buddha's life and imagining the past opulence of the temple. However, the dark history is ever present, with rows of blackened headless and armless Buddha statues eerily lining the corridors - a sign of the thieves who looted the treasures once hidden inside.





We hopped back in the boat, grateful for the refreshing breeze as we sped down the river to our next temple: Wat Panan Choeng.

Built in 1324, at centre stage sits an enormous 19-metre-tall golden Buddha statue, enshrined in a large assembly hall lined with 84,000 small Buddha images. According to legend, tears were seen falling from the eyes of the giant Buddha just before Ayutthaya was attacked by the Burmese.


In contrast to Chaiwatthanaram, this temple is still used today, and as we wandered through the hall we were lucky enough to observe a prayer ceremony taking place before the giant Buddha. A cloud of incense surrounded us as we watched enormous robes of orange thrown and wrapped around the statue by the peaceful worshippers gathered beneath.


Once the ceremony had finished, our guide took us to have our fortune told. Rather than the typical old woman with a glass ball, we were told to kneel and shake a pot containing multiple sticks until one worked it's way out and fell on the floor. On the stick was a number, which matched to a fortune written on paper. As someone who's always been fascinated with horoscopes and fortunes, I was excited to find out what mine said, assuming that as a peaceful religion, all Buddhist fortunes must of course be good! The excitement was short-lived when my guide translated it to me. Apparently I was going to get sick, that I should avoid travelling at night, and that I can't escape my bad luck - just what you want to hear on your first solo travel trip!

After waving to some very enthusiastic Thai school children keen to practice their English on us, it was time to board the boat and head back up the river, where the afternoon was spent exploring the local market and sampling delicious lychees and mangosteens. In the evening we hopped into a tuk-tuk and flew through the traffic to the train station, where, against my fortune's warnings, we would be boarding our 12 hour overnight sleeper train.

As the train finally pulled into the station, we rushed on board with the crowds of other passengers. My expectations of Slumdog Millionaire-style trains were thankfully proven wrong when we were pleasantly surprised by our own beds complete with curtain, pillow, sheet, free water and window - luxury!


It certainly beat a lot of hostel beds I would stay in over the next 8 months!

Next stop - Chiang Mai!

Love, Beth xxx


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Tips:

Stray Asia
For my time in North Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, I booked onto the Mekong Pass with Stray Asia through STA Travel. STA almost always has some sort of discount going on for the different Stray passes, so keep an eye out to avoid having to unnecessarily pay full price. Although my chosen route covered a minimum of 27 days, the pass itself is valid for a year, so I was on it for about 2 months by hopping off the bus in various places.

Pros:
- Easy to organise and arrange any days I'd hop off the bus (as long as Stray are notified of the itinerary changes)
- All transport arranged
- Friendly and knowledgeable guides
- Hostels and activities are arranged by guides
- Good way to meet other travellers
- Freedom to hop off in any place of your choice

Cons:
- Cheaper hostels and services can be arranged yourself
- Limited buses available during off peak season (there were only 2 buses available per week during my trip, which meant if I hopped off anywhere I would have to wait at least 5 days in the same place until the next bus arrived, which often was much too long!)


Train
Take a jumper! The air-conditioning gets super cold. Also, pack an eye mask. In my carriage they didn't turn off the bridge lights during the whole journey.

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