AYUTTHAYA (OLD SIAM) TO SUKHOTHAI & WATS, WATS!

More WATS; Wat Yai Chai Mongkol, Wat Phra Sri Sanpetch, Wat Phra Nan Choeng, the ruins of Wats too, I saw them all! WAT is the Thai word for temple.

I may have been Buddhist in a past incarnation. I’ve always had issues with Christianity. On my mother’s side they’re all Pentecostal Holy Rollers. Translation: They speak in tongues and dance carrying poisonous serpents. -- You can’t say these people don’t live on the edge!  On my father’s side it’s German Lutheran & Irish Catholic. But now I was sitting on my heels frequently praying to Buddha!

It’s offensive to display the bottoms of your feet to this image.  Also in Thailand, a person’s head is considered sacred; it’s rude and disrespectful to touch this part of another’s body.

As a history buff, I was eager to see the Capitol of old Siam. Ayutthaya was built at the junction of the Lop Buri Nam Pasak & Chao Phraya Rivers. In its heyday, (between 1350 & 1767) this island city rivaled the great Capitols of Europe and ruled an area that exceeded both England & France combined. World famous for its fabulously ornate palaces and temples, it was thoroughly sacked in 1767 by Burmese invaders. Now in ruins, it’s a national park where several of the sites have been partially restored. A haunting sadness seemed to rise from the earth as I strolled about.

Leaving Ayutthaya, we continued on to Lop Buri, where we stopped for lunch. A waiter led us thru a lush jungle garden to a secluded table by a pond. I asked my guide Ketsara if there were other patrons. I saw no other tables or people around. “The tables are all private,” she replied, “they are hidden at the end of other paths.” I loved this! Our meal was beautiful and serene, despite the annoying bugs striking an inharmonious note.

After lunch, we visited Phra Prang Sam Yot; Lop Buri’s most famous landmark. A former Hindu shrine decorated with stucco, the laterite & sandstone structure featured three adjoining towers signifying the Hindu trinity. But now this shrine had been converted into a Buddhist temple.

In Phitsanuloke, we viewed yet another temple, Wat Phra Sri Rattana Mahathat. It’s called Wat Yai by the locals. This temple was built in the middle of the 14^thcentury on the banks of the Nan River at the foot of the Naresuan Bridge. The main entrance is immense with mother-of-pearl inserts. Inside, its golden Buddha is considered by many to be the most beautiful in the country.

Outdoor markets seemed to be almost everywhere! All are filled with fabulous merchandise as well as a variety of foods. The clothes & accessories displayed were amazing and inexpensive; lovely sarongs, gorgeous bling, & flashy hair accessories! I could really go native there!!! Also popular are the colorful harem pants, even men were wearing them. (After returning home, I saw this same style in a catalog for $60, here; they were only $7 & $8!) I bought several pairs; they’re lightweight, perfect for both Thailand and Florida weather.  Ketsara lent me Baht (cash) until I could get to a bank, which was above and beyond what I would expect! 

Compared to other parts of the world, North Americans are boring dressers. I am sooo sick of looking at jeans & T-shirts! Blaaah! And yes, It IS possible to dress both comfortably and look nice simultaneously, plus it’s far more interesting.

If you take away the surreal looking mountains, exotic temples and people, parts of Thailand look much like Florida, only hotter and more humid. Another thing I found interesting was that in many areas the mountains resembled prangs, the tall tower-like spires found on the temples. This was less the case the further north we traveled where the terrain became more mountainous and the weather cooler.

Thailand has more outside steps than anyplace I’ve ever been! Mostly, they are inconsistent; one can be short and the next one steep, or even missing altogether. You really need to watch your step! I was constantly falling down, but I got right back up! (No Life Alert bracelet for this old lady!) By the end of my journey, I had 2 cracked big toenails, (one turned black, the other black & purple) plus my feet were swollen during the entire trip. I broke four fingernails (two below the skin surface) but it was all worth it!

Buddhist Monks would pop up unexpectedly. It is forbidden for a woman to touch or even sit next to one. I fretted that being the (Ahem!) graceful creature that I am, that I would accidentally fall on one and pin him to the ground with me on top. -- That’s exactly the kind of thing that would happen to only me. Fortunately, that never happened!

Late afternoon, we arrived in Sukhothai. Here, I spent the night in a beautiful teak hotel! To reach my room I had to cross a wooden suspension bridge. All the rooms were situated atop stairs and the inside was nothing short of elegant. Mine had a back porch overlooking a garden pond and another bridge.

Every hotel or resort I stayed throughout Thailand had either a terrace or porch with a water view. Also each room had a kettle & burners plus tea fixings. This made for a perfect way to relax in the evenings!