Friday night after work and I was still debating whether or not I want to wake up early on a precious Saturday morning to take the train to go to Ayutthya, the former capital of the Kingdom of Thailand. My inner demons, in all attempts to discourage me, keeps screaming in my ears on how much I deserve some sleep, how much I need some rest, the apartment’s swimming pool is a better choice. Alas, it wasn’t an easy choice but my brains won the battle. Hurray for small victories =)
I woke up early around 7am, and was at the Skytrain station going to Saladaeng. From there, I switched to MRT Silom which took me straight to Hua Lampong station. I was hoping I could get the 845am train, but the clerk gave me a ticket for 935am. Hmm mm..there’s like more than an hour to kill, which I easily could,but I wanted some action and I wanted it fast.
I walked around the busy station and my ears perked up when I heard an announcement in not so clear English. Okay, words I caught was ‘ Ayutthya ‘ and ‘ platform 11 ‘. Feeling like Harry Potter on his first year at Hogwarts, I raced to Platform 11, sans the owl, and showed the inspector my ticket. He gestured me to hop on and hop on I did. It was the 845am train going to Ayutthya.
Once aboard, I finally could sit back and relax and enjoy some countryside sceneries. I love Thailand’s countryside and I love Thailand’s train rides. They seem to be connected to everywhere. I love watching little huts that serves as stations and platforms and it never fails to amaze me each time I look at them. Eventhough after every journey, my face is caked with a layer of grime and dirt, nothing some facial cleanser cannot cure.
We picked up some other travelers along the way and soon was chugging along. It rained somewhere between Bangkok and Ayutthya and I let the rain and the wind pelt my face ( I was sitting near the window ) and it was such exhilirating experience. We pulled into Ayutthya’s railway station and half the train got off with us.
While the taxi drivers were busy eyeing the white skinned western backpackers, nobody seemed to notice me. Being dark skinned has some advantages I guess. I walked out of the station, crossed the road and walked straight on, where I came to a river, which I need to cross to get to the other side. The ride cost me 3B and it lasted 3 minutes.
Once the river was crossed, the adventure begin. There was a bicycle and motorcycle hire shop just at the riverside where I hired a bicycle for 40B for the day. The owner asked me to leave my passport for security, and I really wasn’t comfortable parting with my passport. I swore I would damage his bicycle when I return for all this agony he caused me ( I didn’t, naturally, because the agony of not getting back my passport would have been much too painful to handle ).
He gave me a map, showed me where the temples were and flagged me off. I happily cycled along what looked like the only main road in Ayutthya. There were shops and markets but really, it looked like a little town. There were many tuk tuks, songthaews, tourists vans and tourist buses miling around.
And the weather! Ayutthya was so dry, hot and humid I actually had sun rash on my arms. After about 15 minutes of cycling, I cam to my first ruins, Wat Mahathat. Here you have to pay 50B for foreigners, and get in. I parked my bicycle and ambled into the ruins after paying the fee. There were many camera wielding, sweat wiping tourist around. The weather was so hot and so awfully dry without any wind that soon I was sweating so profusely and began to lose interest in the ruins and wandered if I really should have stayed home instead.
Everwhere I looked, there were headless Buddha statues. Hundreds and hundreds of them. Rows and rows of them. It must’ve been a tough battle with the Burmese back then. From what I heard, thieves stole all the Buddha heads to be sold to tourists who would pay high price for them. Thus, we have headless Buddhas sitting all over Ayutthya.
Finally I came to the sight that always greeted me in travel books – the Buddha head stuck on a tree. My, the mob there was unbelievable. Every tourist wants a photograph. Everyone was jostling and shoving each other for a good spot. I clicked a few shots and after saying a prayer, I was out of there.
I went cycling again among the other ruins and other wats but it was so hot that I finally abandoned the plan and cycled to a small restaurant for lunch instead. A plate of rice, a tom yum kung and 2 small bottles of Coke cost me THB300. Was pricey for normal standard, but that was the only restaurant directly overlooking the ruins so I guess the price was OK.
I also found a small little massage centre with only 2 beds and a ferocious little terrier barking at me. The foot reflexology was heavenly, and at just 200B a session, it was a steal and I got about 1 hour out of the sun. I cycled back into the town centre and returned the bicycle and hopped on the boat, and did the whole journey again in reverse.
By the time I reached the hotel, I was so out of it, face caked with grime and dirt, and so tired. It was a worthy journey. I just wished the sun wasn’t so hot!
How to get to Ayutthaya cheaply from Bangkok
1. Use the BTS/MRT or take a tuk-tuk to get to Hualampong station
2. Walk to the ticket counter and purchase a ticket to Ayutthaya ( third class costs 15B, clean and comfortable )
3. The ride will take around 11/2 to 2 hours. Enjoy the sceneries!
4. Once you get to Ayutthaya, walk out of the station, cross the main road, and walk straight ahead. You’ll come to the small river, where you can cross for 3B.
5. Once you reach the other side, get off and walk straight ahead. You will see shops renting motorbikes and bicycles. Bicycles should rent around 40-50B a day.
6. Get a map, the shopkeeper should give you one. Ayutthaya Historical Park is close to the river, so just turn right, and turn left onto the main street, and cycle/ride away. It’s a straight road ahead. Wat Mahathat is the first one you will see.
7. Bring enough sunblock, drinking water and a towel to wipe your face. Enjoy the ruins!
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