On our way back to Hong Kong we stopped in Bangkok for a few days. We had been to Bangkok a few times in college so we decided to use most our time to just relax - enjoying Thai massages (less than $10 for 1 hour) and more great Thai food!
One day we took a day tour north of Bangkok to Ayutthaya. Our first stop was the summer palace which is still being used by the current Thai King. The complex was a mix of Thai, Chinese, and colonial European style buildings and Cambodian, Thai, and Chinese temples. At some points we practically thought we were in Versailles with the perfectly manicured lawns and beautiful flowers. The complex is so large they even offer golf carts for a small fee but the weather was so nice we chose to walk. Close to the entrance there was a small lake which has fish and turtles. We picked up a loaf of bread to feed the fish.
To enter the Royal Residence, Melissa had to wrap up in a sarong even though her legs were already covered. We saw the Thai royal family's dining room and sitting room that are used when the Royal Family is visiting.
After the summer palace we headed to Wat Thammikarat which is a temple complex that is still being used by devotees and is run by monks that live onsite. The guide explained a rooster story in Buddhist history. People buy roosters of various sizes and bring them to this temple for good luck. On the other side of the road there were roosters over 6 feet tall.
For lunch we went to a buffet for lunch which was less than stellar, but it did give us an opportunity to try a Muslim Thai dessert made out of sugar cane native to that region. A crepe is made out of ground sugar cane and the inside is dried and torn to a straw like consistency. It was very sweet which almost melts when it hit your tongue- kind of like cotton candy. I had two bites of mine to be nice (I'm not big into sweets) but Melissa finished hers. While we were driving around the area we noticed this stuff is sold on almost every street corner in Ayutthaya.
After lunch we visited Ayutthaya's floating market. I was hoping for a more local experience, but it was much more of a tourist trap for locals. The tour included a boat ride which was interesting as this old wooden boat was being directed by a guy sitting on the back holding a tube shooting out a water jet. After the ride we walked around the complex doing some window shopping. There was not much there, but Jane (our tour guide) did buy us some 100% natural coconut ice cream which was excellent. It was so light it was almost like shaved ice with pieces of coconut.
The main attraction of Ayutthaya is its ancient ruins. It was an old capital of Thailand before it was destroyed by the Burmese. One of the most unique items is the head of a Buddha statue that had fallen off and become enveloped by the tree. The complex is like visiting one of the complexes at Cambodia's Angkor Wat.
Like most temples in Thailand, dogs were everywhere! Unlike most stray dogs in South East Asia they were in very good shape, all things considering. Melissa and I speculate that they eat the food offerings Buddhist devotees leave out at temples.
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