Tuesday, February 01, 2005
Ayuthaya
After leaving Kanchanburi we headed to Ayuthaya, which is about 86 km north of Bangkok. Ayuthaya was the capital of the Siam empire from 1350-1767. It was at this time that the kingdom extended well into present-day Loas, Cambodia and Myanmar. Thirty-three kings reigned from this capital until it was sacked by the Burmese. Thai culture and international commerce was at its height at this time, with Dutch, Portuguese, French, English, Chinese and Japanese merchants participating in trade. There were literally ruins all over the city – some only small mounds and some large buildings. There are 4 amazing temples that are almost completely in tact – although the outside layer of plaster has fallen off on most of them.
Wat Phra Si Sanphet is the largest of the temple complexes. It is absolutely huge and amazing, (And although I never saw the movie, I hear it was used as the set for filming for Mortal Kombat.) This temple was used as the royal temple. The most impressive structures on the complex are 3 identical stupas, which are burial places for kings and other nobility. (You seriously need to check out the pictures!)
Wat Mahathat was built about 1369 AD and is surrounded by a moot of water. The main tower looks a little like a corn husk. Since this is Thailand and there are yet to be a lot of rules enforced, we were able to climb all over all the ruins. They are really large and super impressive.
Phra Mongkonbophit is the main temple where royal rituals and funerals took place before the kings were put into the stupas. (It is the large white building with red roofing that looks modern.) The temple houses a huge Buddha, which is covered in gold and considered somewhat of a pilgrimage place for Thais.
Wat Chaiwatthanaram is one of the most impressive Buddhist monasteries. The complex is again huge. The main tower is from about half way up with a shrine to Buddha inside. The temple consists of the main tower, four pointed towers and eight smaller pointed towers. It is located right next to the river and has two large Buddhas in front of the main tower. Additionally there are rows and rows of small Buddhas lining the outside walls.
Ayuthaya was one of the most amazing places that I have ever seen. I was surprised at how well preserved and how many different ruins there were in the city. Additionally, there was a Dairy Queen so I was loving walking around eating a double-brownie fudge Blizzard and looking at the amazing structures. Seriously, what could be better?
Wat Phra Si Sanphet is the largest of the temple complexes. It is absolutely huge and amazing, (And although I never saw the movie, I hear it was used as the set for filming for Mortal Kombat.) This temple was used as the royal temple. The most impressive structures on the complex are 3 identical stupas, which are burial places for kings and other nobility. (You seriously need to check out the pictures!)
Wat Mahathat was built about 1369 AD and is surrounded by a moot of water. The main tower looks a little like a corn husk. Since this is Thailand and there are yet to be a lot of rules enforced, we were able to climb all over all the ruins. They are really large and super impressive.
Phra Mongkonbophit is the main temple where royal rituals and funerals took place before the kings were put into the stupas. (It is the large white building with red roofing that looks modern.) The temple houses a huge Buddha, which is covered in gold and considered somewhat of a pilgrimage place for Thais.
Wat Chaiwatthanaram is one of the most impressive Buddhist monasteries. The complex is again huge. The main tower is from about half way up with a shrine to Buddha inside. The temple consists of the main tower, four pointed towers and eight smaller pointed towers. It is located right next to the river and has two large Buddhas in front of the main tower. Additionally there are rows and rows of small Buddhas lining the outside walls.
Ayuthaya was one of the most amazing places that I have ever seen. I was surprised at how well preserved and how many different ruins there were in the city. Additionally, there was a Dairy Queen so I was loving walking around eating a double-brownie fudge Blizzard and looking at the amazing structures. Seriously, what could be better?
Erawan - Back to Nature
Outdoor recreation has been a part of life that Katrina and I have missed more than anything (well...except for some good home-cooking). As a result, we took a break from our travels to visit the Erawan waterfalls - a series of 7 cascading waterfalls along a 2 km trail in Thailand's most popular national park.
Each level of the falls featured a crystal blue pond of water, ripe for swimming - except for the fact that the fish in the water bite (actually nibble). I was a little shy to jump in. Katrina, calling me a big baby, marched unyieldingly into the water, only to scream like a school girl (agitating the monkeys above us in the trees) and retreat to the side once the "little fishies" started to bite her feet. Luckily, the top falls (also the biggest - ostensibly named after the mythical 3-headed elephant named "Erawan") was surrounded by fishless pools, so we took a dip.
The hike was absolutely beautiful (see pictures in the "Kanchanaburi 2" album) and was a nice break from the tourist-heavy sites we have been visiting. On our way back to the city, we hopped off the bus and offered some money to a local man (smoking and playing checkers) to drive us to a more remote set of ruins 20 km down the road.
The ruins - Prasat Meuang Singh - are similar to the ruins here at Phimai. The temple is quite large, but the land surrounding it was much grander. We were literally the only people in the entire complex. The most fascinating part of the temple was a burial site that had recently been excavated - in fact, the skeletons were still in place! It was eery, but very interesting as well.
As we left the temple, a nice young man offered to give us a ride to the nearest train station (3 km) so we piled onto his scooter. And just in time to catch the train which safely returned us to Kanchanaburi - over the Bridge On the River Kwai. Some of my favorite pictures are of Katrina sticking her head out of the train like a puppy to cool down (although I don't know if she thought I was watching because she closed her eyes and made blow-fish faces. Since she uploaded the pictures, I'm sure she edited out my secret photos of this - many apologies!)
Each level of the falls featured a crystal blue pond of water, ripe for swimming - except for the fact that the fish in the water bite (actually nibble). I was a little shy to jump in. Katrina, calling me a big baby, marched unyieldingly into the water, only to scream like a school girl (agitating the monkeys above us in the trees) and retreat to the side once the "little fishies" started to bite her feet. Luckily, the top falls (also the biggest - ostensibly named after the mythical 3-headed elephant named "Erawan") was surrounded by fishless pools, so we took a dip.
The hike was absolutely beautiful (see pictures in the "Kanchanaburi 2" album) and was a nice break from the tourist-heavy sites we have been visiting. On our way back to the city, we hopped off the bus and offered some money to a local man (smoking and playing checkers) to drive us to a more remote set of ruins 20 km down the road.
The ruins - Prasat Meuang Singh - are similar to the ruins here at Phimai. The temple is quite large, but the land surrounding it was much grander. We were literally the only people in the entire complex. The most fascinating part of the temple was a burial site that had recently been excavated - in fact, the skeletons were still in place! It was eery, but very interesting as well.
As we left the temple, a nice young man offered to give us a ride to the nearest train station (3 km) so we piled onto his scooter. And just in time to catch the train which safely returned us to Kanchanaburi - over the Bridge On the River Kwai. Some of my favorite pictures are of Katrina sticking her head out of the train like a puppy to cool down (although I don't know if she thought I was watching because she closed her eyes and made blow-fish faces. Since she uploaded the pictures, I'm sure she edited out my secret photos of this - many apologies!)