Ayuthaya

We left for our first venture beyond the boundaries of Bangkok last Friday. Ayuthaya (I-You-Tia) is a smallish town about 70 miles to the northeast of Bangkok and is Thailand’s old capitol. We took the train.

The first hostel we tried was full, so we moved on to the next one in sight which, due to the cities large tourist population, was within spitting distance. We took an A.C.-free room in the aptly named P.U. Hotel and signed up for the evening boat tour. You see, Authaya is an island by virtue of the fact that it is surrounded on all sides by three converging rivers. Situated at various points in and around the city are no less than ten Wats and temples. The boat tour took us to three such Wats: first Wat Phanachoeng, second, Wat Phutthaisawan, and finally, Wat Chaiwattanaram. Of the three, the final one was the most spectacular, though all were impressive. The first was much more modern than we like and had a heavy Chinese influence, another thing we’re not so ecstatic about. It’s not that they’re not beautiful or ornate, but that they’re much more recently constructed and usually refurbished so that you can’t tell what’s original and what isn’t, which is to say that they look very new. We prefer our Wats scenic and in ruins or at least dilapidated. These things are hundreds of years old and they should look it damn it. We didn’t even bother to un-holster our camera.

Anyway, Wat Phutthaisawan proved to be more what we were looking for. This Wat was best known for its reclining Buddha and we found it to be appropriately weatherworn and aged, and we took several pictures starting from the boat. In all, the Buddha was probably close to 20 feet long and must’ve had many local visitors, for there were several offerings about it. Also, there were several meditating Buddhas about its head that were equally impressive. This Wat, unlike the last, was free and had much less tourist-oriented activities. There was virtually nothing for sale but snacks and beverages, whereas at the previous Wat you could buy everything from saffron robes to gold Buddhas.

At last we headed to Wat Chaiwattanaram and got to see what we’d come for: a real, unmolested Wat full of age and presence. Wat Chaiwattanaram was stunning in its beauty and originality. From the moment we got off the boat the history and sanctity of the place was palpable and everyone was dully awed. The place was truly amazing and breathtaking. We walked through the entrance slack-jawed. At the center stood the temple, an imposing staircase pushing straight up into a vacancy. Naturally, we scaled the stairs and went inside where we found a statue of Buddha along with a lot of pigeon shit. The pigeon droppings did not detract from the beauty, surprisingly. Looking out from the top of the steps, you could see the towering Wats and buildings that surrounded the main temple and even at that height, they were magnificent, especially so set against the vibrantly green grass. We loved every moment and had to take a couple breaks to just stare and take the whole thing in, just feel the power and energy of the place. Sadly, night was coming on pretty fast and we still had a 20 minute boat ride to the night market, so we had to leave before we were entirely ready, but that’s usually the way with these things.

The night market was interesting, but nothing to write home about, so I won’t. The night however, was brutal. Suffering through a Thai night without A.C. is similar to getting into a hot tub in sweatpants and a sweatshirt.