Ayutthaya: The Venice of the East

Wat Mahathat
It was nine thirty when we had our breakfast. This is our second day in Thailand and our itinerary for the whole day is Ayutthaya. I've listed this as a must-visit place when in Bangkok so I was really excited. My friends Ohm and Boy is our tourist guide around the place. We rode a taxi from the guest house to Victory Monument, and arrived there at around ten thirty. This is where the terminal of the minivan going to Ayutthaya is. We did not wait for a long time in the queue while the minivan needs to fill up 12 seats. I am not sure if this is a regular day or we were just lucky. Anyway, the travel time was around one hour to one and a half.

Wat Yai Chaya Mongkol
Soon as we arrived at one thirty in Ayutthaya, we hired a tuktuk to get us around. The tuktuk is 600 baht per hour. That time was really really HOT. Armed with mineral water and sun protection, we started touring around the historical town.

Buddha inside Wat Yai Chaya Mongkol
Besides the charge of the tuktuk, there were also entrance fees on some of the sites like Wat Mahathat for 50 baht, Wat Ratchaburana for 50 baht and Wat Yai Chaya Mongkol (The Great Temple of Auspicious Victory) for 20 baht.

Buddhas from Wat Yai Chaya Mongkol
I couldn't help but think about the feeling I had when I first saw Angkor Wat Temple of Cambodia. It was just the same. You can feel the greatness of these two cultures even in different times.

Another Park in Wat Yai Chaya Mongkol
Other attractions are the Elephant Village and Floating Market. It was lovely to see the elephants walking around the place, but I have already tried riding an elephant back in Phuket. We then went to the floating market to have refreshments and buy some souvenirs.

We finished our tour at exactly three hours and it was really worth it. The ruins shows a rich history and kingdom of Ayutthaya was, that is why it is listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site. It's architecture and artworks really has an enduring beauty that it was called the Venice of the East. So be sure to visit the place when in Bangkok.