Ayutthaya and Sukhothai Ruins Not Ruined by UNESCO

Ayutthaya was the second capital of Thailand founded in 1350, and located equidistant from China and India. It was burnt to the ground by Burmese (as seemed to be a trend) in 1700s.  Builders and architects who worked on Ayutthaya applied similar plans to the lay out of Bangkok when it was established as the third capital of Thailand. Today, it s a UNESCO site and beautiful grounds.

Wat Chaiwatthanaram -the site is known for its stupas (chedis), some of which are being shored up by UNESCO funds

 It is very popular in Thailand lately to wear period costume for events, for walking around, and for visiting historic locations where a TV soap opera called Love Destiny, placed at Ayutthaya, takes place.  The period drama is the story of a  modern archaeologist who dies and is reincarnated in the body of a noble woman living in the 15th century Ayutthaya.  Her travails captured audiences across Thailand, Cambodia, Korea, China and even Russia.  The popularity of the show has renewed interest in Thai history and attendance by Thais at historic sites has grown significantly.

visiting the location of popular TV drama, in character

a chedi that housed a Buddha statue

Buddha within chedi chapel

main temple

On to Sukhothai - the first capital of Siam (Thailand) in the 13th and 14th centuries. The area is really three ancient towns which requires BICYCLES to get around and see it all before sunset.  This is also a UNESCO site.

ready to ride!

some Buddhas are outside

so serene -S

stupa from roofless temple

standing Buddha

love the elephants

That evening we walked around town and found a modern temple where a family was presenting their offerings. It is calming to see families so actively practicing their beliefs.

 To enter a temple, even a ruin, one must dress conservatively. Shoulders and legs to the knee are covered.  Shoes are always removed which leaves a huge assortment of international shoes outside of the more famous temples!

shoes are never worn in a temple.

We stayed in a beautiful, restful hotel!

Buddhism Follows Minimalism But the Temples Dont

Wat Pho - Temple of the Reclining Buddha introduced us to an amazing display of gold, ornate design and color...and gold. Wat Pho was the first public university in Thailand and today is the leading school of massage in Thailand.

reclining buddha - 151 feet long, 49 feet tall. Feet are 16 feet long!

detail of mother of pearl inlay of feet

impressive face

several of 91 chedis (stupas) decorated in ceramic flowers, tiles

garden near entrance- intricate tree

394 gilded Buddhas

Turk works on his pose

a yoga pose I can't do!

chinese guard

Buddhas everywhere

Off to the Grand Palace that was started in 1782 as a palace for the king and a location of government offices.  The Temple of the Emerald Buddha is located here. It is not really emerald - but jade.  The king has not resided here since 1920's.

Golden stupa houses relics of Lord Buddha

a bit blurry- emerald buddha in his winter costume

one of 6 pairs demon guardians to guard emerald buddha from evil spirits

Buddhist library - Phra Mondop houses Buddhist scripture

golden guard

golden stupa seen through library

5 headed naga from library steps

one of many interesting character

royal pantheon with red roof contains statues of previous kings

royal residence from 1877 - European design topped by Thai design

Welcome to Bangkok

guard at Grand Palace

Chinatown section

boats on river through city center

Our month in SE Asian begins in Bangkok. My goal was to eat as much street food as I could, see a few temples, get a Thai massage, and get ready for 10 days in Thailand. We learned early that road traffic is slow, so take the sky train or a tuk tuk to get anywhere you cant walk to.

carved fruits, vegetables into floral sculpture

some grilled meat on the street

tuk tuks were exciting way around town

Our timing was perfect as our first night was Loi Krathong - the Festival of Light.  This occurs on the last full moon of the year and is a time when Thais thank the god of water by launching banana leaf floats adorned with flowers, candles, locks of hair and finger nails into the river. As they set the krathong afloat, they set intentions for health and happiness in the coming year.

father helps son launch his krathong

krathongs floating down river

Canals are throughout Bangkok - so we took a long boat to check them out. We were greeted by everyone we went by. Many houses are dilapidated, some of which are still inhabited. All of these homes have access to water, electricity and wifi! River is full of cat fish.

Thais love their king. The father king (dead) and son king's images are everywhere. You don't joke around when talking about him as they consider that very disrespectful.

the younger King

royal family images over central street Bangkok

Night at Asiatique - a river island previously for manufacturing, now a retail, entertainment area accessible via boat.  Great food, fun and a bit weird with the neon tank and helicopter. Still cant figure out what that was about.

special BBQ for the night - crocodile

Turk would not get on this

the odd neon signs

yummy!

large number Muslims in Bangkok

first night in Bangkok