Ayutthaya, the Former Capital of Siam

Our first stop on the way to northern Thailand was to the historical city of Ayutthaya, about 90 minutes north of Bangkok. We were going to take the train but the seats were sold out by the time we went to buy, so we opted for a $4 van ticket. Not a bad ride at all! This city is known for its ruins of many old wats (temples). Although there was a ton of litter all over the place and giant monitor lizards trolling around, the feeling of actually being transported back into history made this city worth the stop!

Wat Khun Muang Jai

The first wat we stumbled upon was Khun Muang Jai. It dates back to at least 1350 and several of the original structures are still present, at least in part. There are still some of the original decorative images visible in the sides of the largest structure. All of this, and the fact that there were no other people here, made this quite incredible!

Wat Traitrueng

Very little is known about this. There was nothing written on the signage next to it and even Google can’t give me much info. Probably the more interesting thing about this site is that it is located next to a small lake that was full of monitor lizards. Look at these huge things!

Wat Phra Ram

Founded in 1369, they have found several structures within the original wall including an orientation hall, seven assembly halls, and 28 pagodas of various sizes.

Wat Lokaya Suttha

This giant reclining Buddha was built sometime in the 1400s. It measures 42 meters long and 8 meters high. It is made from brick and was once covered in gold paint, although that is pretty much completely gone. There were remnants of structures that had once covered the giant reclining Buddha, but most evidence of those are now completely gone.

Wat Maha That

Yet another elaborate temple area, built in 1374. When Siam was invaded by the Burmese, they would decapitate the heads of the Buddhas which is why you see so many statues without their heads. The Siamese left them this way as a reminder of their history. One of the coolest features of this wat was the Buddha head that had fallen next to a tree and the roots grew up and around it. Many people take photos with this head, however, you have to be respectful when doing so and take the photo with your head below the Buddhas head.

Wat Phra Si Sanpeth

Built in the mid 1400s, this temple’s main feature is the three giant stupas in the center, each of which contain ashes of former kings.

Wat Ratchaburana

The history of this wat is pretty interesting. A king built the temple on the grounds where his brothers had both died as they were fighting each other for the vacant throne of Ayutthaya. So once both of the brothers died, this guy became the king, had this built and then stashed a ton of really valuable stuff in it. Of course, all of that stuff has since been looted and only some of it has been recovered and is now in museums. This one was cool because we could actually go inside the main prang (the nicest looking part that you see in the middle picture below).

Loy Krathong Festival

The Loy Krathong festival is an annual celebration, that falls on a full moon usually in November, in which people gather around bodies of water to pay respects to the goddess of water, thanking her for an abundant food supply, by gifting her with beautiful little rafts (krathongs) that hold candles, incense and flowers. You are also supposed to set intentions for the next year and release any grudges or bad juju. Originally, the krathongs were made from flowers and leaves and stuff like that but they were clogging up the waterways, so it has now been customary to make them out of little things that look like packing peanuts which are actually fish food.