Bangkok to Amazing Ayutthaya

Story of our backpacking trip to Thailand (part 2 of 3)

(Continued from Bangalore-Bangkok)

Not having a fixed travel plan can be good at times. You can take your own time to look around and explore. On 4th March we woke up quite early. The check-out time was 12 pm and we thought of making good use of it.  We decided to spend some time in Bangkok and leave the city in the afternoon towards Ayutthaya as the check-in there was going to be only after 3 pm.  We took the metro and went to the beautiful Sanam Chai station.  The station has beautifully decorated columns and motif to match the Grand Palace nearby. I wanted to see the Wat Pho and the Grand Palace.  We walked towards the palace and temple complex but it was too early. The roads were wide and clean. The walls of the palace were bright white, maroon and the golden ornamentation glistened in the morning sun.

Beautiful temple

Reclining Buddha

Due to the COVID-19 scare, there were very few people and shops were yet to be opened. We found a European styled coffee shop near the entrance of Wat Pho, and entered in to have breakfast. After a fulfilling breakfast, we entered the temple complex. Wat Pho was built by King Rama(I) and had a golden statue of reclining Buddha. The statue is 46 m long and the feet are 5 m long. The reclining position of Buddha depicts Buddha just before the parinirvana. The designs on the feet of Buddha were exquisitely carved. The entire complex had brightly colored obelisks and well-maintained bonsai trees. We sat in a temple where monks were chanting in a deep voice.

Painting depicting a scene from Ramakien Grand Palace 

Masked Gauri basking in the Sun

Grand Palace

The temple of Emerald Buddha in the Grand Palace was closed that day but we visited it on our return from Ayutthaya. The Ramakien art there was very beautiful. Painted in shiny golden colors on deep maroon background, it showed various stories in detail. The temple has a very small statue of Buddha made with emerald and studded with golden ornaments. I could not really appreciate this temple as I felt it was completely opposite of what Buddha’s teachings were. The artwork and architecture were astounding, but it appeared too extravagant.

After visiting Wat Pho we returned to the hotel Manhattan and checked out. We decided to go to Bang Sue station by train. Actually, there was another larger station called Bangkok Central (Hua Lamphong ) where we could have got a train to Ayutthaya. However, by the grace of Google we landed at Bang Sue. This was a relatively low-key station with a platform at the level of the tracks and people were crossing it constantly. There were no bridges or underground pathways to cross the tracks. The train journey was going to be around a couple of hours. We were not sure how crowded it would be as we had not really reserved seats. There were no good restaurants around and there is a large terminus being built on one side of the station. The man at the inquiry window guided us properly and we purchased two tickets for just 40 Bahts! The platform had many interesting vendors. There were barbers in an open area. Men and women were getting hair-cuts done before going back to their villages (or before entering Bangkok). There were small eateries selling noodles, stir-fried veggies, and chicken, sticky rice, cut mangoes. At Bang Sue station we had a cheap meal of rice, stew, and noodles from an old lady and her daughter. 

 At many food stalls, it was lovely to see families working together- the younger generation adept at talking to customers and maintaining the transactions and older women cooking awesome food. One discovery in the last two days of travel was the sticky, sweet rice which was omnipresent on the streets of Bangkok. It was really tasty with cut mango, jackfruit, and sweet coconut milk. Initially, we were unsure how to eat it as it was being kept next to meat dishes and were a bit scared to try the tiny packets of rice sold roadside. But later, throughout this journey, we ate street food many times but there were no stomach problems.  The only care we took was washing or sanitizing hands, wearing masks, and eating freshly cooked hot meals. We carried our water bottles and filled up where it appeared clean. Or relied on water-filled from the taps in the hotels.

The train arrived at the right time and policemen ensured that no one crossed the tracks when it was about to arrive. I was not sure, which coach to board however, the policeman saw my ticket and showed us where to board. The train had an old look but was reasonably clean. It was a general compartment but was not crowded. Several hawkers were walking up and down the aisle. They sold water, lemonade, sticky rice, boiled eggs, cut fruits, chips, etc. Many of them were old women. There was a poor, toothless, old man sitting next to me, he purchased 4 boiled eggs and ate one after another. Remarkably, he removed the shells with his shaky hands and carefully placed them into a polythene bag without littering! That must have been his lunch. After passing the station for Don Muong Airport the cityscape changed into fields and sparsely spaced houses. Another grandpa was carrying a three-year-old girl who was playing around and chatting with him sweetly. A European lady and her boyfriend appeared to be going to Ayutthaya. I pretended reading but it was more fun watching the hawkers and other passengers.

We reached Ayutthaya around 3 pm. It was a bright and hot day. We found a tuk-tuk and luckily, we were able to explain to the driver where we wanted to go. Hotel Niwas Ayutthaya was a small villa turned into a hotel. Manager Bob welcomed us near the entrance and showed us our room. It was a tiny room in the driveway with a personal washroom that was outside. We were fine with it. He gave us maps and explained a few destinations around.

Read the further story Amazing Ayutthaya