Ayuthaya

Ayuthaya, a former Thai capitol, is situated about 85 kilometer north of Bangkok. Ayuthaya was the capitol of Thailand from 1350 until 1767, and according to all the sources known to us, it was a very beautifull city, larger than London or Paris in those days. In 1767 the Burmese captured the city and it was almost completely destroyed, Bangkok became the new capitol. The only things left now are ruins, who are sometimes very beautifull. So go see them. We will NOT tell you much about ruins (only a few pictures). If you want to know more, you can buy a lot of good travel guides, but we will tell you about modern Ayuthaya.

It will take about 1,5 hour to reach Ayuthaya, by bus or train. Ordinary trains are cheaper than a bus, and also a better way to see the country. We often tell we like trains in Thailand. Things are happening in a train, playing children, sleeping people, pigs and chicken, people taking food to the market. And you can buy everything in a train, limonade, water, beer, whisky, noodles, candy, grilled chicken, . . . . When you look through the window, there's a lot to been seen, the traffic jam in Bangkok, rice fields changing in color from bright green to yellow, small villages, temples, . . . . So we prefer the train.

Ayuthaya is famous for its ruined temples and palaces, and (according to the Lonely Planet), that's all there is. The first thing is absolutely true, the second only for a little bit.
The ruins are very popular, a lot of tourists, busses full of tourists, but most of them only visit Wat Phra Si Sanphet. The other ruins are very quiet, and even Wat Phra Si Sanphet is quiet if you walk more than 50 metres. Take in mind, that you have to pay an entrance fee at every ruin. As usual in Thailand, tourist pay more than Thai ( 30 bath and 10 bath), and the same applies to beer.
In the evening, some ruins are illuminated, beautifull! At the corner of Thanon Chee Kun and Thanon Naresuan (the quite corner!) is a restaurant (sorry, we forgot it's name), where you can have a good meal and where you can enjoy the view of some illuminated ruins.

What else can you do in Ayutthaya? Not much, Ayuthaya is not a place to stay for a long period. Two nights is oke, and if you want to make a day trip to Lopburi, maybe three nights.
Ayuthaya has a nice night market, along the river. Many stalls, enough to eat and very busy. The food stalls on the bank of the river are a nice place to eat, you can enjoy the activity on the water.

Opposite the Rodeo Saloon we found another good restaurant (it's not mentioned in any travel guide). We were walking along the river, looking for a place that was mentioned in a travel guide. Nowhere! On a pier we saw some tables and chairs, and on the bank of the river a kitchen. We were tired, walked a lot that day, so we tried. It didn't look nice, not a railing on the pier, so we had to be carefull. And the menu was very simple, only a few dishes. Anyhow, the beer was good, very cold, and the first dish tasted remarkebly well. We ordered some more, the cook knew what she was doing. The owner (or the owner's husband?) had a ghetto-blaster (and he knew that it was possible to put the volume down), and he loved old-fashioned Thai music, very romantic near the river. We had a nice evening, good food, good drinks, and we didn't fall into the water.

In the restaurant we mentioned before, on the corner of Thanon Chee Kun and Thanon Naresuan, the food is also very good. It's a bit fancier than the pier, and you sit inside. But the food is very good, the staff is correct, and, very important, very friendly. Try it.

And then? The street parallel to the river, Thanon U Thong, between the Pridi Damrong bridge and Thanon Naresuan, is nice to walk through. And that's about all there is to see.