Ayutthaya for 2 nights

After Bangkok we headed up to Ayutthaya for some ancient temple gazing. Ayutthaya is on the major train route from Bangkok up to Chiang Mai. So, it's well-touristed. When you arrive in Ayutthaya, it's a short walk from the train station to a small ferry that takes tourists across the river that is the same river that runs through Bangkok, the Chao Praya.

Bangkok's Hua Lampong train station

3rd class no AC train car to Ayutthaya. It was only an hour and a half so we opted for the cheapest mode of transport

cool old handles 

Ayutthaya station

Really cool benches

After getting off the ferry and walking a block, if you make a right there is a large market with food, clothes, home goods, etc. We found some really incredible rice flour macaroons in there. Deep inside there were many rats. So, we sort of booked it back out to the outskirts. It's definitely a winding maze of vendors though with all sorts of raw meat, fish, veggies, spices, etc in the center.

This UNESCO World Heritage site is known for being the second Siamese capital (1350-1750). The ruins there are really stunning with many prangs (bell shaped towers) throughout the town. The actual town of Ayutthaya was not very pleasant. There were some really nice people, but this town definitely had issues. It didn't feel unsafe, just a little sad. There seemed to be a gang presence (all the tags seemed to reference the same group) and it had a really popular racing scene. Most tourists get around on bikes, and the locals like to buzz past you with their cars going 90MPH close by to try to scare you. It was a bit terrifying on the larger roads. The street lights also didn't seem to be working at almost any intersection.

Temples sometimes sell thin gold sheets and you can rub them onto a buddha like this, eventually it becomes completely covered

The Singha dragon

The highlight of Ayutthaya, aside from the ruins, was the night market scene. We sampled some local specialties along with some stuff we've had other places. These are two highlights. We made the mistake of going to a highly rated, yet really terrible restaurant called Malokor. Yet, these treats made up for the experience.

Roti Samai - Crepe-like wrapping around this really interesting burnt sugar tasting cotton candy-like filling that looks like hair. It's a specialty in the town's Muslim quarter and can be found throughout the town. We grabbed a bag of it on our way out of town and ate it on the train.

This was a really interesting steamed red curry custard steamed in a band leaf bowl with coconut cream and a red pepper on top. It also had a layer of fish in there. It was one of the best things we've eaten so far, packed with flavor. It inspired me to think about making some red curry tamales when I get back.

The tuktuks here have a really unusual shape. Apparently Ayutthaya is the only place in Thailand with tuktuks shaped like this. We read they may have come from Japan, and they certainly have that feel. They are a real source of pride and people deck these tuktuks out! Perhaps, that's part of what's fueled the Ayutthaya car culture.

Next stop--- Chiang Mai!