Hello Hiveans! It's now the second part of my Travel Memories in Thailand and I will be sharing to you the historic city of Ayutthaya. In my previous post, it was about my travel experience from Cebu to Bangkok, where we stayed and our first attraction we visited in Thailand, the Ancient Siam.
After having a quick breakfast, I got excited for our second day in Thailand. This would be my first time to ride a train. In Cebu, we don't have trains as a mode of transportation. We went to the **Bangkok Railway Station** to have a 2-hr train ride to Ayutthaya. After buying tickets (35 TBH for ordinary), we waited for a while since it was still early for the 9:25 AM departure.
Bangkok Railway Station
Picture of their king along the Ticket stationI observed Thai's great respect for their king and the royal family. Pictures of their royal highness were displayed in public places. We also kept in mind not to point at their pictures or make fun of them. These actions could land you in jail for disrespecting the king.
Picture of the queen opposite to the king's pictureIt was my first time to see a vending machine selling t-shirts. It's quite convenient especially if you haven't brought some extras for the trip in you get soaked with sweat. They have different colors and sizes too.
T-shirt vending machine
What really caught my attention was a familiar sight of the famous Pasalubong ng Bayan, Dunkin' Donuts! I approached the stall and was curious that my favorite Choco Butternut treat looked different in Thailand. It's color was not as orange as compared to what was sold in the Philippines. So I bought some along with other yummy looking flavors.
[Left] Thailand's version of Choco Butternut and [Right] Choco Butternut I usually eat in the Philippines
A bit of some yummy-looking donutsWhen I ate the version of Choco Butternut here, the taste was nutty and not as sweet as the one I usually eat, yet both were similarly chocolatey. I still love its subtle taste and rich nut flavor and texture.
What made my first train experience a funny one was when we were almost left by the train. We were so complacent with the time. It was few minutes before 9:25 AM, we went first to the comfort room to prepare for the long ride. We did not notice that it was already exactly 9:25 AM and the train was leaving! We were in adrenaline rush and ran as fast as we can to run after the train! It was like a scene from the movie Train to Busan where zombies were coming after us. Even if I was afraid we won't be able to reach the train, I was so amused and laughed even if it was so hard to run at the same time. Luckily, the train slowly stopped and we were able to hop in. Maybe it was the monk who stayed at the end of the train that saw us and asked for the train to be stopped. We thanked him for it.
Relieved faces after the marathon 😆
Happy kid on her first train rideDuring stops, food vendors hop in to sell meals. I was impressed on how healthy and clean the food they are offering to us. It was properly plated and spoon was already included. You can't really get hungry during the trip.
As we passed by towns, it can be noticed that even if Thailand has succeeded in modernizing their technology and infrastructures, bits of their ancient culture still remained. Preserved old temples and houses can still be seen in every corner.
Finally, as the train stopped to Ayutthaya, we dropped off along with other tourists. We were greeted by Tuktuk drivers offering their services to tourists for a day trip. We were a bit dizzy and tried to get away from them. We walked a bit away from the train station and stayed a while at a nearby convenience store and bought some food and water. When it was calmer, we saw a vintage-looking Tuktuk nearby. Tuktuk is a 3-wheeled vehicle common in Thailand. It is similar to tricycles in the Philippines. We negotiated with the driver for our Ayutthaya trip and hopped on.
Getting ready for our Tuktuk Ayutthaya get-awayAyutthaya Historical Park is listed by UNESCO as one of the World's Heritage Sites. I was so amazed that I was able to step the grounds of this historically important and beautiful place.
WAT MAHATHAT Temple of the Great Relic
WAT PHRA MONGKHON BOPHIT Buddha of the Holy and Supremely Auspicious Reverence
WAT PHRA SI SANPHETH Temple of the Buddha Si Sanphet
WAT YAI CHAI MONGKOL Great Monastery of Auspicious Victory
Reclining Buddha
Since Ayutthaya Historical Park is a bit vast and we only have half a day to roam around, we chose archaeological sights and temples that were near to each other to save time.
Our first destination was Wat Mahathat, located at the center of the historical park. This is where the famous Buddha's head wrapped with Bodhi tree roots can be found. Wat Mahathat means the Temple of the Great Relic.
It was somehow difficult to take the perfect angle and stay long in the area. There are a lot of tourists too wanting to take pictures with the Buddha.
As we roamed in the ruins of Wat Mahathat, we enjoyed and wondered how it looked before. The temple seemed so grand and vast. The intricate designs were still visible even if the temple was already damaged.
Among the temples we visited in Ayutthaya, Wat Phra Mongkhon Bophit is the only one that is intact. Phra Mongkhon Bophit means Buddha of the Holy and Supremely Auspicious Reverence. When you see the place, you would not expect that it was severely damaged and restored twice.
Phra Mongkhon Bophit Buddha image has a height of 12.45 meters without the base, which makes it one of the tallest Buddha images in Thailand. This was sculpted around 1448-1602 AD. This image was damaged twice: First, its head caused by lightning in 1706 and during the fall of the Ayutthaya Kingdom in 1767, its head and right arm were broken caused by fire.
Phra Mongkhon Bophit had witnessed tragedies and survived them. Its perfectly restored image did not even give a hint of those damages it experienced.
Wat Phra Si Sanpeth was a private temple situated in the Royal Palace during the reign of the Ayutthaya kingdom. The main features are the 3 stupas containing the ashes of 3 kings: King Boroma-Tri-Loka-Nat, King Boroma-Rachathirat III and King Ramatthibodi II.
The last of the temples we visited in Ayutthaya was the Wat Yai Chai Mongkol. This active monastery was away from the center of the historical site where we needed to cross a river.
What I like about this place is its tall structure called the main chedi. I haven't counted the steps but I admit I was sweating a lot when I reached the top.
From the top we could see the Buddha images below, which luckily were still intact amidst the temple's rich history.
Inside the chedi, there was a deep wishing well. It has a wooden cover for safety purposes. When I looked down I was expecting there would be water, just like some wishing wells. But it was dry shining with coins of different colors.
In different areas of Wat Yai Chai Mongkol, there were giant Buddha images. There was a reclining one found at the back with its own pavillion.
Reclining BuddhaThere were also giant Buddha images found at the front and sides that seemed to be protecting the chedi.
Time just ran so fast. Though we were not able to visit all of the temples in Ayutthaya, I still enjoyed and felt how Thai people gave importance to Buddhism, which can be reflected on how the ancient temples were preserved over time. That marks the end of our temple exploration in Ayutthaya. Stay tuned for the next part of my Thailand trip - Floating Market and Bangkok City tours!
Love Lots,
@wandergirl ❤️
P.S. Shout out to @ybanezkim26 for sharing his formatting techniques! Thanks! 😊
Location: [//]:# (!pinmapple 14.353463 lat 100.556408 long d3scr)
I laughed a bit imagining how you managed to stop a train by running towards it haha. I am a huge fan of Buddhist philosophy and have been trying to practice it for some time now. I am sure that visiting this place will give me a renewed sense of spirituality. I only know of Sri Lanka as a go-to spot to experience Buddhism. Now I know that Thailand should be a future destination as well
I can't even believe we ran so fast that time. My sister and I just ignored we were wearing demure-looking dresses that day. I think that monk at the end of the train was just heaven-sent. If not for him, we could've missed our train.
Thailand indeed is perfect too for your Buddhist philosophy journey. Buddhism is really embedded in their culture and in their way of life. Altars are scattered everywhere in the city. That's how much they give importance to their faith.
Its looks like a wonderful experience and nice clicks on the way.
visiting places is always wonderful. free from work and peace with nature.
Thanks for the upvote, looks like you have an interest tourism
Indeed! You won't feel tired even if you've been walking for hours if your having fun looking at the sceneries.
Thanks @deepdrive! You might want to experience Thailand too.
Amazing post.
Thanks for sharing...
I have to put Thailand on my travel list.
@tipu curate 3
Upvoted 👌 (Mana: 0/45)
Thanks @crazy-andy! Thailand is really a must-go place in South East Asia.
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Awesome post! Ayutthaya was one of my favorite places to visit in Thailand!
Thanks @joshman! Ayutthaya is indeed a place that must not be missed when you go to Thailand.
Such an amazing post. I cant wait to go back to Thailand so I can see this place in person. Thank you for sharing your awesome experience.
Thanks @derangedvisions! Did you visit temples too during your last trip? For sure you would be more amazed when you see the places in person.
Yes I did visit a lot of the temples while I was there. They are amazing places and I can’t wait to go back and see more of them. I want to go to the temples in Chiang Mai next time.
Same here! We wanted to go but Chiang Mai was a bit far from Bangkok.
cool walk =)
Thanks @andrianna! I think it's more of a run when we were almost left by the train. 😁
@wandergirl Bangkok one of best tourist places. I think travelers must have to visit once there. I am also planning to visit in future.
Till date how many countries you visited?
Bangkok and Thailand as a whole have so much attractions to offer. Actually I have only been to 2 countries, my country Philippines and Thailand. We also have a missed trip to Hong Kong but it was chaotic at that time.
Must visit to India. I am here to help you. Let me know whenever you come.
Sure! India has lots of must-go places too. Hopefully I can go there soon. 😁
Wow, the statue looks a little bit creepy too
Maybe it's too realistic.
Super post!
Thanks @slon1980!
Kanindot diri oiest murag cambodia gamay, lami ang food then barato ra jd etravel, pero abtik jd ta sa mga taw na mscam noh? Hahaha 😂😅
Hi @fernwehninja! Nindot jud bitaw, di lang madala sa time kung niadto pa mi Cambodia. Soon lang makaadto unta. Abtik2 jud ta aning scammers. Pro naa japon to time nailad mi.
Hiya, @lizanomadsoul here, just swinging by to let you know that this post made it into our Top 3 in Daily Travel Digest #949.
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Thanks a lot @lizanomadsoul and the @pinmapple team! This inspires me to always excert effort in making my posts worth-reading.
You are very welcome @wandergirl! I am looking forward to your next adventures already 🙂❤️
I know have the urge to feed both my soul and my face after reading this lol
Thanks @scubahead.
Nice
Thanks @iaminkhan!
Wow that food is to die for. The scenery in Thailand is absolutely magnificent. You are so lucky to experience that
Hi @ricphy! I'm glad I chose Thailand to be my first country to visit. It was really worth it. 😁
A dream come true! Amazing
Indeed @gabrielaflores! Thailand is an amazing place to visit.
@wandergirl, Wow, impressive images, very good post, I congratulate you, the photographs are very well done! Many successes, greetings!
Thanks @carlosadolfochac! I'm grateful that you like the photos. I'm getting inspired to write more posts like this.
Great congratulations I hope to see the publications very soon!
Ahhh Thailand! My husband's mother suggested we go to Thailand for honeymoon. But for the moment we postponed all our travels. The photos look amazing!
Hopefully everything will come back to normal soon. Thailand is indeed worth travelling for.
I hope, I really want this.
I've never been to Bangkok, maybe someday when the corona pandemic ends. I enjoyed your post @wandergirl. Thank so much.
Thanks @ayijufridar! Hopefully this pandemic ends soon. We missed a lot of adventures because we are quarantined.
Take care of health first, take a travel later. I hope you and your family are always heathly @wandergirl.
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STOPDo not miss the last post from @hivebuzz:
Second photo is really really good...
Thanks! It was taken from our Ancient Siam tour as posted in my part 1 Thailand trip.
You' re welcom. Thank you too.
Sigh... I miss Thailand...
Indeed. There are still a lot of attractions to see. What do you miss a lot about Thailand?
Mostly the food and massages. Lol.
I haven't tried having a massage there. But Pad Thai is really the best! 😁