Aytthaya once served as the thriving capital of the Kingdom of Siam, from 1350 until it was razed to the ground by the Burmese in 1767. The park has majestic ruins of temples, palaces, and statues and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site (https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/576/)
We had an early start today to jump on the BTS (Skytrain) followed by overland train to Aytthaya to go and check out ancient temples. No seats remained on the overland train so we ended up stood in 3rd class for the hour journey, with no air con, but at least there was a breeze through the windows…small mercies..and about $3 each.
On arrival in Ayutthaya we had a short walk to a little ferry that crosses the river and then walked to the Historic park. We paid an entrance fee that allows access to 7 temple sites and to be honest after 5 we were a bit templed out. Randomly, there was a coffee festival adding to the crowds the day we went but the sites are so huge there are plenty of opportunities to get away from other humans and take photos.
We headed back to the station after several hours walking and had just missed a train back to Bangkok which meant there would be a 2hr wait for the next train. Not game to wait that long we got onto Grab (Uber) and a very lovely lady driver turned up in a decent car and drive us back very efficiently and smoothly for approx $45
This historic city is well worth a trip in you’re ever in Bangkok…it’s stunning and awe inspiring when you try and imagine what the city would have looked like all those centuries ago.
