Sunday, August 21, 2011

Day 69 - Bangkok to Ayutthaya

Took the commuter train to Ayutthaya in the morning, which took about 2 hours and only 15 baht ($0.50)! The train was old, but the ride was smooth. There was no a/c, but the windows were open, which provided a nice breeze and good views.

We arrived in the afternoon and took a ferry across the river to get to our guest house. With no real concrete plans, we decided to rent bikes to explore the city. According to my guide book, there were a ton of ancient (Angkor Wat-like) temples scattered throughout the city and I was sure we could stumble upon some real gems.

Quang wanted to see the elephant village, so we rode our bikes across the highway to get there. It was like a major freeway and I was a little nervous riding my little bike across with the rest of the cars, motorbikes, and mack trucks. Thankfully we survived, but arrived a little too late to really see much of the elephants as they headed back to the forest.

There was a floating market nearby, so we took a small boat around the lake and looked at the knick knacks that were for sale. The selection here was more unique than compared to the merchandise you could find at every single night market in Bangkok.

After dinner, we headed to the center of the market, where there happened to be a Thai theatre performance. The lead female roles were performed by who else, but ladyboys again. It's incredible to see the way they use their fingers while they dance across the stage. It's like there are all double-jointed because they can pull their fingers far back as they make different figures with them. I couldn't really follow the storyline, but I did admire the traditional Thai costumes they wore. There is something classy, but warrior-like with some of the costumes that they wear.

We headed back across the highway of death, this time in the night, with no flashing lights attached to our bicycles. Again, managed to survive while every vehicle honked at us. We decided to stay an additional night in this city because it seemed to suit our interests more than Bangkok and there was much more to explore. Tomorrow we explore the temples...





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