Travel: First International Travel to Amazing Thailand Day 2 Ayutthaya Tour
Sawasdee Kha!!! For our second day in Thailand, our itinerary covers the historic city of Ayutthaya. Ayutthaya is a city in Thailand, about 80 kilometers north of Bangkok. It was the capital of the Kingdom of Siam, and a prosperous international trading port, from 1350 until razed by the Burmese in 1767. The ruins of the old city now form the Ayutthaya Historical Park, an archaeological site that contains palaces, Buddhist temples, monasteries, and statues.
Ayutthaya is very different in Bangkok. It may be a city but the environment is more quiet, serene and people give importance to their history by visiting and praying for ruined and restored temples. Surely one day wouldn't be enough to wander the place that's why when I return to Thailand again I will visit the temples that I haven't been to before.
How To Get To Ayutthaya
The three of us decided to take the train since we want to experience how it is to ride one, and this is probably the most authentic and comfortable ride. The trains leave from Hualamphong Station in Bangkok’s city center and they leave every hour or so. The travel from Bangkok to Ayutthaya takes almost 2 hours and we arrived earlier than our expected time.When we got out of the train station there were tuk-tuks waiting and we negotiated with a driver for a package tour of 3 hours. We started our tour at 7:00 am and our first destination was Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon.
Day 2
We woke up at 3:30 am to prepare ourselves for the day tour in Ayutthaya then had coffee and bread for 20 minutes then left the hostel at 5:00 am. From our hostel, we rode a taxi going to Hualamphong Railway Station. We arrived at the station 10 minutes before the departure time 5:20 am.* Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon
Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon or the Great Monastery of Auspicious Victory is located off the city island in the southeastern area of Ayutthaya in the present Phai Ling Sub-district. There are indications that the site was surrounded by a large moat in earlier times. The chedi of Wat Yai Chai Mongkhon is one of the landmarks of Ayutthaya, standing high, and visible to all, who approach the city from the east, at par with Chedi Phukhao Thong. The bell-shaped principal chedi stands on an elevated square base with smaller chedis at the corners.
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* Wat Racha Burana
Wat Racha Burana is also called the Monastery of the Royal Repairs. The temple's main prang is one of the finest in the city. The highlight of Wat Ratchaburana is the crypt where tremendous treasures were stored. A large amount of the golden artifacts and treasures found at Wat Ratchaburana are displayed in the Chao Sam Phraya National Museum. The vaults inside the main prang also displayed mural paintings, depicting the previous lives of the Buddha. Unfortunately, over the last few years, these images have deteriorated a lot. Only very few visible images are left.
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* Wat Phra Mongkhon Bophit
Wat Mongkhon Bophit is an 'active' temple compound, and throughout the day many people visit and worship the Buddha image. The main feature at Wat Mongkhon Bophit is the large bronze Buddha image, named Phra Mongkhon Bophit, which is close to 17 meters high.
Unfortunately, we didn't see the large Buddha firsthand since we only have limited time, but we spotted an elephant and I was so ecstatic to see one. hehehe
Unfortunately, we didn't see the large Buddha firsthand since we only have limited time, but we spotted an elephant and I was so ecstatic to see one. hehehe
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* Wat Lokaya Sutha
Wat Lokaya Sutha is a massive temple ruin. It is part of a park that includes three restored ruins Wat Worachet and the original Wat Worapho. The highlight of this temple is its enormous reclining Buddha image 42 meters in length and 8 meters high, and its name is Phra Buddha Sai Yat.
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* Wat Chai Watthanaram
Wat Chai Watthanaram or the Monastery of the Temple for the Advancement of Victory is a restored ruin situated off the city island in the western area of the Ban Pom sub-district. One of Ayutthaya’s most impressive temples, the Khmer-style Wat Chaiwatthanaram is a Royal temple that was used by the King and other members of the Royal family. |
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When we arrived at Hualamphong Station we went downstairs to ride MRT going to Silom. Then we rode BTS from Silom to Siam but we rode on the wrong lane, so we need to stop and go back to Asok to ride an MRT going to Lat Phrao where Huamum Market is nearer. For a first-timer like me, it is kinda confusing because there are some stations wherein is in a different lane so you have to interchange stations so you can reach your destination. But once you get used to the system it wouldn't be hard for you to understand.
Note: MRT or Metropolitan Rapid Transit is a rapid transit system that operates below the ground it is literally an underground train. BTS or Bangkok Mass Transit System commonly known as the Skytrain is an elevated rapid transit system literally above the ground train.
After arriving at Lat Phrao we booked a Grab car to take us to Huamum Market. When we arrived we immediately look for a resto to eat our late lunch and dinner. Honestly speaking I wasn't satisfied with what we ate because I don't like the taste of duck, and worst we couldn't understand the menu since it was written in Thai. So we finished our dinner as fast as we could so we can leave immediately and buy something to cover the bad taste. While we were enjoying ourselves going around the stalls the rain suddenly poured down which caused some of the stores to close and we wasted our time waiting for the rain to subside before deciding to go home. It is not really advisable to travel in August-October since it is usually the wettest months.
Expenses
| Items | Price |
| Taxi from Panpan Hostel to Hualamphong Railway Station | 100 baht / 3 (33 each) |
| Bought snacks at the station | 14 baht |
| Railway Ticket Hualamphong to Ayutthaya | 15 baht |
| Tuktuk Package Tour for 3 hours | 900 baht / 3 (300 each) |
| Breakfast | 120 baht + 10 baht (tip) |
| Wat Racha Burana Entrance Fee | 50 baht |
| Incense, Candle & Flower | 20 baht |
| Wat Chaiwatthanaram Entrance Fee | 50 baht |
| Railway Ticket Ayutthaya to Hualamphong | 15 baht |
| Iced Pink Milk Drink | 25 baht |
| MRT: Hualamphong MRT to Silom | 19 baht |
| BTS: Silom to Siam | 23 baht |
| BTS: Siam to Asok | 30 baht |
| MRT: Asok to Lat Phrao | 30 baht |
| Grab Car: Lat Phrao to Huamum Market | 178 baht / 3 (59 each) |
| Dinner | 62 baht |
| Cheese Charcoal Rainbow Sandwich | 99 baht |
| Blueberry Waffle | 30 baht |
| Grab Car: Huamum Market to Lat Phrao MRT Station | 157 baht / 3 (52 each) |
| MRT: Lat Phrao to Silom | 39 baht |
| Grab Taxi: Silom to Panpan Hostel | 49 / 3 (16 each) |
Total Money Spent | 1114 Baht |
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