 A friendly chap who spoke excellent English, not sure what his favourite colour was.03-Dec-2009 11:45, Panasonic DMC-TZ6, 3.8, 7.9mm, 0.04 sec, ISO 400 |
Our continuing route North (saving the sun and beaches for our return in a few months time) took us through Ayutthaya for a bit of ruined Wat exploration by bicycle, before a pit pause in the inevitable city stop of Chiang Mai, a place where experiencing almost any element of Thailand is possible. Back in the stride of things, and ready for our traditional first night bus of the country, we set off for the next two stops. Could we spend another day among ruins without falling asleep at the wheel? Would a Thai cookery course unlock great mysteries in the art of making a green curry? And where in Thailand can you find the best fish and chips around?
 Inside Wat Mara That, build in 1374 before being burnt and destroyed by the Burmese in 1767.
Inside Wat Mara That, build in 1374 before being burnt and destroyed by the Burmese in 1767.01-Dec-2009 08:01, Panasonic DMC-TZ6, 5.6, 4.7mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 80 |
Ayutthaya and Sukhotai are recognised as important temple stops on our route to North Thailand. The former being better preserved, but also dotted in various spots around Ayutthaya city itself. Feeling very templed out, we ruthlessly struck one from the itinerary and found ourselves in Ayutthaya after taking two local buses from Kanchanaburi (saving 70B per person over the direct 150B minibus). Late in the evening with a confusing map, we adopted a fellow traveller licking his wounds from Bangkok and followed him to Tony’s Place, a boutique style guesthouse in the Khao San equivalent of the area. For 450B a double room with private bath and Wi-Fi things were looking good, and after an evening meet with other hostelleers we hit the sack ready for a hard day of Wat exploration when we woke.
 Standing proud on our old women bicycles, enjoying the sunshine.
Standing proud on our old women bicycles, enjoying the sunshine.01-Dec-2009 09:16, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 4.0, 30.0mm, 0.001 sec, ISO 200 |
Which wasn’t hard, yet again we’d managed to pick a hostel in the middle of renovation so this was one alarm clock we couldn’t press snooze on. We hired some bikes for the afternoon (30B) from next door, and certainly didn’t need any more time to explore the place but those four hours were great fun. The oppressive heat was dulled by the breeze and the sense of speeding freedom rather than plodding on flip flops was great. We’ll do it again! Ayutthaya has twenty plus Wat’s to wander around, four hours is definitely enough, take a look at the photos to get the general impression. After a long day we came home, found some more live music and prepared for a day of blog updates and not much else before catching the night bus to Chiang Mai the next day.
 I’m sure stunts like this don’t help them stay level…
I'm sure stunts like this don't help them stay level…01-Dec-2009 07:59, Panasonic DMC-TZ6, 4.5, 4.1mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 80 |
The planned day of blogs went horribly wrong, as Tony’s Place continued with its incessant banging and angle grinding while we stubbornly refused to budge, ending up with hardly any words written and a shared headache. We gave up on the idea and headed for a mid afternoon beer, which by the time we boarded the 500B night bus to Chiang Mai made the whole experience pleasant and short for me, but a nightmare for Lynette as she just couldn’t get comfy in the hardly reclining seats. Plus there was an idiot snoring and fidgeting next to her all night. Inconsiderate sod. 
Side note, it was a very surreal bus as it was the first we’d ever travelled exclusively for Farang tourists, normally we’re on a local bus and this felt strangely like we were on a package holiday rather than travelling. I digress.
 Arrived in Chaing Mai to the most hilarious Thai mistranslation to date. Should it be spelt with a U?
Arrived in Chaing Mai to the most hilarious Thai mistranslation to date. Should it be spelt with a U?03-Dec-2009 01:20, Panasonic DMC-TZ6, 3.5, 5.3mm, 0.04 sec, ISO 400 |
We arrived in Chiang Mai centre at around 6am, and were dropped off at Nice Place 2 hostel. For the price of a free coffee, we were given a twenty minute schpiel about the excursions they offered, which is always useful to get some pricing information. It was here we also found the best Thai translated notice to date. See left. We’d booked a room in a hostel not far away, but when their claim to have Wi-Fi had apparently also been mistranslated (as in they didn’t) we wandered to find another, and found a great street with a few excellent hostels (The White House and Kamil Hostel spring to mind) to pick from.
 Lynette showing her carefully prepared wares!
Lynette showing her carefully prepared wares!04-Dec-2009 05:12, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 4.0, 28.0mm, 0.005 sec, ISO 400 |
While in Chiang Mai we visited the must see Wat Phra Singh, and managed to avoid the rest. We also went on the Siam Rice day cookery course, which was excellent. Highlights include being stuffed to the point of bursting all day, the fact that they don’t bother chopping garlic and chilli down to their component atoms, just smash it with the blunt side of the knife and chuck it in skin and all. Watching Pot (the chef) cook test the stickiness of his rice by turning the saucepan upside down; I enquired if this demonstration had ever gone wrong he replied “No!” and showed us again, whereon it promptly fell out all over the table. A hilarious day with some great people, followed by giving us a great cookery book and we’re looking forward to cooking up some Thai banquets on our return. A great and friendly cafe round the corner was The Peppermint Cafe, the owner is possibly the nicest gentleman we have ever met, they also do a gigantically proportioned and exceptionally tasty fish and chips. If you’re there, you have to try it.
 Favourite bit, bashing the garlic and chillies!
Favourite bit, bashing the garlic and chillies!04-Dec-2009 04:47, Panasonic DMC-TZ6, 3.3, 4.1mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 100 |
Our other visit was to the Chiang Mai cultural centre in the middle of the moated square that makes the cheerfully large city seem smaller than it really is (a plus!). For 100B, you watch a short video on Chiang Mai before visiting fourteen different rooms covering the history and culture of the city. While exceptionally well done, and obviously with recent investment, there is only so much polish you can apply and the experience is stretched out much longer than it needs to be. We recommend visiting, but feel no shame in whisking your way through to the main highlights rather than reading every word of text.
 These two were the most skilled and respectful fights, touching gloves after each exchange.
These two were the most skilled and respectful fights, touching gloves after each exchange.04-Dec-2009 16:03, Panasonic DMC-TZ6, 4.5, 32.1mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 800 |
On our last evening we ventured to the Muay Thai boxing stadium, not quite as sensational as those in Bangkok but much cheaper at 400B a ticket (Bangkok is around 1,500B per person). The fights started small, as the kids basically train and fight for food, with the weights steadily getting heavier. The heaviest was only 70Kg, fought by an English Farang (why we’d gone that night), against an opponent who must have put on weight to be in the category. The Englishman was ripped, the Thai tubby, we thought it could only go one way. Which was a shame, as the English guy paid no respect to the traditional Wai Kru dance, bashed away his opponent’s gloves instead of tapping at the start and basically making the English look like arses. So, hate to say it, but was glad to see it was the local that won through in the end and put the Farang on his backside in the second round. We think the swift, brutal and repeated elbows to the back had something to do with it. The whole evening of about eight bouts was excellent to watch, no holds barred physical brutality but with a bigger smattering of tradition and respect than any other sport I can think of.
 I could be a lethal and terrifying space alien if I wanted to.
I could be a lethal and terrifying space alien if I wanted to.03-Dec-2009 11:52, Panasonic DMC-TZ6, 3.3, 4.1mm, 0.125 sec, ISO 400 |
Ayutthaya needed only the short time to visit, Chiang Mai has enough to keep you occupied that you could stay there much longer. We could have had a massage from a variety of people including the blind, disabled and those with four bars for a bedroom window. We could have visited elephant camp, gone trekking, rafting and more. However, all of this we could do at our next destination, the highly recommended boutique village that is Pai. Next stop!
Looking through The Grand Hall into Wat Rajaburana01-Dec-2009 07:07, Panasonic DMC-TZ6, 4.5, 4.1mm, 0.003 sec, ISO 80 |
Lush, if parched greenery surrounds most of Ayutthaya01-Dec-2009 07:09, Panasonic DMC-TZ6, 4.0, 4.1mm, 0.003 sec, ISO 80 |
Various broken Buddhas litter the Wat grounds.01-Dec-2009 07:16, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 4.0, 40.0mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 200 |
Inside the main Wat are some ancient relics, all in Thai though…01-Dec-2009 07:23, Panasonic DMC-TZ6, 3.3, 4.1mm, 0.125 sec, ISO 400 |
Wat Rajaburana is most famous for its pristine facades on the main pagoda.01-Dec-2009 07:29, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 4.0, 80.0mm, ISO 1600 |
Enjoying a milkshake while cycling along Ayutthaya's streets. Dig the basket.01-Dec-2009 07:40, Panasonic DMC-TZ6, 4.3, 14.7mm, 0.003 sec, ISO 80 |
Inside Wat Mara That, build in 1374 before being burnt and destroyed by the Burmese in 1767.01-Dec-2009 08:01, Panasonic DMC-TZ6, 5.6, 4.7mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 80 |
Ruins? Wat ruins. Note the various towers that seem like they will topple at any moment…01-Dec-2009 08:09, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 16.0, 35.0mm, 0.005 sec, ISO 200 |
I'm sure stunts like this don't help them stay level…01-Dec-2009 07:59, Panasonic DMC-TZ6, 4.5, 4.1mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 80 |
The famous Buddha's head entombed in the roots of a tree.01-Dec-2009 07:53, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 7.1, 35.0mm, 0.01 sec, ISO 1600 |
Various Buddhas decorate every Wat, this one is no different!01-Dec-2009 07:55, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 4.0, 40.0mm, ISO 1600 |
Lynette outside the Vihara that houses Pra Mongkhon Bophit.01-Dec-2009 08:31, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 16.0, 38.0mm, 0.005 sec, ISO 200 |
Pra Mongkhon Bophit is one of the largest bronze Buddha's in Thailand.01-Dec-2009 08:35, Panasonic DMC-TZ6, 3.4, 5.0mm, 0.067 sec, ISO 400 |
The original housing many moons ago.01-Dec-2009 08:38, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 4.0, 55.0mm, 0.033 sec, ISO 1600 |
Give me money, and in the shape of a tree. Now!01-Dec-2009 08:39, Panasonic DMC-TZ6, 3.3, 4.1mm, 0.077 sec, ISO 400 |
A Jade buddha, not as famous as the Emerald Buddha, which is also made of jade. Go figure.01-Dec-2009 08:40, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 4.0, 35.0mm, 0.067 sec, ISO 800 |
Looking at some other pagodas, this photo saved the 50B entry fee.01-Dec-2009 09:02, Panasonic DMC-TZ6, 5.0, 4.1mm, 0.002 sec, ISO 80 |
Standing proud on our old women bicycles, enjoying the sunshine.01-Dec-2009 09:16, Canon Canon EOS 400D DIGIT, 4.0, 30.0mm, 0.001 sec, ISO 200 |
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Hey guys hoping you are having a wonderful festive time of things. Just wanted to wish you a belated happy anniversary & a merry christmas along with an early happy new year. All the very best for 2010. Will look forward to seeing you when you’re back. Love you loads, Andy. xx
Awww mate thanks! Not long now, we’ll be back for a big one, hope you had a good birthday and bring on the next!
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