"AYUTTHAYA - THE ANCIENT CAPITAL OF THAILAND" Ayuthaya by Innovator

Founded c. 1350, Ayutthaya became the second Siamese capital after Sukhothai. It was destroyed by the Burmese in the 18th century. Its remains, characterized by the prang (reliquary towers) and gigantic monasteries, give an idea of its past splendour.

The ancient city of Ayutthaya, or Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya was the Thai capital for 417 years. This old capital was founded in 1350 by King U-Thong and was sacked by the Burmese in 1767. Thirty three kings of different dynasties ruled the kingdom.

Ayutthaya is located 76 kms. north of Bangkok. It was one of Indo-China's most prosperous cities and is one of Thailand's major historical attractions. The grandeur of Ayutthaya is reflected by numerous magnificent structures and ruins concentrated in and around the city island surrounded by the Chao Phraya, Pa Sak and Lop Buri Rivers. The area, well conserved as a historical park, has been included in UNESCO's list of World Heritage since 13 December 1991. Ayutthaya covers an area of 2,556 square kilometres.

Pity enough this visit was not foreseen in our program, the reason was that we arrived on another day and it didn't match in our schedule, but we were so stunned from the pictures we saw before, that we booked it extra.

In our hotel in Kanchanaburi, we booked a guide (Mr.Chicken) with a driver (a former retired policeman). The trip was about 2 hours by car, but worth every second! The price was +- a normal excursion price for 2 persons.

Ayutthaya is very well preserved, lots of different places to visit, buddha images, the tree with the buddhahead in it. We could not visit everything cause some places were flooded, but eventually I found this one of the best excursions!

• Pros:Most impressive visit in our roundtrip
• Cons:1 hour from Bangkok, 2hrs from Kanchanaburi