"Ayutthaya - a glimpse into the past " a Ayuthaya Travel Page by yukisanto

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Wat Phra Sri Sanphet (in background)

Beauty in the ruins of Ayutthaya

Although this cannot be compared to the grandeur of Angkok Wat, it has its beautiful moments.

About 1-1.5hr ride from Bangkok, this is a MUST VISIT on any list. I've been back again, and I find myself enchanted by stuff which I hadn't really notice on the previous trip.

The blue skies showed up really well on photos. Though, if you are unlucky, you'll come at the same time as those bus-loads of tourist groups and you won't be able to capture the natural beauty on its own.

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Wat Mahathat

In Apr 2005--
How we got there:
Acting on a tip from my tailor, we took the BTS to Victory Monument station. From there, a minibus (or referred to as tuk-tuk?) got us to Ayutthaya in 55 minutes for 50 baht.

How we got around:
Hired a minibus (they seem to use this term loosely), which is a modified tuk-tuk to take us around for 200baht/hr. Cost us 500 baht for 3 hrs after bargaining.

What we saw:
Wat Yai Chaya Mongkol (20 baht), Wat Mahathat (30 baht), Wat Phra Si San Phet (30 baht) and the Historical Monument and National Museum (30 baht)

How we got back:
The minibus took us to the bus station for big buses. The bus journey took one and a half hour and cost 45 baht. But one definite plus, it’s much more comfortable and the air-con’s really working, compared to the minibus that we took to get here.

Slight hitch: We didn’t know how to get back from the huge and noisy Mo Chit bus terminal to the BTS, so we took a cab straight to the hotel. Cost us 100 baht, excluding the toll charge of 40 baht.

Weather: HOT! HOT! HOT!!

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Wat Yai Chaya Mongkol

Jan 2009 --
How we got there & around:
Since there were 6 of us, we hired a mini-van for 1500baht. That took care of the 2-way tspt as well as the going about from temple to temple in Ayutthaya. It took slightly less than an hr to reach Ayutthaya.

What we saw:
Wat Yai Chaya Mongkol (30 baht), Wat Mahathat (50 baht), Bang Pa-In Palace (100baht).

Side notes: Prices have risen.. so we didn't go to as many temples after all. In the end, we made a side trip to Bang Pa-In Palace, which took another half hr-1hr or so? That unexpected trip made me realise I shd have just wore jeans instead of a skirt. (Coz there was a dress code for entering the palace grounds. I had to buy a sarong to wrap around my skirt). But you definitely have to visit Bang Pa-In Palace, it's so cool, the guide books don't do it justice - perhaps coz they are not allowed to release too much info on it? See my side trip page on the palace

Weather: HOT! HOT! HOT!! as usual. But this time I came prepared with a fan, umbrella and a huge bottle of water. lol