Journey with Christina

Ayutthaya, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was originally found by King U-Thong in 1351. The city rapidly grew to 1 million by 1685, approximately double the population of London at the same time. Sadly, the city was sacked in 1767 by the Burmese and the capital was eventually moved to modern day Bangkok. The ancient remains are contained mostly within a canal system and are spread among grassy spaces.

Most people come to Ayutthaya on a day trip but I highly recommend spending the night here. We had heard that the only way to do the site justice was by bicycle so we jumped on our free bikes from the hotel and started the first part of our adventure. As we were staying on the other side of the river we needed to cross over with our bikes on the local ferry.

Jon making his way over the train tracks and Justyne waiting to cross the river with our bikes.

To fuel up we had a delicious lunch on a wooden deck over the water. There were all sorts of mismatched furniture that just worked together and we were shaded by a century old kapok-tree. The owners we super friendly and cooked some amazing dishes.

Justyne in front of the tree at The Old Place.

For two people who are unrelated Jon and Justyne are very similar. They both have hard outer shells and don’t show emotions easily. They also don’t really have a lot of interest in the sightseeing stuff and typically follow me around all gloomy. On this particular day, I told them they did not have to come but they said they wanted to. I insisted that they at least act like they were enjoying themselves. It worked out well for me because I got some pictures of them actually looking excited as we biked around to the magnificent temples.

Justyne and Jon pretending to be excited at Wat Maha That and famous Buddha head in the tree.

Justyne and I in front of the crypt of Wat Ratburana.

Three gray chedis of Wat Pra Si Sanphet.

Where we stayed, Baan Thai House, we had a beautiful bungalow for about $80 a night including breakfast. The property was relaxing with a lush garden and pond you could boat around it. There was also a pool and restaurant with good food.

Our bungalow and Jon and Justyne at the resort restaurant.