Surfcrest
March 31st, 2006, 20:42
Ayutthaya
If you are looking to experience some of the sights of Thailand that make this truly an exotic country to visit, make sure that on at least one visit you take the time to see Ayutthaya.
You donтАЩt need to travel all the way to CambodiaтАЩs Angkor Wat to experience one of the wonders that makes Thailand the truly exotic experience it is.
Having been to Angkor Wat, I can tell you that Ayutthaya equals if not exceeds Angkor with breath taking sights that are not all the same from one to another.
Ayutthaya includes Sukhothai and Khmer styles as well as a style mainly seen in Burma (Myanmar).
Perhaps Ayutthaya isnтАЩt as big or as spread out at Angkor Wat is, but this in itself will make visiting each of the sites more economical and easier to achieve.
Ayutthaya the old city is an island, surrounded by the Chao Phraya River with many stunning sites on the same island that you are likely to find cheap, yet comfortable accommodation. I was able to see all of the sights on the island in the morning (starting at 9:00 am) on a bicycle. Probably the better option for seeing more would have been to hire one of the many 3-wheeled tuk-tuks offering this service. These tuk-tuks charge about 200 baht an hour to go wherever you want. The best option is to choose one that knows where to go and can offer you a tour of the best of the best.
Unless you know each site well, it ii important not to choose the site you are visiting by how impressive it looks from the outside. If you donтАЩt hire a guide, at least bring yourself a guide book that indicates the highlights of each site. Many of the sights that are highlighted in postcards at are unlikely spots.
While there are many ruins on the island, many more are situated on the other side of the river making a bicycle an unlikely method discovering them all in a reasonable amount of time. Add that with the heat of the day, the bicycle route would probably wear you down quickly, once the sun reaches its peak and the heat gets unbearable.
Maybe it was because that I visited at the beginning of the low season, but I was surprised that there were so few tourists at each site and in many instances I had each site to myself.
This makes photography ideal.
Not in Peru, Guatemala or Mexico..I have never seen such wonders with so few tourists to spoil a photo opportunity.
If you want to take your time and do more than simply photograph the ruins, 3 days would probably be a minimum if you wanted to include Bang тАУPa In on your itinerary.
You can reach Ayutthaya easily by bus, minibus, and train and through special arrangement by boat from Bangkok.
It is also easily accessible from many other points up country.
Surfcrest
If you are looking to experience some of the sights of Thailand that make this truly an exotic country to visit, make sure that on at least one visit you take the time to see Ayutthaya.
You donтАЩt need to travel all the way to CambodiaтАЩs Angkor Wat to experience one of the wonders that makes Thailand the truly exotic experience it is.
Having been to Angkor Wat, I can tell you that Ayutthaya equals if not exceeds Angkor with breath taking sights that are not all the same from one to another.
Ayutthaya includes Sukhothai and Khmer styles as well as a style mainly seen in Burma (Myanmar).
Perhaps Ayutthaya isnтАЩt as big or as spread out at Angkor Wat is, but this in itself will make visiting each of the sites more economical and easier to achieve.
Ayutthaya the old city is an island, surrounded by the Chao Phraya River with many stunning sites on the same island that you are likely to find cheap, yet comfortable accommodation. I was able to see all of the sights on the island in the morning (starting at 9:00 am) on a bicycle. Probably the better option for seeing more would have been to hire one of the many 3-wheeled tuk-tuks offering this service. These tuk-tuks charge about 200 baht an hour to go wherever you want. The best option is to choose one that knows where to go and can offer you a tour of the best of the best.
Unless you know each site well, it ii important not to choose the site you are visiting by how impressive it looks from the outside. If you donтАЩt hire a guide, at least bring yourself a guide book that indicates the highlights of each site. Many of the sights that are highlighted in postcards at are unlikely spots.
While there are many ruins on the island, many more are situated on the other side of the river making a bicycle an unlikely method discovering them all in a reasonable amount of time. Add that with the heat of the day, the bicycle route would probably wear you down quickly, once the sun reaches its peak and the heat gets unbearable.
Maybe it was because that I visited at the beginning of the low season, but I was surprised that there were so few tourists at each site and in many instances I had each site to myself.
This makes photography ideal.
Not in Peru, Guatemala or Mexico..I have never seen such wonders with so few tourists to spoil a photo opportunity.
If you want to take your time and do more than simply photograph the ruins, 3 days would probably be a minimum if you wanted to include Bang тАУPa In on your itinerary.
You can reach Ayutthaya easily by bus, minibus, and train and through special arrangement by boat from Bangkok.
It is also easily accessible from many other points up country.
Surfcrest