GO GO GLOBAL GRINGO!: Ayutthaya on Two Wheels and the Awakening

After our eye-opening trip to Pattaya, Nathalie and I were in desperate need of a change of scenery. As we had to be back in Bangkok by Tuesday morning, we opened up the map and looked for something cool to see that want more than a few hours from the capital. After a bit of research and some suggestions from friends who have been here before, we settled on Ayutthaya, the former capital of the renaissance-era Thai empire of the same name.

(As there are multiple pictures in this post, I'm adding them all to the bottom)

The transfer from Pattaya to Ayutthaya was fairly painless with only one change required in Bangkok. All told, it took around five hours to complete the journey.

Our first impressions of the city are markedly different than Bangkok and Payatta. Where life in the big city and the resort town was hectic and high-paced, Ayutthaya was quiet and peaceful. Crossing the street was practically effortless and the relaxed vibe made it easy to come to peace with oneself. After a quick dip in the pool, we showered and went to grab something to eat. Over dinner, we decided that we would rent bikes to explore the city.

The next morning, after a failed breakfast attempt and a subsequent do over, we hit the road to see the remains of the found capital. Before we left Brussels for Thailand, I bought a book called A Short History of Southeast Asia. This book briefly covers the history of each country in the region. I'm reading about each country as I go and so far, it has helped to put at least some of what I'm seeing in context.

Without diverting into a history book, Ayutthaya was the first capital of the united Thai empire. It reigned from the mid 1300s until it was defeated by the Burmese in the 1760s. After this defeat, the capital was moved to Bangkok and Ayutthaya was left to ruin, never regaining its previous splendor. This steady decline has blessed the city with numerous ruins; with the skeletons of temples and the ancient palace free for visitors to explore.

We started off in Wat Mahathat; home of the trapped Buddha head. Most of the ruins wanted an entrance fee to explore up close. We decided that we'd only do this once, as this was the largest one and there were plenty of others that you could simply walk up to that seemed even more neglected. However, Wat Mahathat was worth the price, being one of the largest and more complete ruins in the city. After exploring its remains, we headed back out on the bikes, heading west towards the river bank.

We passed more temples and ruins along the way, stopping to admire them and then heading back on our way. The city is flat and with virtually no traffic, making it very easy to bike through. As we got off the main avenues, we found ourselves on streets that were a blend of tiny houses, small shops and old relics. We came across one abandoned ruin that was a former temple created to honor the then-ruler who had been killed in battle and had been built to serve as his crematorium. All that remained was a fading stupa and an old prayer room. The prayer room still contained a Buddha statute that had been draped in a robe. We entered, without our shoes, and took a minute to take in the scene.

Afterwards, we headed around the corner to where there was a 34 meter/100 foot-long reclining Buddha at Wat Lokaya Sutha. I mentioned in my random observations that I hadn't really witnessed the Buddhist side of Thailand yet. Ayutthaya began to show me glimpses of it.

From there, we worked our way down the river to the most iconic of the ruins, Wat Chaiwatthanaram. This old temple is the most preserved exhibit left in Ayutthaya and it shows. The majority of the structure was still standing and from our vantage point, seemed to be in pretty good shape. Interestingly enough, this ruin was covered in thick jungle for centuries, giving it cover to remain preserved.

From there, we decided to make our way back to the hotel as it was late afternoon and were looking forward to cooling off in the pool. But instead of taking the straight line back, we lazily followed the traffic, taking us to parts of the city away from the temples and ruins and into everyday life. For me, this was the highlight of the excursion; we had left the main attractions of the city to see the city itself. As we entered the 'real' part of Ayutthaya, we began to experience the charm that Thailand prides itself on. People would pass us on mopeds and wave hello; children and adults would shoot us a ginuine smile, which was impossible not to reciprocate. I don't think there are more heartwarming acts on this planet than exchanging a look of peace with a stranger; especially when it transcends an enormous linguistic and cultural barrier between the two parties.

Towards the northeastern edge of the town, we came across a covered market. We decided to walk through it, with the hopes of getting even more absorbed with the town itself. We made the right decision as to one side of the market was a foot bridge crossing over the river. We traversed it with enthusiasm, to be treated with a Chinese shrine, an old bodhi tree and tranquil residential streets. After 15 minutes of exploring this side of town, we crossed back into the market.

Once we finally made it back to the hotel, we took a refreshing dip in the pool, enjoying a well-earned beer in the process. That evening, we set out to have dinner in the nearby backpacker neighborhood, which happened to be around the corner from the hotel. After we finished dinner, we went to a cafe on the same street to have one last drink. The place had a very mellow vibe to it, with dim lighting and reggae music playing through the sound system and it was at that moment; between the heat, the endorphins from digestion, and the radiance left over from the smiles, that this great sense of relaxation hit us. We had been running from practically the beginning on January. Part of that was just leaving Belgium, the other half was the misfortune of dealing with a dental emergency. But now, at that moment, it hit us; we were free. We could sit around doing whatever we felt like and the most important part was that we take our time and enjoy.

After living in Brussels for over a decade and working a stressful job in the financial services sector, this feeling is foreign to me. It's going to take work to sustain it, but that's part of the journey. Buddhist monks spend all of their current lives and, as the story goes, the majority of future and previous ones, trying to reach harmony with the world around them and to cleanse themselves of suffering, or an ultimate state of bliss. I'm not a monk nor a Buddhist but after that night, I certainly gained an appreciation as to what they're aiming for.

I initially started writing this article on the train ride back from Ayutthaya at the beginning of the week. However, life caught up to us and after another eventful three days, I lost sight of that tranquility as we were thrown back into city life. Right now, we're on an overnight bus to Krabi, en route to the island of Koh Lanta. I'm hoping to recapture this feeling and reboot from city life while enjoying the pleasures of the Adaman sea.