We woke up early again this morning and figured we'd get out of the city for the day. As some of you know, Bangkok is a crazy place; New York and Los Angels have comparatively nothing in the way of crowds. We took the BTS this morning during rush hour and not only did we have to wait for the first train to pass because it was too full, but when we got onto the second train we were pushed in like sardines. It was so tight in there that Tim and I were smashed belly to belly. I guess that's an interesting way to meet someone ;-)
Our destination; Ayatthuya, a town about just north of Bangkok which is a popular day trip to see ancient ruins. We took the BTS and MRT to Hua Lamphong rail station and purchased two ordinary class tickets for 15 baht each. The train was an interesting experience with locals coming on and off the train selling meals, fruit, snack and drinks. Tim indulged in a rice dish which looked and smelled horrible, but, it turned out to be pretty good and for only 10 baht. With it being a train mainly Thai's would take, none of the prices were inflated. The only problem was how long it was taking!
The train left 40 minutes late and if that wasn't bad enough, it stops at every station. After about 2 hours on the train we had just made it out of the city. We had an extended stop and a rail ticket authority was telling a bunch of us that we had to change trains to the rapid train that would arrive in a few moments. I'm not sure if this was a scam or not but, we had to pay an additional 5 baht; however it was well worth it! The rapid train was much faster and did not make many stops.
When we disembarked the train we were greeted to well over a hundred tuk tuk offering for a fee to drive us around to the sites. Tim had read about many scams so we opted to walk. We probably should have at minimum utilized one of the many bicycle rental available because the town, more like a city, was quite big. Another hot day, 43 with the humidity, meant a lot of water.
We headed down Th U Thong, the main road next to the rail line to Wat Phanan Choeng. Our reluctance to using the tuk tuk allowed us to see the local going about their business in interesting ways. From the little food stalls to the road side aquarium fish supply shops; this town was quite different from the hustle of Bangkok. Interestingly, Ayatthuya has self serve gas pumps right alone the road. They reminded us of candy machine with the only means of adding money a coin slot. Pretty sure Northern Ontario could learn a few thing about gas availability from the Thais.
We made it to the Wat, it was twice the distance we expected as Tim didn't pay attention to the scale change on the map. Oh well, it was still only about 2 kilometres and the exercise wasn't going to kill either of us. The Wat was beautiful, but like all the others we have experienced, we felt like we were intruding on the Thais as they prayed.
Tim was convinced there was a ferry that could shuttle us across the river surrounding the main part of the city. We walked along the 'shore'; more like a dyke, and found some people feeding some massive catfish. Not only were they big, there were hundreds of them and they were quite aggressive, jumping out of the water to compete for the food. While were enjoying the spectacle, we found the ferry; a small unassuming boat, but for only 5 baht each, another interesting Thai experience.
The walk to Wat Phra Mahathat mostly uneventful, but we did get to walk through some residential streets and see some ruins that are clearly not the main attraction, but interesting to see in their unadorned shape. When we arrived to Mahathat, we felt like we had fallen into tourist hell. There were aggressive tuk tuk drivers, vendors selling overpriced food and souvenirs and hundreds of tourists flocking to see the main attraction, a Buddha head encased in a tree. While it is a very popular Thai site, I would suggest the ruins are far more interesting. I'm positive however, that my Dad would have enjoyed it more than we did. The trip to Ayatthuya felt like we were going through the motions, as thousands of others were, and after viewing one more site, b-lined it back to the train station. I'm pretty sure this whole experience will look a lot better in the rear-view mirror.
The train ride back to Bangkok was uneventful until we arrived to a section just before the main station. We stopped at a red train signal and wait, and wait, and waited. At first we thought the train line was blocked as a police truck was parked in the middle of the intersection; but we soon realized that the roads were all being blocked as well. Turned out there was motorcade for someone far more important than us...
