Ruth: We are now in Ayutthaya, the former capital of Siam, which is located about 80 km north of Bangkok. To get beyond the urban sprawl of Bangkok we took a train for the first 60km to get into the pretty countryside at Bang Pa-in. We cycled the remaining 17 km to Ayutthaya. This city was the capital of Siam from the 14th to the 18th century, when it was sacked by the Burmese. At its peak it had a multi-cultural population of a million, most living on houseboats on the extensive canals and rivers. It was an important trade centre between East and West and many foreign nations maintained their own villages outside the town walls.
We are staying at the lovely Baan Are Gone Homestay, which is in an old teak house hanging over the river, just a short boat ride across from the main town. Last night we took a sunset boat tour of the rivers and canals, stopping to visit three temples. Today we explored four of the ancient city’s grand temple ruins by bicycle. The ruins stand elegantly in varying states of decayed splendour, set in beautiful park surroundings.
