Day trip to Ayutthaya
Trip Start
Sep 14, 2010
1
4
72
Trip End
Dec 16, 2010
Ayutthaya, Thailand
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Anyway... I had a big problem falling asleep last night. The walls in the hostel are so thin, and people are talking, walking, showering, slamming doors all night, it seems. I have ear plugs, but couldn't really use them, as I had to make sure I was up by 6.30am for my day trip to Ayutthaya. I tried using just one ear plug, but that didn't help; in fact, I started freaking out when I realized it was so deep in my ear and only managed to get it out after some time. Scary! So... I ended up falling asleep at 5.30am. Yes, I only got a 1 hour sleep. I was downstairs by 7am and got picked up 15 minutes later in a minivan with 8 other people, a driver, and a tour guide.
It was raining heavily again today... Throughout the whole morning... And I was soaked because I didn't have an umbrella. One would think I would've learned by now, since living in London...
Speaking of London, I hardly see a difference between Monsoon and London weather!?!?!
Back to the day trip... After a 1.5 hour drive, we reached Ayutthaya, one of the 4 capital cities of Thailand in history. We saw A LOT... To the point that I can't remember any of the places' names. We visited ruins, temples, Buddhas, headless Buddhas, Buddha's head in a tree trunk, a palace, dancing elephants, and had lunch somewhere in between. Our tour guide had a very strong accent, meaning I didn't understand much of what he was saying. So, it amazed me even more to see a Thai tour guide speaking fluent German and one speaking fluent Spanish at one of the sites; no accent whatsoever!
I made friends with one of the girls, a Japanese-Brazillian psychologist, currently living in Japan to learn Japanese. She explained that lots of Brazillians live there, because they have Japanese blood in them. It seems, many Japanese had emigrated to Brazil a few generations ago!?
Anyway, It was a loooooooong but good day out, and we arrived back in Bangkok at around 5pm - completely exhausted!
Back at the hostel, I washed my dirty, muddy trousers, then slept for 1/2 hour before showering and venturing out for a bit. I headed to May Kaidee, a vegetarian restaurant & cooking school I've heard so much about, where I had a delicious dinner. I am now even more determined to join their cooking class at the Chiang Mai branch.
After dinner, I browsed through some shops & stalls, and got all excited & sentimental when entering BOOTS. Then - by pure chance - I passed by one of the massage places my guidebook recommends and paid for a 1-hour session. OH MY GOD, I cannot even describe it. It was painful (with pressing & cracking of body parts), yet felt so good at the same time. And I feel like a new person now!
I decided to walk down Khao San Rd on my way home, and was amazed at how PACKED the street is... But then again, it does make sense: It's Saturday!
