Ayutthaya

Began my trip north to Ayuttaya with a shitty hangover which stubbornly stayed with me for most of the day, exacerbated by the heat. This, combined with standing room only in the 3rd class compartment (well what do you really expect for 20 baht - 50c?), made for a one and a half hour trip that seemed three times that. But on arrival here found a nice place to stay - Tony’s Place - for 200 baht and a little room with, er, lots of character for sure. When I leave my room I have to secure my door with a Chubb lock, happily supplied by management, in the absence of a traditional lock. It’s novel for sure.
I stopped off here having been sold on Ayuttaya’s epic history and I haven’t been remotely disappointed. Ayuttaya was built on an island - I had to take a ferry from the train station to get to the city centre - for defence and trade purposes. The city itself is nothing special - quite small, easy to get around but nothing to see. The draw here are the ancient ruins of the fallen city which litter the place and are each quite spectacular. Each of the sites are remarkably well preserved - most of these buildings were constructed as far back as the 14th century - and before long you master the difference between your wats, chedis and praangs. The problem with some of them - and this probably sums up modern day Thailand as a whole - is getting that postcard-perfect picture without a 7-Eleven featuring somewhere in the background. But visiting ancient ruins like these is, for me, like being in an art gallery. For the first hour or two you’re rapt, buzzing with a sense of excitement at what you’re seeing but son after that, everything starts to look the same and you feel as if you’ve had enough wats for one day. This manifests itself as follows - today I stopped seeing beautiful Khmer architecture and started to see Pet Shop Boys hats. It happens. Nocturnal Ayuttaya is a non-event especially coming from the never-ending buzz of Bangkok so it all adds up to an early night before another long train journey north tomorrow to Phitsanulok.