Josie Obguia

Ayutthaya - A City of Rich History Our next stop in this whole Thailand experience: Ayutthaya. Many people (including me before) didn't know that Ayutthaya used to be Thailand's capital. Not to mention that not most people ever heard of such place. If I did not mention to my friend, who is an English teacher inBangkok, that I want to do elephant riding, I would not know that this place ever existed. According to Wikipedia, Ayutthaya used to be a Kingdom during the 13th Century then it became a city up to this day. But sometime in 1767, the Kingdom was destroyed by the Burmese Army, where the "wats" (means temple) were ruined, Thai people were enslaved, women were raped and a lot were murdered. The ruins can now be found at the Ayutthaya Historical Park, which was named a Unesco Heritage Site in 1981. The ruined "phrangs" (tower) could tell you a lot about its rich history. So since elephant riding was part of out itinerary, we then went to Ayutthaya right after arriving Bangkok. But before that, I met my friend Sheryll at the lobby of Baiyoke Boutique Hotel, she then toured my friend and me around the streets near the hotel where we could find good eats and some shopping place. We then had our lunch and for my eats. I chose Pad Thai, a popular Thai noodle recipe that is rich in veggies and meat but has lots and lots of super hot chili. It did not taste weird at all except that I could not bear the hotness of the chili but I loved it. Thai delicacies, minus the chili, taste more like Filipino food. To neutralize the hotness of Pad Thai, I had fruit shake for a beverage. After our lunch, Sheryll, my friend and I went out of the food court to meet Pond, Sheryll's student. Pond is a Thai local and he was kind and generous enough to offer his car and himself as a driver. He also created an itinerary for us that afternoon. He was also the one who bought the tickets at the elephant riding and when we get inside the Wat Phra Ram. He practically paid for everything then we just agreed to pay him back once we get to Bangkok. So all in all, Pond was like our driver and tour guide in one. The very first thing we did at Ayutthaya was riding an elephant. Those gigantic animals look different for me because we don't really have lots of those in the Philippines. But something funny I discovered. The smell is familiar. They smelled like Cows and Carabaos in my country! Lol! But despite its smell, it did not stop us from riding it just to experience. I was pretty scared during the first few minutes but afterward, I felt ok. I took pictures around while riding. They also did some show where everyone was free to watch. It was super fun! Next, we went to Wat Phra Ram and so may other ruined temples and towers. This was the Unesco heritage site I mentioned at the beginning. You could see the rich history of this place. There are buddhas around but the emerald buddha has already been brought to the Grand Palace (Thailand King's official residence and also for the many other royal family members). The place is very solemn. You could feel history all over the place. Afterward, we went to Ayutthaya Floating Market. It was not just a floating market - there were also restaurants and stalls for shopping dry goods and souvenir items. This is very popular for tourists. So the minute we arrived there, we immediately went to their restaurant where there are no seats - only small tables so you could sit down there on the floor with your legs crossed. There, I was able to experience eating more and more authentic Thai cuisine. Thai people love veggies - the reason why most of them, male or female, are so slim. The food serving is big enough but the rice they serve is just small. All in all, the food we ate were yummy and sumptuous but not expensive. The next thing we did after eating was we roamed around the market. I don't know if there was something like fiesta or celebration or if it was just tradition but there was a cultural drama presented. Naturally, we all didn't understand except Pond. But it was ok. He was kind enough to tell us what the drama was all about. Then we had boat riding and then we took a bunch of pictures roaming around. All in all, this trip was more like cultural, historical and a little bit educational. Be my guest and see my pictures for you to experience a little bit of what Ayutthaya has to offer. Random acts of kindness. In this world full of anger and hatred, it’s nice to see good things happening every once in a while. There was once a turtle trying to cross a busy highway. There was a piece of paper on its back that says “Catch Me If You Can.” The first car was about to run over the turtle when the driver noticed it. The driver was pissed because