Ayuthaya, Day 2 and 3

Sarah and I spent our second day in Ayuthaya riding bikes around the between each of the ruins. For the most part, Ayuthaya is a great place to bike ride, since it is all flat and covered in huge parks where the ruins of various temples are. I forgot to mention in the last posting about this city that the reason it the capital was founded here is because three rivers converge on this spot and create a huge island -- easily defensible in wartime and useful for commerce during peace. The city held off numerous attacks on it over the centuries, mainly from Burmese raiders. The Burmese finally sacked the city in the 1700s, which led to the establishment of Bangkok.

[Little side note: The rarely used official full name of Bangkok is: Krungthepmahanakhon Amornrattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilokphop Noppharat Ratchathaniburirom Udomratchaniwetmahasathan Amonphiman Awatansathit Sakkathattiyawitsanukamprasit. This translates into english as: "The city of angels, the great city, the residence of the Emerald Buddha, the impregnable city (of Ayutthaya) of God Indra, the grand capital of the world endowed with nine precious gems, the happy city, abounding in an enormous Royal Palace that resembles the heavenly abode where reigns the reincarnated God, a city given by Indra and built by Vishnukarn".]

Anyway, we pedalled all around the city, checking out the parks and ruins that were far from where the typically tourist gets to. Some of these areas proved to be good for birds, too. I added Stork-billed Kingfisher, White-throated Kingfisher, Red-wattled Lapwing, Paddyfield Pipit and several other awesome birds to my list, as well as getting much better looks at Indian Rollers, Asian Openbills, and others.

We ended up in Ayuthaya for a day longer than we wanted, since the one bus a day that goes through Ayuthaya enroute to Chiang Mai was sold out when we wanted to go. I personally think we were being sold a line of B.S. on that one. The tourist industry knows how to tweak the dollars out of you here. Anyway, it worked out all right. We got another day of biking out of it and rode the overnight bus to Chiang Mai the next day.


Sarah loves tuk-tuks!


And you thought Dumbo had problems....


BIG Buddha.


Expensive nail polish.


Our rides. Cherry red with racing stripes.


There's a what behind me?


Elephants on parade


One of many many ruins in Ayuthaya.


More ruins.... approaching temple overload....