A New Season

Arriving in Bangkok on the evening of Tuesday, 1 October, I am anxious to give myself 24 hours to recover, at least. It’s odd that I find the last couple of days before my travels the most stressful and the thought of 12 hours in the air does not inspire me in the least. However as I put that behind me I can look forward to a new season of travels in South East Asia after an enjoyable and productive summer season in the UK. On Wednesday I make my way downtown to a money changer. The conversion rate at present is at its highest for several years and by avoiding the hefty commission that accompanies normal bank transactions I am well pleased to walk away with a wad of notes which quickly find its way into a local bank account. That done I make my way to Bang Sue Junction train stations just a short bus ride away (bus 52 from Pradipat Road). I spend some three hours on the platform noting the comings and goings of SRT locomotives as is my interest here in Thailand.
Returning to the suburbs of Bangkok Metropolis is not the most worthy of pastimes and I seem to have nodded off in the roht too (minivan) amid the traffic chaos that is the norm here. It’s 7.30pm before this excursion ends and I have work to do. Tomorrow the tours start in earnest. I need to make a shopping list.

Touring Underway

I am off on a day-trip out of Bangkok knowing that I am heading for a destination not exactly off the beaten track as is more normal for this website. In fact I am avoiding the weekend which will attract crowds of visitors to one of the most famous archeological sites in the world. In fact I am returning to a site I last visited in February 2012 well aware that I did not do it full justice on that occasion.
Ayutthaya Historical Park is just a couple of hours drive out of Bangkok and is a must visit for anyone spending any length of time in the capital. The choice of taking a guided tour or using the DIY approach perhaps by train is up to the individual and there is no shortage of willing guides to assist you: Something I found out on my last visit. However I am taking a different perhaps wiser approach on this occasion. This trip will be longer and more extensive than the short tour I embarked on during the last visit. I fact in the context of this major site I will be taking myself ‘off the beaten track’. This time I am dispensing with the ‘slow’ train out of Bangkok in favour of the speedier minivan but I shall be arriving at around the same time. Overnight is has rained non-stop and no doubt still in recovery mode I have overslept. At 7.45am the rain seems to have stopping but I consider cancelling the trip for the day. However I get myself organized and by 9pm I’m on my way. Keen to catch up I take a motorbike taxi to the bus stop and then a minivan to the northern edge of the metropolis arriving in Rangsit. Quickly transferring to another minivan I am soon on my way to Ayutthaya, 45 minutes away.
Arriving in a central location in Ayutthaya, I need to make another important change from my previous visit here. I am immediately confronted by tuk-tuk drivers but I am in no mood to pay them for sleeping while I trudge around the ancient city walls. Besides some of the sites are well outside the island (the old city being completely surrounded by the Chao Phraya River and its tributaries, no doubt one of the reasons it was founded here as a strategic location). A decision to employ a driver today would severely test his resolve and my pocket. The sensible option is to rent a motorbike. After a coffee at 7Eleven I am directed to a guesthouse which will provide me with one. Here the lady owner is more than helpful. I present her with my shopping list and she painstakingly goes through my list manufacturing an itinerary supported by a map. The end result resembles the crystal maze prompting me to jest ‘can I bring the bike back on Monday?’ I had negotiated 200 baht till the end of the day. Now that is sorted I need to add fuel and I’m away. I have to mention that I never used a motorbike in the UK. However Ayutthaya city is not a green field or a quiet beach road. Fortunately neither is it Bangkok! Ayutthaya’s city roads are hardly congested in the day time and the old city area boasts wide open boulevards seemingly a feature of the city’s reconstruction. Therefore this transport option should not test those who have some basic riding skills. The main test inevitably comes from orientation but a glance at the map shows that the city is an island. Bridges therefore pin point location and there is a perimeter road the whole way around the city. I’m soon getting used to it.
My first port of call is to get some lunch. My lady has been thorough indicating the position of the petrol station but also suggestions of where to eat. I find myself opposite Wat Ratchaburana where there is a row of restaurants popular with Thais and foreigners. For lunch Thais often eat noodles as a lighter alternative to rice which is eaten as a main meal in the evening. It works for me too. There is a popular restaurant offering griteo rua literally meaning boat noodles. Traditionally noodles were served from klong (canal) boats when this form of transport was more prevalent in Thailand and of course still is in the remaining floating markets. The cooking style has now been adopted more universally. There are a number of styles of noodles which I don’t have time to go into here but my dish was ordered with phet (duck) and I have to admit they did not skimp with the duck meat which is invariably on the bone. Various condiments are provided, of course dried chili included, as well as fresh bean sprouts and horapah which is a variety of basil. Ice and fresh water is free and pork scratching is available to eat with the soup all for small change.
I now proceed to find the petrol station which seems more elusive than the sites on my shopping list. I eventually find one not far from the eastern city road bridge. Now my tour can start in earnest. I should have about 5 hours. The sites visited are covered in some detail in order of visit.