Ayutthaya - A Gem of Thailand!

Ayutthaya is about one hour north of Bangkok, but it is worlds away in terms of history and culture.  Ayutthaya reigned as the capital of Thailand for 400 years, from 1350 to 1767.  Bangkok is a huge, bustling city, and Ayutthaya is in a much smaller town, where bicycling is more typical.  During its heyday, Ayutthaya was one of the important centers of commercial trading for Southeast Asia.  Visitors from all over the world came to call in Ayutthaya.  A succession of 33 kings ruled over Ayutthaya and built temples and palaces and supported a population which grew to about 1 million by the 17th century.  It is hard to believe that this charming city full of beautiful ruins was home to a million people.  Ayutthaya was destroyed by the Burmese in 1767, when they invaded Thailand, burned the city and either killed or took the Thai citizens as slaves back to Burma.  It isn't hard to imagine how glorious this city once was.  The Ayutthaya period was important era to the development of Thai architecture, and some of the most beautiful examples were found in the city of Ayutthaya, which had over 1,700 Buddhist temples!  Because most of these structures were built out of stone, they survived, in some fashion, in spite of the fires and time.  It is easy to see the beauty that remains in the ruins.

Traveling Thailand Part VI - Chinatown, Bangkok

Odean Circle and Royal Jubilee Gate, Chinatown - Bangkok

Bangkok's Chinatown is an incredibly fascinating, crowded, busy ethnic community in the heart of Bangkok.  It always shows up on lists of biggest and best Chinatowns in the world.  It dates back over 200 years, and was established the same year as Bangkok, 1782.  Chinese immigrants originally lived where the Grand Palace now sits.  King Taksin, who ruled from 1767 - 1782, was of Chinese descent and encouraged Chinese merchants and settlers to come to Thailand.  With the fall of King Taksin, the Chinese were moved south to the current area known as "Sampheng" under the rein of Rama I (Chao Phraya Chakri)  Those of Chinese heritage still live and work in this community, and during Chinese New Year, this neighborhood, which is always lively, goes on overdrive!

Chinese lanterns celebrating the Year of the Snake.

 

One can still see little herbal shops dispensing medicines designed to promote "Chi" - achieving balance and harmony within the body.  There are also many health food specialty shops, selling fish bladders and bird's nests, among other fascinating items.

An Herbalist, measuring out a "prescription"

A Chinese Pharmacy

                     

Another enjoyable treat while in Chinatown is to relax by enjoying afternoon tea.  This is the Double Dogs Tea House, run by a Chinese tea master.

Wat Traimit is home to the world's largest solid gold Buddha, weighing in at 5.5 tons.  It is also home to a fantastic Chinese Heritage Museum which shows the journey of the Chinese immigrants by red-bow junks from China to Thailand.

The solid gold Buddha was hidden underneath plaster for hundreds of years, it was accidentally discovered in 1955 when the plaster was chipped while the statue was being moved to a new location.   

Thain Fa Foundation Hospital - this hospital was built  in 1905 to provide medical care for the Chinese immigrants living in Chinatown, as well as  to care for the poor in the neighborhood.  There are two sides to the hospital - one side provides western medical care, and the other 

provides traditional Chinese medicine.  

In 1959, a beautiful statue of Guanyin, the Chinese goddess of Mercy and Compassion was installed inside this pavilion which resembles a Chinese pagoda and is on the grounds of 

Thain Fa Hospital.  Guanyin is revered throughout Southeast Asia .  

Wat Mangkon Kamalawat - the Temple of the Dragon and the Lotus.  This is the largest Mahayana Buddhist temple in Thailand and is filled with a huge collection of religious icons and statues of Buddha.

The best way to see Chinatown is to walk up and down the main roads of Yaowarat and Charoen Krung, and the small lanes of Sampheng, Isaranuphap and Tao.  The small side strees and lanes are crowded and busy but they are also the best places to get a feel for "Old Chinatown".  The best way to get to Chinatown is to exit the water taxi at Ratchawong Pier #5 and walk north on Rachawong Road which intersects with Sampheng Lane, Yaowarat and Charoen Krung Roads.






The other option is to use the MRT subway and get off at Hua Lamphong Train station.  The train station is another interesting Bangkok landmark, built by the Dutch before WWI.  It is an interesting Art Deco structure, busy with lots of backpackers and Thai's using the mass transit.
At 8 am the National Anthem is played, and everyone in the station stands at attention!

Traveling Thailand, Part III - Old Bangkok

The heartbeat of Thailand is Bangkok, and no visit to Thailand is complete without at least a short stay in one of Asia's most unique and fascinating cities.  One could spend a week in Bangkok and still not see everything.  The "Old City" is a highlight of any visit to Bangkok.

Bangkok was known as the "Venice of the East," from the 17th to the early 19th century.  During this time, most transport in Bangkok was done along the main Chao Phraya River and the smaller network of canals connecting to the main river.  Boats were the main mode of transport until the late 19th century.  Today, using river transport to avoid the infamous Bangkok traffic is still one of the best ways to travel around the "Old City".  Bangkok is known to the Thai's as Krung Thep (City of Angels), which is it's nick name.  The formal name of Thailand translates into one entire paragraph which begins as "Great city of angels, the repository of divine gems, the great land unconquerable..."

View of the Chao Phraya River and the Grand Palace as viewed from Wat Arun

A seat on the water taxi

 The water taxis which run up and down the River are one of the best deals in Bangkok.  A one way ticket, which covers travel from the main stop at Sathorn up the river to the Phra Athit Pier takes about 75 minutes round trip and costs 40 baht ($1.35 USD).  The BTS Skytrain connects with the water taxi stop at the Saphan Taxsin stop - just head downstairs from the Skytrain platform and walk towards the river to the water taxi station!  You can cruise up the river and hop off at the Grand Palace, a great place to start a walking tour of the old city.

One word of warning when walking from the water taxi station towards the Grand Palace... "touts" may approach you to tell you that the Palace is closed, but they are more than willing to take you to temples that are open!  Just smile, ignore them, and keep on walking towards the Palace!  They are trying to get you to hop on to their "friend's" tuk tuk, who will take you to shops of their other friends.  They don't mean any harm, but it is extremely annoying.  The last time this happened to me, the older gentlemen flashed his "Royal Thai Police Badge" - I have seem him every time I go to the Grand Police, but he has stopped bothering me!  The Palace is open every day.  The dress code for the Grand Palace is: covered shoes, (flip flops not recommended) woman must have shoulders and knees covered - skirts, crop pants or long pants are all fine.  Men must wear long pants and covered shoulders.  If you are not appropriately dressed, you can borrow clothes for a small fee from stands right along the complex.  The Grand Palace complex is amazing, probably one of the most crowded tourist attractions in Bangkok, but worth the crowds - just inside the gates is the newly opened Queen Sirikit Museum of Textiles - a beautiful, small museum which showcases the beautiful textiles of Thailand, as well as many of the beautiful Thai silk gowns worn by the Queen.

Inside the Grand Palace Complex

The Grand Palace complex covers over 5 acres of land, and was established in 1782, when Bangkok become the new capital of Thailand, following Ayutthaya and Thonburi.  This amazing complex is also home to  Wat Phra Kaeo, and the most venerated image in the Kingdom, the Emerald Buddha - which is actually made of jadeite!  Immediately inside the gates, you have the option of hiring an English speaking guide - I highly recommend this, you will learn lots of interesting information.

The Emerald Buddha - in his winter attire!

 

Wat Pho

The Reclining Buddha

Just south of the Grand Palace is Wat Pho, the oldest and largest temple complex in Bangkok.  This temple was built in the 16th century, and is home to one of the longest reclining Buddhas in the country, 151 feet long and 50 feet high.  This temple has resident monks, a highly respected massage school, a school for children and feels like a community center.  The dress code applies to this temple, as well.

Wat Arun

If you are not "templed out", Wat Arun, which is directly across the river from Wat Pho is another wonderful temple complex.  The easiest way to get to Wat Arun is to walk out of Wat Pho and head straight ahead to the Water Taxi Station - Tha Tien.  You can hop onto a cross river taxi for 3 baht - and spend another couple of hours exploring this gorgeous temple complex.  Wat Arun is named for Aruna, the Indian God of Dawn, because legend has it that King Taxsin arrived here at dawn to establish Thonburi as the new capital in 1767.  Wat Arun was built showing a strong Khmer influence in the stule of the prangs.  The story behind the mosaics that cover the prang is fascinating - in the 19th century, Chinese traders who came to Thailand used broken ceramic as ballast in their ships, and rather than throw this ballast out, it was recycled to decorate the temples!  The steep steps mounting the sides of the temple are said to symbolize the challenge that people face as they try to reach a higher level of enlightenment.  The view of Bangkok from the upper level is worth the climb!

Detail of the ceramic mosaics on Wat Arun

The beautiful and classic hotel, The Mandarin Oriental is also located along the river - it is the first stop north of the Sathorn Pier - this hotel is the oldest hotel in the city, opening in 1879, and has hosted such illustrious visitors as Joseph Conrad, Somerset Maugham, Graham Green, Tennessee Williams, James Michener, Diane, Princess of Wales and Prince Charles...This hotel hosts daily high tea, beginning at noon, in the Author's Room, which is in the original part of the hotel.  It is a wonderful way to spend a couple of hours.

The Author's Room, a gracious setting for tea

Tea for Four

The complimentary shuttle from the hotel to the main station

The original Mandarin Oriental