Day 44: 1/1/24 - The Temples of Ayutthaya

We had laid out a a course through the central "island" (it does have rivers or canals around its entirety, but you could spit across some of them) catching as many of the main wats as we could. Wandering through the sun-beat fields between them was a poignant reminder of the less permanent dwellings and businesses that had once filled the intervening spaces for the 400 years it was the center of this corner of the universe. We saw: Wat Maha That with its famous tree-snared statue, Wat Phra Ram, Waihan Phra Mongkorn Bophit with its large 14th century Buddha enclosed in a more modern pagoda for current worshipers, and Wat Phra Si Senphet with its 3 large bell-shaped stupa . Sun-tired and under-watered, we stumbled towards a coffee shop that ended up being closed, but was luckily next to a wonderful restaurant. 

The provided parasols! (Wat Phra Si Senphet)

Revitalized by our meal as much as the fan pointed at our table, we continued on to one last Wat. In front of the ruins, similar and still different from all those we had seen earlier, was a refurbished reclining Buddha that still garnered offerings of flowers and food. Exhausted from our trek across the ancient capital, we emulated the Buddha upon returning to our hotel, before rallying for a small boat tour around the central island. 

We stopped at 3 more wats (our daily total now at 8): one with a large (20+ meter) 14th century Buddha with scaffolding surrounding it for repairs, one with some of the most complete chedis we had seen and the setting sun behind it, and one we can't remember any discerning qualities of. 

Dinner at a local restaurant and a 7-11 run to grab snacks for tomorrow's long bus ride rounded out our first day of 2024 (2567 B.E. )

Sunset at Wat Chaiwatthanaram.