by nofootprint

Halifax, Nova Scotia

May 17, 2011

by SeenThat

Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel

July 28, 2008

by SeenThat

Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel

July 28, 2008

by SeenThat

Tel Aviv, Tel Aviv, Israel

January 1, 2007

by ggcahill

Mont Albert North, undefined, Australia

September 13, 2003

The nearby summer palace was equally impressive, although in a different way. One impressed because of its timelessness and historical significance, the other impressed with its luxury and style. (Why can't I have a holiday house like that!)

by ozkathleen

Perth, Australia

December 4, 2002

Many of the buildings have been restored but not to pristine condition which would detract from the feel of the place. The architecture has a Khmer look about it, very intricate carvings. It was built of bricks which are still produced on the island.

Some of the atmosphere comes from the fact that the island is subsiding giving the place a leaning tower effect.

I went with a day tour, but If I were to visit again I would travel by train from BKK, go to the Hotel then take a tuk tuk to the Historical Park. The day tour does cover a lot including a meal and a canal trip but it does not give enough time to soak up the atmosphere. I stayed overnight but as I was going by train to Hua Hin the next day, I did not see anything extra. I would do two nights next time, and a night tour is worth the money.

by phileasfogg

New Delhi, India

November 26, 2002

Our Ayutthaya tour had been booked by a friend, and the tour van came to our hotel at 6.45am to pick us up, although it was 8am by the time the half-a-dozen other people on the tour had been picked up. An hour’s drive out of Bangkok brought us to our first stop on the way, the Royal Summer Palace at Bang Pa In. Supposedly inspired by Versailles (I didn't see much of a resemblance, myself), Bang Pa In is dotted with pools of water teeming with turtles and fish. Well-laid out gardens, bushes pruned into animal shapes, and plaster statues of very European figures dot the landscape, and a series of pavilions and mansions stand at intervals along the paths. Among the buildings, there’s a red-and-ochre observatory tower; a huge teak mansion with very European interiors; a splendid Chinese mansion, all red and gold; so on and so forth. Opulent enough, and good for half an hour’s look-around before you hit the road and head for Ayutthaya, past lush green paddy fields, coconut trees and rivers.

Surrounded by three rivers, Ayutthaya’s a massive complex of palaces and chedis (pagodas; Ayutthaya has 55 of them). This city has largely succumbed to the passage of time--brick chedis stand, most of them crumbling, here and there while Buddha statues, their heads lopped off by antique-selling Thais, sit in headless rows. It’s a spooky place, half-overgrown by grass, but a major tourist attraction nevertheless. We were taken on a tour around some of the main chedis and wats (including one with a huge seated gold-plated Buddha; this wat also has a 'money tree'--currency notes stapled together in an interminable strip by devotees. It stands on a pedestal, a huge loose globe of paper, with one end trailing Bahts, and tempting godless greedy-guts like us!).

A peek at a Reclining Buddha (a plaster-coated one), a visit to the Ayutthaya Handicrafts Centre (some lovely work here: Thai silk, silverware, carved wood, enamel and ceramic ware, chopsticks, and tiny flowers crafted out of the pith of the water acacia), and then we were taken down to the bank of the Chao Phraya river, where we got onto a large, comfortable boat for the cruise--with a great lunch included--back to Bangkok. We docked at Bangkok (near the Sheraton hotel) at around 4pm but, Bangkok traffic being what it is, managed to get back to our hotel only at 5.45pm. On the whole, a fulfilling trip.

by Birute

Vilnius, Lithuania

July 2, 2002

by Globetrotter

Los Angeles, California

May 15, 2002

by Alan Ingram

GLASGOW, Scotland

August 25, 2001

Located in pleasant garden grounds they are distributed over a wide area both within and around the present day city.

Walking or cycling are OK for the sites within the city but some form of mechanised transport - motorbike, samlor / tuk-tuk, or car / taxi is required for the sites around the perimeter. A 1Baht ferry ride is the most convenient way of accessing the magnificent Wat Phanam Choeng to the south of the city across the Pa Sak River.

In a cavalcade of motorbikes I was conducted by Thai friends on an all-day, circular tour of the widely scattered monuments.

From the top terrace of Phra Khao Thong ( Golden Mount Chedi ) the flat countryside is dotted everywhere with tall chedi.

The widespread ruins of the old Royal Temple of Wat Phra Sri Sanphet are dominated by a line of three, giant chedis, typical of the Ayutthaya style, - sad but impressive relics of the once illustrious city.

Other temples well worth visiting include:- Wat Yai Chai Mong Khon - the "Big Temple" with its particularly tall chedi and Wat Phutthaisawan - one of the best preserved and most impressive complexes of prangs and chedi.