It's currently 1:50am and I have to get up at 6:00 to get ready to go to Amphawa (sp?). So I won't be writing too much this time around! Today we went to Ayutthaya, Thailand's old Capitol. We took the BTS Skytrain to Silom, then the MRT Metro to the Hualamphong train station. Once we walked in, a "tourist information" lady stopped me and asked where I needed to go. I told her and she proceeded to tell me that I shouldn't go by train, but rather by individual taxi. She lead us up to the second floor where travel agent-esque people sat in rooms behind big glass windows. At that point I had figured out that she wasn't really the info lady for the station, but was rather getting a commission for everyone she brought up who bought a tour package to Ayutthaya. Grant and I were intent on taking the train (as it is ultra cheap and also the way locals travel); so after 5-10 minutes of us declining every offer, the lady FINALLY let us go. I left the office and passed tourists following an "info person" inside; I don't they had realized yet that they were walking into a sales trap.
We went downstairs to the ticket counter and discovered that 1.) the last air conditioned car had left about 10 minutes prior (if only our time wasn't wasted by listening to a sales pitch!) and thus the only type of transport left was the 3rd class train with no A/C, and. 2.) Because I passed as Thai, I got to ride the 1.5-2 hour train for free! Grant had to pay 15 Baht, but I mean .50 for a train ride is a steal anyways so it wasn't a big deal. Surprisingly the ride wasn't all that bad. Innumerable sales people went down the alleyway selling food, drinks and sweets.
We arrived at Ayutthaya and took a boat across the river for 4 Baht each. After a little exploring that also helped us get our bearings, I negotiated a price with a Tuk Tuk driver and we were off on a rickety ride to the old area of the city.
It is filled with TONS of "wat," thai temples, as well as ruins of old temples. It really was an amazing sight; it was so different from the European cathedrals, Greek Orthodox churches or Turkish mosques that I've seen before. Tall structures shoot towards they sky in a shape similar to that of a spire, just with a wider base and a little more triangular. Many of these structures were made with bricks, covered with plaster, and carved. Some have steps up to a carved out area where a statue of Buddha might have sat long ago. There are also innumerable Buddha statues that have either already completely crumbled or are in the process of being worn away. I guess once the Burmese took the city of Ayutthaya, the Thais moved the Capitol to Bangkok.
For lunch we went down a small sidestreet that was filled with local Thais and not the usual "Farang" or white tourist crowd. We decided to sit down at a roadside noodle restaurant with lots of people each enjoying 2 or 3 bowls of noodle soup. Grant and I really weren't sure how we were supposed to order (as all the signs were in Thai and there was no menu). However, after a minute, a guy came by to take our order. Thank god I know some Thai because I was able to mostly figure out what was in the soup and how much it all cost. We each got a bowl of pork/beef noodle soup (12 Baht per bowl) and a Pepsi with ice which Grant and I shared (11 Baht). Remember, it's about 30 Baht to the US Dollar... So we spent under a dollar for our entire lunch!
We took a bus back to Bangkok and of course met up with the whole family for dinner. In total there were about 12-13 of us sitting at the table. Grant is getting along well with the fam, and with each passing day is getting more and more comfortable speaking what he knows of the language. Grant and I took a pic of the place we ate lunch. We showed it to my relatives and they told us that not only did we eat noodles, beef, and pork...but they also mixed cow's blood into the broth. What's funny is I remember wondering why the broth was such a dark brown color. I was kind of grossed out when I heard I had eaten cow's blood and thought it was tasty, but I felt better when my cousin told me she and other Thai people liked to eat it. I guess it's all about experiencing a different culture!
I should go to bed; I've definately written more than I expected to write! Oh and please excuse any misspellings or grammar probs as I every post after my first, has been done on my iTouch...yeah I know, it's kind of a pain. In a few hours I have to wake up to head to Amphawa. We are planning to stay there for a couple nights, return to Bangkok for one night, then fly out to Kolkota,India the next morning. I hope to post again soon, but I don't know when I'll get the chance. Who knows if I'll be so lucky as to have WIFI at the next place I stay!
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