Ayutthaya

I spent a day in Ayutthaya, a UNESCO world heritage site in Thailand almost a year ago.  It’s about a 2-hour drive from Bangkok depending on the traffic and this place is a must-visit if you love historical sites.
There are a few temples in Ayutthaya including the Wat Maha That (Monastery of the Great Relic) located on the west bank of Khlong Pratu Khao Pluak, an important canal in the early 20th century.
Parts of the temple are affected by floods almost annually thus restoration works are going on to protect the temple.

The bottom darker colour of the temple was how high the floodwaters got to.

I am fortunate enough to have friends who work for the government and they brought me to a very special underground chamber where there were paintings as old as the temples themselves.

At any one time, only one person was allowed into the chamber through a long flight of stairs. We can’t stay in the chamber for long either as the air was really thin. Coma inducing thin.
Not to mention there was barely any light and it was very claustrophobic.
Having said that, the chamber is not exactly the best combination for tourists which is why I do not think it is open to the public at the moment.

Down

Up

Beautiful Paintings

Perhaps it is due to a lack of oxygen to my brain but I remembered thinking to myself that those were the most beautiful paintings I’ve ever seen. It’s hard to describe the combination of trying not to suffocate while admiring such beauty that withstood the test of time.
One thing is for sure, my images definitely do not do justice to them…

Sunset in the temple

Of course, who can miss photographing the Buddha’s head overgrown by the fig tree in Wat Maha That.

To sum up, Ayutthaya is a really beautiful place. With so much history to immerse yourself and so many things to do, a day is simply not enough.

Two weeks before I head back to Thailand(:

Bringing a Thai dancer along is completely optional(: