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.
![IMG_7766 IMG_7766](https://i0.wp.com/noforeignlands.sg/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/img_7766.jpg?w=646&h=969&ssl=1)
![IMG_7767 IMG_7767](https://i0.wp.com/noforeignlands.sg/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/img_7767.jpg?w=646&h=969&ssl=1)
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.
![IMG_7809 Down](https://i0.wp.com/noforeignlands.sg/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/img_7809.jpg?w=646&h=969&ssl=1)
![IMG_7803 Up](https://i0.wp.com/noforeignlands.sg/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/img_7803.jpg?w=646&h=969&ssl=1)
![IMG_7800 IMG_7800](https://i0.wp.com/noforeignlands.sg/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/img_7800.jpg?w=303&h=455&ssl=1)
![IMG_7801 IMG_7801](https://i0.wp.com/noforeignlands.sg/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/img_7801.jpg?w=303&h=455&ssl=1)
![IMG_7796 Beautiful Paintings](https://i0.wp.com/noforeignlands.sg/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/img_7796.jpg?w=682&h=455&ssl=1)
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…
Of course, who can miss photographing the Buddha’s head overgrown by the fig tree in Wat Maha That.
![IMG_7835 IMG_7835](https://i0.wp.com/noforeignlands.sg/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/img_7835.jpg?w=646&h=969&ssl=1)
![IMG_7833 IMG_7833](https://i0.wp.com/noforeignlands.sg/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/img_7833.jpg?w=646&h=969&ssl=1)
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(:
![IMG_7870 IMG_7870](https://i0.wp.com/noforeignlands.sg/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/img_7870.jpg?w=861&h=646&ssl=1)
![IMG_7877 IMG_7877](https://i0.wp.com/noforeignlands.sg/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/img_7877.jpg?w=431&h=646&ssl=1)
![IMG_7905 IMG_7905](https://i0.wp.com/noforeignlands.sg/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/img_7905.jpg?w=741&h=1111&ssl=1)
![IMG_7919 IMG_7919](https://i0.wp.com/noforeignlands.sg/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/img_7919.jpg?w=551&h=368&ssl=1)
![IMG_7793 IMG_7793](https://i0.wp.com/noforeignlands.sg/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/img_7793.jpg?w=551&h=368&ssl=1)
![IMG_7791 IMG_7791](https://i0.wp.com/noforeignlands.sg/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/img_7791.jpg?w=551&h=367&ssl=1)
Categories: Photo Essay, Thailand
How fortunate, looks like a taste of heaven.
It is indeed beautiful
Love love love Ayutthaya. Great photos btw!